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Managing Form Fields

xAssets Configuration Guide
Forms

Managing Form Fields

Each form contains one or more fields that define what data appears and how it is presented. This page covers how to work with fields on a form: viewing them, inserting new fields, reordering them, resizing them, copying them between forms, and reviewing their attributes across the system.

Prerequisites

  • You must be a Configuration User to modify form fields.
  • The form must first be opened in the Form Editor.

The Form Fields Tab

The Form Fields tab in the Form Editor lists all fields on the current form, showing their names, types, positions, and widths.

Form Fields tab showing list of fields on the form with their properties

From this tab you can insert new fields, reorder existing fields, change field sizes, edit field properties, and delete fields. Select one or more fields in the list to act on them using the toolbar buttons or the menu above the list.

Changing the Order of Fields

The order that the fields appear in the Form Fields tab of the Form Editor will be the order in which they appear in the displayed form unless the form has HTML to specify its layout. The fields will be rendered left to right in the columns on the form and then top to bottom. The field order can be changed by editing the field and typing in a new Field Position, or:

  • With one or more fields selected, click on the Move up button
button to move the field up one place in the order of fields. Hold Shift whilst clicking to move it to the first field position.
  • With one or more fields selected, click on the Move down button
button to move the field down one place in the order of fields. Hold Shift whilst clicking to move it to the last field position.

Changing the Size of Fields

The width value is the number of pixels wide the field will be. The width of the field can be changed by editing the field and entering a new width or:

  • With one or more fields selected, click on the Decrease width button
button to decrease the field width by 10 pixels. Hold Shift whilst clicking to decrease the width by 100 pixels.
  • With one or more fields selected, click on the Increase width button
button to increase the field width by 10 pixels. Hold Shift whilst clicking to increase the width by 100 pixels.

Copy Field to Other Forms

Use this feature to copy one or more fields from the current form to other forms. This is useful when you need the same field to appear consistently across multiple forms -- for example, adding a new specification field to all category-specific asset editor forms at once.

Select the fields you want to copy in the Form Fields tab, then use the Copy Field to Other Forms option. You will be prompted to choose the target forms.

Insert Fields from Another Form

Use this option to copy fields from another form into the current one. You will be prompted to select the source form and then choose which fields to copy.

This is particularly useful when building a new form that needs some of the same fields as an existing form, without cloning the entire form.

Review Field Attributes Across Forms

The "Review Field Attributes across forms" link opens a dialog which allows comparison of the selected field(s) across different forms throughout the system. This allows users to establish consistent name Types, widths, and Tooltips across the system. Select one or more of the fields and then set the values below the list and click Go button

to apply the changes to all the selected fields.

Tip: When inserting a new field, the system suggests a Field Type based on the database column's data type. In most cases the suggested type is correct, but you can change it if needed (see Editing a Form Field's Properties).

Tip: Use Copy Field to Other Forms when rolling out a new specification field across multiple category-specific forms. This saves significant time compared to adding the field manually to each form.