Text fields allow users to input text strings including words and figures, which can be displayed in multiple lines. You can also set a wide variety of text field properties, such as limiting the number of characters a user can type into the field or using asterisks to substitute the characters you input (e.g. a password).

To change text field properties:

  1. In the Text Field Properties dialog box, click the Options tab and specify the following settings:
    • Select the text field alignment from the Alignment option. It sets the alignment of text within the text box but does not align the text box itself.
    • Type the default value text for the text field. Of course, you can leave the text box as blank. You can also set the text box Read Only in the General tab. See Creating and Editing Form Fields.
    • Select Multi-line to allow for more than a single-line entry in the text field.
    • Select Scroll Long Text to compensate for text that extends beyond the boundaries of the text field.
    • Select Limit of Characters to set a limit to the number of characters that can be entered in the field.
      Note:
      If you entered a default value before select the option, when you select the option, the value is clipped to this limit.
      If you set a value of the limit first, in the Default Value box, you can only input characters within the limit.
    • Select Password to have the text field display all entered text as a series of asterisks.
    • Select Comb of Characters, and enter a value to create a text field that spreads characters evenly across the width of the text field. If a border color is also used, border lines separate each character within a single text field.
  3. Click the Format tab, and choose a category type among the options. This specifies the type of data (number, date, time and so on) the user can enter. See Format Options for details.
  4. Click the Validate tab to run a custom validation script to establish that the text entered by the user is valid. See Validate Options for details.
  5. Click the Calculate tab, and select the options if you want to perform mathematical operations. See Calculation Options for details.
  6. Click Close to apply the property options you’ve selected.

TextField Options