Friday, March 6, 2009
Understanding Relevant Tools Database Field Types
Your Relevant Tools account comes with a contact database that you can customize or you can define your own databases. There are many different choices for the field types - text, text area, pulldown menu, checkboxes, radio buttons, integer, floating point, email, url, image url, and date.
Text is the most common field type. On a web form the user can enter a line of text. So for example if you have text fields first name and last name you can sort your database by last name by clicking on the last name column heading. Text area allows multiple lines of text to be entered. When a text area field is displayed as a result of a database search you will only see the first part of the text and you can click on the little 'v' to the left of the record to view the entire record.
Email, URL and image URL enables those fields to be displayed as proper links in the database display. If you have a field called website that is type URL you can click on the field and be taken to the website. Image URL generates the code for an image source so you can include images from other websites in your database. The email field will generate the html code to bring up a window so you can type in an email message. Fields that are type email also get some extra checking when the user enters them into a web form to make sure that the email address entered is a properly formated address.
Pull down menus allow you to enter a choice of items. In a web form the user will be able to select one. One of that standard fields Relevant Tools includes in the contact database is state. But perhaps you or many of your customers are in Canada and you want to include Canadian provinces. Click on Database and then click on 'create/edit/delete' fields in the database functions selection. Click on the state field. You can change the field name to call it State or Province.
Then click on Edit Field. Next you will see the list of states and you can select to replace them with a list of states and provinces or you can enter your own list of choices for your pull down menu.
Check boxes and radio buttons are defined in the same way where you enter the list of choices. The html code that is generated for your Relevant Tools form will display the check boxes and radio buttons with the options that you have specified.
Integer fields are for whole numbers and can be totaled when you display your database. Floating point fields are for decimal numbers, such as currency, and can also be totaled. When you specify a field as a date and then sort your database by the date field it will be sorted in chronological order instead of alphabetic or numeric order.
In addition to the common field types Relevant Tools databases can contain complex fields. Complex fields can be used to link to other databases or dynamically generate links using data from the current record. If you have special requirements ask us for more information as complex fields may be able to implement your solution.
Text is the most common field type. On a web form the user can enter a line of text. So for example if you have text fields first name and last name you can sort your database by last name by clicking on the last name column heading. Text area allows multiple lines of text to be entered. When a text area field is displayed as a result of a database search you will only see the first part of the text and you can click on the little 'v' to the left of the record to view the entire record.
Email, URL and image URL enables those fields to be displayed as proper links in the database display. If you have a field called website that is type URL you can click on the field and be taken to the website. Image URL generates the code for an image source so you can include images from other websites in your database. The email field will generate the html code to bring up a window so you can type in an email message. Fields that are type email also get some extra checking when the user enters them into a web form to make sure that the email address entered is a properly formated address.
Pull down menus allow you to enter a choice of items. In a web form the user will be able to select one. One of that standard fields Relevant Tools includes in the contact database is state. But perhaps you or many of your customers are in Canada and you want to include Canadian provinces. Click on Database and then click on 'create/edit/delete' fields in the database functions selection. Click on the state field. You can change the field name to call it State or Province.
Then click on Edit Field. Next you will see the list of states and you can select to replace them with a list of states and provinces or you can enter your own list of choices for your pull down menu.
Check boxes and radio buttons are defined in the same way where you enter the list of choices. The html code that is generated for your Relevant Tools form will display the check boxes and radio buttons with the options that you have specified.
Integer fields are for whole numbers and can be totaled when you display your database. Floating point fields are for decimal numbers, such as currency, and can also be totaled. When you specify a field as a date and then sort your database by the date field it will be sorted in chronological order instead of alphabetic or numeric order.
In addition to the common field types Relevant Tools databases can contain complex fields. Complex fields can be used to link to other databases or dynamically generate links using data from the current record. If you have special requirements ask us for more information as complex fields may be able to implement your solution.
Labels: databases, fields, tutorial, web forms
Understanding Relevant Tools Database Field Types posted by Jean Christofferson @ 5:53 PM 
