Low-code designer > App builder / System data types

System data types

To store data on forms as well as in widgets, tasks, or business process start events, you can use sets of fields. The information you want to display determines the field types you need to use. For example, you can create a String type field for a comment and a Money type field for a contract’s amount.

Read more about adding fields to forms in the Context tab article. Below you can find the description of all the data types available in the system. Read about working with types in scripts in the Data types article in ELMA365 TS SDK.

String

This type is used to add text information.

data-types-1

The content can be displayed as a string or as text. The Markdown option allows you to format the text you enter. Read more in the Markdown article.

data-types-2

Apart from general settings, this type has an additional setting:

  • Validators. Here you can set a template to validate the text that the user enters.
  • Input mask. An input mask is a set of regular expressions. Only expressions without flags are available in masks. Read more about writing regular expressions in the MDN Web Docs documentation.
  • Message shown when the input does not comply with the mask. Write a message shown when the user enters text that doesn’t comply with the input mask. Read more in the Create input masks for Strings using regular expressions article.

Number

This field is used for entering numbers.

data-types-3

You can only enter digits in this field.

Select the number type:

  • Integer or Non-integer. Here you can select the number format. The Non‑integer type allows entering non-integral numbers.

data-types-4

Yes/No switch

This type adds a checkbox or a radio button that allows the user to mark one of two options.

The default options are Yes and No, but you can rename them.
If you want one of the values to be selected on the form by default, mark it in the field’s settings. The user will be able to select another option on the form.

data-types-5

Choose a selection type:

  • Checkbox

data-types-6

  • Radio button

data-types-7

You can configure the selection type you chose when creating the field. To do that, open the Form Settings, select the field, and change the type.

Date/Time

This type is used to add a date and/or time to a form.

sdt 9

The display format can be configured only when creating the property or context variable.

  1. Date/Time. The user will need to specify a date and time.
  2. Date. The user will need to specify only a date.
  3. Time. The user will need to specify only time.

sdt 10

You can also enable the following options:

  • Set current date and time. The current date and time will be specified in the field by default. If you select this option for a business process variable, the date of the process start will be specified in the field.
  • Do not require to specify time. Apart from the date, the user will be able to specify time if needed. This option is available for the Date/Time format.

data-types-8

You can also define the default time:

    • Day Start. The default time will be 12:00 am.
    • Day End. The default time will be 11:59 pm.

The time you choose will be shown in the Time field by default.

Category

This type of field allows you to let the user choose one or more options from a drop-down list.

sdt 14

The list of option is defined when configuring or editing a form or when creating a context variable.

data-types-9

You can determine if users can select a Single option or Multiple options from the list.

sdt 16

Money

A field for entering numbers with a currency code.

sdt 17

  • Currency. Select a currency from the drop-down list. You can change the currency when you edit the field after saving. However, the values entered by users before that will not change until somebody edits the field and saves the data. The currency names and codes are in accordance with the ISO 4217 standard.
  • Digits after the decimal point to be displayed. Specify the number of digits to be displayed after the decimal point on an app item form. This feature is available for integers as well. For example, if you enter 2 in this field, the data on a form will be displayed in the following way: $100.00.

Account

This field type is used to store messenger accounts. An app that has this type of field in its context can be linked with sessions in live chats from the Live chats workspace.

You can specify the Account type: Telegram, WhatsApp, etc. You can also select Other. This format can be used to store an account not included in the list, for example, an additional email address.

data-types-12

If you select Several, the user will be able to select the account type on their own and add several accounts when entering information in this field on the form.

data-types-13

Phone number

A field for entering a phone number.

You can specify the Phone number type: main, home, work, etc.

sdt 19

If you select Several, the user will be able to select the phone number type on their own when entering information in this field on the form.

sdt 20

You can add a phone extension using a separator. For example:

  • +14841234567 x1234
  • +14841234567 ext 1234
  • +14841234567;1234

The extension will be displayed on the form as +14841234567 x1234.

When filling in and editing the field, the phone number is validated. The rules depend on the specified country. If the format of the main phone number or the extension does not comply with the validation settings, the incorrect-format-icon icon is displayed on the right of the field.

Email address

This type of field is used to enter an email address.

sdt 21

When the user fills in this field, the value is validated. If it doesn’t comply with the email address format, an error message appears.

data-types-17

You can select the Email address type: main, home, or work.

data-types-18

If you select Several, the user will be able to select the type on their own.

sdt 23

When this field is filled out, new options become available on the view form. You can quickly compose and send an email to the specified address or copy the address to the clipboard. To do that, click the arrow-down-icon icon next to the entered email and select the option you need.

data-types-19

  • Default Email Client. Select this option to open the page of the main email client installed on your PC. The recipient’s address will be filled out automatically.
  • ELMA365. If you linked an email address to the ELMA365 built-in email client in the Email workspace, you can create and send an email directly in the ELMA365 interface. The recipient’s address will be filled out automatically.
  • Copy to Clipboard. Temporarily store the email address on the clipboard.

