Screen Attributes - Fields Tab

Owned by Gidi Shalev
Last updated: Jun 09, 2020
4 min read


The Fields tab allows the configuration of the attributes of specific fields.

The left pane of the screen displays the fields and field parts that are available on the screen.

You can Add and Remove fields from the list, and also add a Screen Part (new window pane) and populate it with fields and values. This is valuable when organizing the logical structure of the screen, as well as adjusting the grouping of fields on the new display.

You can also convert the selected fields to a different type, using the Convert to button:

  • String - text
  • Boolean – true\false values (e.g., Y/N)
  • Date – Pattern can be defined (e.g., MM/dd/yyyy,  dd/MM/yyyy, MM/dd/yy or dd/MM/yy)
  • Integer - numerical
  • Double - decimal
  • Enum – list of pre-defined values
  • Values – deprecated and not recommended for use

The right pane displays all the field attributes that are available for editing:

  • Java Type – the field Java type
  • Field Name – the field name
  • Row – the field’s first row number on the screen
  • Column – the field’s first column number on the screen
  • End Row – the field’s last row number on the screen
  • End Column – the field’s last column number on the screen
  • Rectangle – select if the field value has multiple lines (End row must be greater than row).
  • Editable - select to define field as input.
  • Password - check if the field is a password (the value will appear as asterisks).
  • Field Type:
    • PasswordField – use in LoginEntity to represent the Password field
    • UserField – use in LoginEntity to represent the User field
    • MessageField – use in MessageEntity to represent the field that contains the message
    • ErrorField – use in LoginEntity to represent the Login Error field
    • MenuSelectionField – use in MenuEntity to represent the field that gets the menu selection
    • General – use for all other types of fields
  • Display Name – the name of the field as it is displayed in a web application
  • Sample Value – sample value to appear in the field in a web application
  • Default Value – the value to be set in the field if no other value is defined
  • Label Column – location of the label on the screen for use during Design Time to position the field in the web panel
  • Key – set the field as key. This can impact several layers:
    • Use in the Java API when using the getEntity method with the entity key as input (e.g., terminalSession.getEntity (Entity.class, 123);)
    • Use as key in the REST request (e.g., http://server.com/app/entity/123)
    • When storing the entity in cache, use the key to differentiate it from other instances of the same entity in the cache
  • Help Text – add Help Text to the field in the web application
  • Right to Left - check to reverse the value when working with right to left languages.
  • Fields Attribute: returns terminal data of the field
    • Value – returned field data is a value
    • Editable – returns True or False if the returned data is or is not editable
    • Color – returns the value of the text color
    • Back Color – returns the value of the background color
  • When Condition – regular expression to determine whether the area in the screen is a field
  • Unless Condition – regular expression to determine whether the area in the screen is NOT a field
  • Key Index – when the Key checkbox is selected, the Key Index is given a default value. When the entity has multiple keys, this value is used to determine the order of the keys in the Java and REST API request (e.g., terminalSession.getEntity(Entity.class, 123, 987, …);, http://server.com/app/entity/123+987+...)
  • Internal – make the field invisible in the Web application, and accessible only from the Java API
  • Global – make the variable a global variable. After its initial population, the value will also be available from other screens by using the Globals module in the session.
  • Null Value - determine a value that will be set to Null if it appears on the screen (e.g., 0/00/00, .00 or “empty”).
  • Table Key -
  • Force Update – to identify fields that require a value to be entered before continuing to the next screen, even if the value has not changed
  • Expression - when selected, this field will be used as a component of a different field
  • Enable Lookup - enables value selection from a lookup window.
  • Lookup Action – select the action key that opens  the lookup window assigned to this field (F4 is the default action).
  • Regular Expression – validate the field input with a regular expression on the Client side
  • Required - select when the field must receive an input
  • Invalid Message – message to be displayed on the Client side when the field cannot be validated

Add a descriptive text for a field that will be displayed on the Client side taken from a specific place on the screen:

  • Row – the row on which the text will be displayed (the first row in the case of text that is split over multiple rows)
  • Column – the column at which the text will begin
  • End Column – the column at which the text will end

The Field tab allows you also to define dynamic fields that are useful when the field’s location on the screen is dependent on the returned values (such as messages).

  • Leading Text – when defined, the system will search for this text on the screen and use it to locate the dynamic field
  • Row – the row on which the field will begin
  • Column – the column at which the field will begin
  • End Column – the column at which the field will end
  • End Row – the row on which the field will end
  • Field Offset – the space between the Leading Text and the first character of the dynamic field value

There is also the option to pad Strings in the Fields attributes:

  • Padding type: None (default) , Right , Left

  • Padding character: input text masked to one character
    If the Padding type is 'None', do not display the Padding character input box
    If the character is space (or other non-visible character) - display the label 'Space' right next to the input character