Field Properties Dialog

Fields are at the core of InfoQube's information management tools. it allows users to add additional information to items.

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The dialog is divided into 4 sections:
 

1- Top: Filter button and text box. Enter text to field list. Shortcuts are Ctrl+F and Ctrl+G
 

2- Left: Shows the list of defined fields with the following columns:

  • Field ID: ID below 200 are system fields and cannot be deleted
  • Name: Field name. Must be unique
  • Field Type: One of 4 types. Type can be changed only if no values are assigned
  • # items: number of items that have values for each field
  • Code: shows fields that have associated code
  • System fields are shown with grey background
  • Right-click show a Context menu with the following commands:
    1. Add as a Grid Column: Show the selected field(s) in the current grid
    2. Show Field Values: Opens the Scratch grid showing a flat list of all items with a value for the current field
    3. Copy Field Values...: Opens a dialog to copy values from one field to another (i.e. merge):



      Clicking Copy Values will analyse both fields and show a dialog of choice of actions:

    4. Copy Field: Copies the selected field(s) to the clipboard
    5. Paste Field: Pastes the field(s) in the clipboard. Creates new field(s). If paste is done in the same IQBase, a dialog will give the option to also copy the field values to the new field(s)
       

3- Right: Shows all field properties, arranged in 5 sections:

  1. General
  2. Editor
  3. Equations
  4. Conditional Formats
  5. Options
     

4- Bottom: List of command buttons:

  • Drop-down menu to:
    • Copy field values
    • Recalculate field dependencies
    • Export all field equations to a text file. Great to understand and summarize field relations
  • New: Adds a new field
  • Undo: Restore the field to the last saved state
  • Save: Save the current field definition
  • Auto Save: If checked, changes are saved automatically. System fields never Auto-save. Click Save to save changes
  • Create / Modified date and times
  • Close dialog

n.b. The dialog is not modal, so it can be left open while working
 

1. General

  • Field name: 50 chrs max. Can include any combination of letters, numbers, spaces, and special characters except :  ! * ? . , ` " [ ] | ~
  • Description: Text description, 255 chrs max
  • Caption in grids. Grid column header text for this field. In a grid, can also be set with Column > Column Header > Caption (see 4. Grid Columns and Column Sets)
  • Caption in Properties. In the Properties pane, caption can also be set using the context menu (see 6. Properties Pane)
     
  • Type: One of:
    • Date: 1 additional setting is visible for dates:
      • Format: Enter a specific format or select one of the built-in ones. See Hints section below
    • Number: 2 additional settings are visible for numbers:
      • Check Auto to get an auto-increment number. If you manually change the field value and that value already exists, the change is cancelled and a warning is shown as a pop-up notification
      • Format: Enter a specific format or select one of the built-in ones. e.g. 0 to format a number without decimals, 0.00 for 2 digits after the decimal point. See Hints section below
    • Text
    • Yes/No
    • Field type can be changed if it has no field values.
      If the field already has some values, you can create a new field of the desired type and copy values from one field to another
       
  • Properties:
    • Read only: Grid and Properties pane editor is disabled, so values cannot be modified. Equations can update the values however
    • Wrap text in Properties pane: Causes all lines of the field to be shown in the Properties Pane.
      To show multiple lines in a grid column use the wordwrap option for the column itself (see 6. Column Menu)
    • Hyperlink: If checked, allows for single-click actions in grids and the properties pane (files, web shortcuts, email)
    • Parse if starts with '=': If checked, text field values that start with = will treat it as an equation. If unchecked, parsing can be triggered in the Properties pane > Parse Equation
    • In Calendar by default: For date fields, creates an event when a value is added to this field
    • Hide in Info. Pane: Show/hide in the item field-value in the Filled Fields section of the properties pane
    • Hide in Available fields: Show/hide in the item field-value in the Available Fields section of the properties pane
    • is 'Done' field: A Date or a yes/no field can be set to be used as the done field (used in Item>Mark as done [Ctrl + M] and in the DateFilter toolbar. The Done field (date) is the default field, but another date field or a Yes/No field can be used if desired
    • Include in new grids: Automatically include this field in new grids (as a grid column)
    • Field Color: Background color when shown in the Properties pane and as a column in grids 
    • Default value: Value to use when InfoQube needs to automatically assign a value to a field. Double-click or Alt-click in a grid cell will also assign this value
      ex: Now: today's date and time, int(Now): today's date. The default value can be a number or text or an equation.
    • Alignment: Sets text alignment in grids and the Properties pane
    • Auto-Search: When auto-search is checked in a grid, determines if 'Start with' or 'Contains' is used when users start typing (and not editing)
       

2. Editor

See Field Management Dialog - Editor

3. Equations

See Field Management Dialog - Equations

4. Conditional Formats

See Conditional Formatting

5. Options

Sets some additional field options:

  • <CAPS>: Displays all text as upper case
  • <Source>SQLSelectString</Source>: Creates a custom field using SQL. See Smart Fields
  • <Separator>CR</Separator>: For the ItemValues field, specifies how to separate entries. Use CR to have each entry on a new line
  • <Prefix>--</Prefix>: For the ItemValues field, specifies the prefix before each entry

Hints: