Livecycle

Overview of text fields

If you want to provide users with a way to enter textual data, add text fields to the form. Text fields enable users to type, select, edit, cut, copy, paste, and delete any of the text inside the field.

Text fields can accept one or more lines of wrapping text and support enhanced formatting capabilities. For example, text fields can display blocks of text in different typefaces and colors. Text can be stored and retrieved as plain text or XHTML. If required, the data in a text field can be formatted and displayed according to predefined patterns.

After you add a text field to the form design, you can edit the caption text and manipulate the object’s properties in the Field, Value, and Binding tabs of the Object palette. You can define these properties:

•	Change the caption for the field. (See To rename a caption.)

•	Set a border style for the field. (See To set the border style.)

•	Define the field as visible, invisible, or hidden. (See To make an object visible, invisible, or hidden.)

•	Specify a locale for the field. (See To specify a locale (language and country or region) for an object.)

•	Specify the comb format for the field. (See To specify the comb format for text fields.)

•	Enable or disable multiple lines of text.

•	Enable or disable the field to be filled with rich-formatted text.

•	Limit the number of characters in the field.

•	Allow page breaks within the content of the field.

•	Keep a text field object with the next object in the document when a page break is introduced.

•	Define the display pattern.

•	Define the edit pattern.

•	Specify an initial value to display.

•	Define a run-time property (for example, insert the page number).

•	Define the validation pattern.

•	Choose whether the field will support plain text or XHTML.

•	Specify a data-binding pattern.

•	Specify a binding method for storing and retrieving bound data.

Text fields support scripting and calculations. If a user is to supply data, you can define whether the input is recommended or required, and you can set up messages to prompt users appropriately. All user input may be validated through scripting.

See also 

Formatting captions

To lock objects

About field patterns and value formatting

Layout properties in the Layout palette

Border properties in the Border palette

Text field patterns

Text field properties in the Field tab

Text field properties in the Value tab

Text field properties in the Binding tab

Overview of text fields