Set Text Input properties

This section describes how to set the properties for the Text Input fields.

Select Text Input type

As PlatoForms provides seven types of Text Input fields, you can specify the type of Text Input to gather information from your respondents.

1. Once you add a Text Input field, open the field’s property panel.

2. Click the dropdown menu to the right of the field name.

2. Select your desired Text Input type.

Format Text Input fields

When using Text Input fields like Single Line Text, Date, Time, and Date and Time, you have the option to add a format property. This allows you to split the field into multiple parts, which is useful when presenting calendar dates.

For example, if you want to collect your respondents’ date of birth in the format YYYY/MM/DD, follow these steps:

1. Set the Text Input type to Date.

2. Enter YYYY/MM/DD for Placeholder.

3. Set Print Separator in PDF to Yes.

The field will be split into multiple parts as shown below, making it easier for respondents to enter their date of birth in the specified format. For more customization of the format property, please refer to Customize placeholder characters and separators.

Customize placeholder characters and separators

You’ve learned how to divide the field into several parts to create a structured input format. In this section, you’ll learn how to format a Text Input field as desired by utilizing placeholder characters and separators. It enables you to achieve a specific display format for the collected data.

• Placeholder characters: They’re special symbols or letters to specify the type of input required. Use the following placeholder characters:

  • For characters: use #
  • For digits: use d

• Separators: They can visually divide the different parts of a text field, aiding respondents in correctly entering data to the required format. Use the following separators:

  Separators	Suggested Use	Example
  Colon: ##:##:##	Time	12:30:45
  Slash: ##/##/##	Date	08/15/2023
  Parenthesis: (dd) (ddd) (ddddddddd)	Telephone number	(123) (456) (7890)

Customize the field length

• Set fixed length: You can adjust the length of the field based on the number of characters or digits you set using # or d. For instance, consider the format: ##/###

  • Part 1: 3 characters
  • Part 2: 2 characters

  In this example, the number of # determines the length of each part of the field. By specifying the desired number of placeholders, you can create a field with the exact length you need to collect the required information accurately.

• Set variable length: You can also set a length range by using [m-n] format, or use * to indicate any length. For example, consider the format: #[0-3]:##:#*

  • Part 1: 3 characters
  • Part 2: 0 ~ 3 characters
  • Part 3: Any number of characters

  This way, you can create fields with flexible length options, allowing respondents to provide information within a specified range or any length as needed.

Escape the reserved separator

If the separator you want to use is a special character that has a reserved meaning in the context of formatting, you can force it to be treated as a regular character by placing a backslash (\) before it. This process is called escaping the separator. By using the backslash before the reserved character, it will be interpreted as a normal character and will be displayed as intended in the formatted text field.

Here are some examples of placing the backslash (\) before the separator to force the break:

Example	Separator	Renderd Text
##\###\###	The separator is #	The rendered text will look like [xx#yy#cc].
##\[##\]##\*##	The separators are [, ], and *.	xx[yy]cc*dd
##\\##\\##	The separator is \.	##\##\##