Image

In an Image type field, you can attach a .jpg, .tiff, .gif, .bmp, or .png file. When setting up this field, you can select how many images can be attached to it: One or Many.

If you check the Clip image when uploading box, the user will be able to select an area of the image to display when uploading it.

sdt 25

This is how it is displayed on the form.

data-types-21

File

Files type field allows you to attach files of any type, such as invoices, documents, videos, etc.

You can specify if the user can attach One or Many files.

sdt 28

Here is what an uploaded file looks like:

doc_scan

By clicking on the file on an app item or task form, you can open its preview page. On the preview page you can:

  • download the file to your PC by clicking save-doc-icon;
  • open a menu with more options by clicking doc-options-icon:
    • Manage access. By default, the access settings for the app are also applied to the files uploaded to app item pages. You can provide additional permissions for the file to other users of the system;
    • Create copy. You can save a copy of this file to the Files workspace. All the actions available for files will also become available for this file.

 

File version history

For files uploaded to the Files field of the One type, version history is available. Users can add a new version by uploading it from their computer when editing the app item. Also, it is possible to attach a new version during a business process by using the Assign Value and Edit App Item activities.

All the file versions are saved in the system. To display the list of versions on the task or app item form, add the Document versions widget to the form and specify the property storing the file in its settings.

начало внимание

To to enable file version history in ELMA365 On-Premises, activate the allowAddVersionFileFields feature flag on the server. To enable it for ELMA365 SaaS, contact technical support.

конец внимание

Full Name

This field allows entering the last name, first name, and middle name.

sdt 29

Arbitrary app

This type allows the user to select an item of any app.

You can specify if the user can select One or Many app items.

If Many is selected, items from different apps can be specified on the form.

data-types-25

To select an app item, the user has to click the field on the form or the magnifying glass icon in it. In the window that opens, an app from the list needs to be selected.

data-types-26

A window with app items will open, and the user will be able to select an app item by clicking on it. On the form, the app item will be displayed as a link. The user can click it to access the app item’s page.

To select another app item, the user can click the recycle bin icon to the right of the link. The field will be cleared.

data-types-27

If the recycle bin icon is not displayed, the field is read-only. It is impossible to change its value.

You can add an Arbitrary app type field to a widget. Then you can use it as a universal component on different forms.

Note that when you configure input and output variables or bind settings to an Arbitrary app type field, you can specify variables of the following types: Arbitrary app, App, File, or Users.

Read more about input and output variables and binding fields.

Link

This field allows entering and displaying a link to a website, a document or workspace in ELMA365, or to other internet sources.

data-types-28

Table

This type helps to align data in rows and columns, change their design, and insert formulas to calculate values of cells or columns. Learn more about working with fields of this type in the Tables article.

sdt 33

Role

In a Role type field, you can specify a user, a group of users, or an org chart item.

data-types-30

Using a Role type field is convenient when you need to specify a whole group of users of an org chart item. You don’t need to select each specific user. You only need to select the necessary group or position.

When setting up the field, you can also check the Show locked users box.

data-types-31

Users

In this field, you can select one or more specific ELMA365 users.

sdt 31

When setting up the field, you can check the Show locked users box. You can also specify if One or Many users can be selected on the form.

You can also limit the list of users who can be selected. To do that, check the Add filter box and click on the Set up filter link that appears.

data-types-33

In the window that opens, click the +filter button and select fields from the user page that will be used for filtering: Full Name, Date of Birth, Hire Date, Job Position, Status, Groups, etc.

For example, you can set a filter so that it is only possible to select Sales department employees in a Users type field.

App

If you place a field of this type on an app form, you can use it to specify one or more app items of another app. This creates a link between the two apps. On the page of one app item, a link to the associated app item will be displayed. Click on it to open the associated item’s page.

If the user has the permission to create app items in the app selected in an App type field, they can also create a new app item as they fill out fields on the form. To do that, the user needs to click the +Create button.

sdt 36

The app is selected when configuring the form or creating the context variable. To determine how many app items the user will be able to specify, select One or Many in the variable’s settings.

sdt 34

When the app is selected, additional options will become available:

sdt 35

  • Default values for new items. This option is used if you want to make it possible for users to create new app items with prefilled fields directly from the form. For example, the user can create supplementary agreements directly on the form of a contract they relate to. Their fields will be prefilled with values form the contract. Read more in the Default values for new items article.
  • Bound app. You can bind items of one app with items of another. Child app items are created on the form of the parent app item, and they aren’t saved until the parent app item is saved. Read more in the Bound apps article.
  • Restrict choice. This option allows you to limit the list of app items available in the field. For example, to show only app items created after a specific date or app items added by the current user. Read more about this option in the Dynamic forms article.

In the advanced mode, you can also specify how the user will add new app items: by clicking a button or by selecting an item from a list.

When creating elements of one app from a page of another, the plus task button also becomes available. You can read more about its use and configuration in the Create app items on the page of another app article. Please note that this creates a link between apps that cannot be edited or removed, even if the fields themselves are deleted.

Found a typo? Highlight the text, press ctrl + enter and notify us