Fields overview
Fields enable you to control how information is captured and displayed in forms. You can add as many fields as you need to a form (within the limits of your database) to capture and display the information required by your application.
You can use workflow to manipulate the attributes of fields. For example, you can set permissions for a group of trim fields or active link control fields so that they are inaccessible to certain groups of users, or you can add tabs in a panel field that are visible to some users (such as managers or support staff) but not to others.
Fields have properties that determine their structure within AR System. For an alphabetical list of field properties, see Field-Properties.
Core fields in a regular form
A regular form automatically contains these core fields.
- Request ID—Unique tracking number that AR System assigns to each request.
- Submitter—Login name of the user who submits a request.
- Create Date—Date and time that a request is created.
- Assigned To—Person assigned to handle the request.
- Last Modified By—User who last modified the request.
- Modified Date—Date and time that the request was last modified.
- Status—Current status of the request.
- Short Description—Brief description of the request.
- Status History—Time the request's status was last changed and who changed it. This field does not appear in forms. To view the information in this field, users must display a request and select View > Status History.
These fields provide basic capabilities that most application designers need. For more information, see Core-fields.
AR System has templates for blank forms and forms with core fields. You cannot delete core fields from a form created with them, but you can hide them from a user's view and change their labels, location, and appearance.
The following table shows the meaning of the field label styles:
Style | Description |
|---|---|
Bold | Field requires a value (default, user-entered, or from workflow) when a user submits a request. |
Italic | Field is automatically populated by AR System. |
Plain | Field is optional; users can enter information in it or leave it empty. |
Field types
The following table provides information about different field types. For more details, see Creating-and-managing-fields.
Field type | Description |
|---|---|
Data | Contains data values stored in database tables. You can set these characteristics of data fields:
|
Table | Displays data from other requests in the context of the current request. Table field styles are list view, tree view, cell-based, results list, and alert list. |
Attachment | Attaches files to requests. |
View | Provides a browser window in a form. The browser can display any URL, HTML content, or file format (including contents of attachments) that is compatible with a browser. |
Data visualization | Augments AR System with HTML-based content such as web pages, flashboards, and other graphics that can interact with the field's parent form through workflow. |
Application list | Displays a list of entry points. An entry point is a link that users click to open forms on the correct server in the required mode (New or Search). AR System automatically generates the contents of the application list. The entry points that a user sees in the list are only those to which the user has access. Any form that contains an application list field can be used as a home page . A home page is a single point of access into AR System. |
Horizontal and vertical navigation | Enables users to navigate to the correct screen in an application quickly and easily. |
Control | Triggers active links. Control fields include buttons, menu items, and toolbar buttons. |
Panel | Organizes other fields on forms into smaller containers that can be hidden when not needed. Panel fields can have various formats, such as tabbed, collapsible, splitter, and accordion. |
Trim | Adds boxes, lines, and text to enhance the visual appearance of forms. |
Field characteristics
All fields in AR System share the following characteristics in common:
- They can be disabled (dimmed) or hidden.
- They have a unique field ID and field name.
- They can be used in workflow.
- They can have context-sensitive help associated with them to help users learn more about them.
- Their display properties (including their location on a form and their appearance) can be changed.
- Permissions can be set to specify which users can access them.
- AR System automatically records their history, including their owner (the user who created them), the user who last modified them, and the date and time that they were last modified.