Console field properties

Common properties

The following table lists the common UI properties available in Console UI.

Table 1. Common properties that apply to a console field
Property Description
align Specifies the position of data in a variable field when the length of the data is smaller than the length of the field.
color Specifies the color of a field in a console form.
dateFormat Identifies the format for dates.
fieldLen Specifies the number of single-byte characters that can be displayed in a console form field.
help Specifies the hover help text that is displayed when the user presses the key specified in the consoleLib.key_help system variable.
highlight Specifies the special effect (if any) with which to display the field.
inputRequired Indicates whether the user is required to place data in the field.
intensity Specifies the strength of the displayed font.
lineWrap Indicates whether text can be wrapped onto a new line whenever wrapping is necessary to avoid truncating text.
lowerCase Indicates whether to set alphabetic characters to lower case in the user's single-byte character input.
masked Indicates whether characters that the user enters in this field are displayed.
minimumInput Specifies the minimum number of characters that the user is required to place in the field.
needsSOSI Indicates whether EGL performs a special check when the user enters data of type MBCHAR on an ASCII device.
protect Specifies whether the user can access the field.
timeFormat Identifies the format for entering or displaying times.
timestampFormat Identifies the format for entering or displaying timestamps.
upperCase Indicates whether to set alphabetic characters to upper case in the user's single-byte character input.
validValues Indicates a set of values that are valid for user input.
value Identifies a string literal that is displayed as the field content when a web page is displayed.

Required properties

The following properties are required in a console field variable:
  • fieldLen (unless the ConsoleField is a constant field)
  • position

The name property is also required, although not in a constant console field.

Properties for fields and arrays

The following properties are meaningful on console fields and console field arrays:

Table 2. Properties for any field
Property Description
position Specifies the a row and column number for the beginning of a form field. Required.
segments Specifies the row, column, and length of each field segment. Optional.

Properties for arrays only

Within Console UI, the following properties apply only to a ConsoleField array; a ConsoleField array can also include all the preceding properties.

Table 3. Properties for arrays only
Property Description
columns Specifies the number of columns in which to display the elements of a ConsoleField array. Optional.
linesBetweenRows Specifies the number of blank lines between each line that contains an array element. Optional.
orientIndexAcross Indicates whether EGL should distribute array elements horizontally (rather than vertically) on the screen. Optional.
spacesBetweenColumns Specifies the number of spaces separating each column of array members. Optional.

Properties for fields only

Within Console UI, the following properties apply only to a field:

Table 4. Properties for fields only
Property Description
autonext Indicates whether, after the user fills the current ConsoleField, the cursor goes to the next field. Optional.
binding Specifies the name of the variable to which the ConsoleField is bound by default. Optional.
caseFormat Specifies how to treat input and output in relation to case sensitivity. Optional.
comment Specifies the text displayed in the Window-specific comment line. Optional.
commentKey Specifies a key used to search the resource bundle for comment text displayed in the Window-specific comment line. Optional.
dataType Specifies a string that identifies a data type for the field. Optional.
editor Specifies the program for user interaction with LOB data. Optional.
initialValue Specifies the initial displayed value for the field. Optional.
initialValueKey Specifies an access key for searching the resource bundle that contains the initial value for display. Optional.
name Specifies an identifier for variables that are otherwise unnamed. Optional.
numericFormat Indicates how to format numeric output. Optional.
pattern Specifies the pattern for input and output formatting if the field content is a text type. Optional.
sqlColumnName Specifies the name of the database table column that is associated with the field. Optional.
verify Indicates whether the user is prompted to retype the same value after trying to exit the field. Optional.

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