The format of the Size tab depends on the type of field being displayed.
If the type of the field is String, the tab will be displayed as described below.
Display size sets the visual size of the field at runtime. This setting is only used to tell the browser the number of characters to allow on the window. It does not limit the number of characters that may be entered in the field.
Format is used to control input of a field. Any character can be included in a format with the # and @ character as placeholders for user provided data. The # is used to indicate any valid number. Like the #, the @ is used to indicate a valid number but has the special property of being hidden. This is useful for fields that contain sensitive information such as a credit card. Some examples are shown below.
Type |
Format |
Example Value |
Example Display |
Telephone |
(###) ###-#### ext. #### |
1234567890 123456789123 |
(123) 456-7890 (123) 456-7891 ext. 23 |
Zip Code |
#####-#### |
123456789 12345 |
12345-6789 12345 |
Credit Card Number |
@@@@-@@@@-@@@@-#### |
1234567890123456 |
****-****-****-3456 |
The field size is used to validate the field. You will not be allowed to enter a value that is longer than the field size at runtime. If 0 is entered, the max field size is not limited.
You can specify a minimum field size that will be validated at runtime. The value entered in this field must contain at least the specified number of characters. If 0 is entered, the min field size is not limited.
If the type of the field is Numeric, the tab will be displayed as described below:
Display size sets the visual size of the field at runtime. This setting is only used to tell the browser the number of characters to allow on the window. It does not limit the number of characters that may be entered in the field.
For Numeric Fields, the user may select Integer, Currency, Fixed Decimal Point, Floating Decimal Point, and Percentage.
The field size is used to validate the field. You will not be allowed to enter a value that is longer than the field size at runtime. If 0 is entered, the max field size is not limited.
You can specify a minimum field size that will be validated at runtime. The value entered in this field must contain at least the specified number of characters. If 0 is entered, the min field size is not limited.
If the type of the field is Date and Time, the tab will be displayed as described below.
Display size sets the visual size of the field at runtime. This setting is only used to tell the browser the number of characters to allow on the window. It does not limit the number of characters that may be entered in the field.
The format of a Date and Time field has two purposes. First, it is used to ensure that the value entered in the field is a valid value. Secondly, it is used to tell the server how to convert the input to the standard format in which it is stored. All date and time values are stored internally in the format yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss, where HH:mm:ss are optional values with the caveat that items to the right can be dropped. That is, the user can specify HH:mm without the seconds value, ss, but the user cannot specify mm without also specifying HH.
For example, if the internal Date/Time string field 1999-12-31 23:59:59 is assigned to strings with the Format shown in the table (M/d/y hh:mm a), that means you will internally receive the data in the columns Display and Value Stored Internally. Parts of the original Date/Time field that are not used by the format are discarded and only the parts used are stored internally.
The table below shows how date and time data is constructed for use in a Date and Time field:
Element |
Meaning |
Example(s) of Use |
M |
1- or 2-digit month |
1 |
d |
1- or 2-digit date |
2 |
y |
2- or 4-digit year |
04, 2004 |
E |
abbreviated day name |
Fri |
H |
1- or 2-digit hour (0-23) |
8 9 10 11 12 13... |
h |
1- or 2-digit hour (1-12) |
...8 9 10 11 12 |
m |
1- or 2-digit minute |
...9 10 11 12 13 14...59 |
s |
1- or 2-digit second |
...9 10 11 12 13 14...59 |
a |
AM (or PM) |
AM |
The table below shows examples of valid entries for the Format field when setting up Date and Time fields, as well as what is displayed to the script user and how the data is stored internally:
Format |
Display |
Value Stored Internally |
M/d/y |
1/2/04 |
2004-01-02 00:00:00 |
MM/dd/yy |
01/02/04 |
2004-01-02 00:00:00 |
MM/dd/yy |
01/02/99 |
2099-01-02 00:00:00 |
MMM/d/yyyy |
Dec/3/2004 |
2004-12-03 00:00:00 |
E MMMM/d/yyyy |
Fri December/31/1999 |
1999-12-31 00:00:00 |
M/d/y EEEE H |
1/2/04 Friday 23 |
2004-01-02 23:00:00 |
M/d/y hh:mm a |
12/31/1999 11:59 PM |
1999-12-31 23:59:00 |
h:m:s a |
11:59:59 PM |
1970-01-01 23:59:59 |
Note: Dates in the format 19xx should be formatted as yyyy.
The field size is used to validate the field. You will not be allowed to enter a value that is longer than the field size at runtime. If 0 is entered, the max field size is not limited.
You can specify a minimum field size that will be validated at runtime. The value entered in this field must contain at least the specified number of characters. If 0 is entered, the min field size is not limited.
If the type of field is Multi-Line Text the tab will be displayed as described below.
This defines the size of the field on the page. It does not limit the amount of text that can be entered in the field.
For a Multi-Line Text field, the rows value indicates the number of rows that should be allocated on the web page for the field.
For a Multi-Line Text field, the cols value indicates the number of columns that should be allocated on the Web page for the field.
The field size is used to validate the field. You will not be allowed to enter a value that is longer than the field size at runtime. If 0 is entered, the max field size is not limited.
You can specify a minimum field size that will be validated at runtime. The value entered in this field must contain at least the specified number of characters. If 0 is entered, the min field size is not limited.