Text Area Form Element

Type: String

Name in Properties Panel: Accessible Description

Name to Use in Expressions: accessibleDescription

An accessible version of the description of the element. The accesible description is not visible on the page; it is hidden.

You can use the Accessible Description property to provide a description that can be used by assistive technologies, such as screen readers.

Type: String

Name in Properties Panel: Description

Name to Use in Expressions: description

A description of the element. The description appears below the element's title.

You can use the Description property to describe what the element represents or to provide instructions to the user about how to use the element.

You can format the description using Markdown.

Type: String

The element's ID, which is used in other form elements and activities to access the element's properties, including the user's input. The ID must be unique across all elements in the form.

You cannot set the value of the Element ID property in an expression—you can only use the value that you configured for it. To use the Element ID property in an expression:

${Display Form ID}.state.{Element ID}.{property name}

For example:

Type: Boolean

Name in Properties Panel: Enabled

Name to Use in Expressions: enabled

Indicates whether the Text Area element is enabled in the running workflow. When a Text Area element is enabled, the user can enter text. When a Text Area element is disabled, the user can see the Text Area element, but cannot interact with it. Disabled elements appear dimmed or shaded in the running workflow.

By default, Text Area elements are enabled. To disable a Text Area element, clear the Enabled checkbox. You may want to change the property's value at run time depending on the user's input in a previous form element.

To access the enabled property in an expression:

For example:

Type: String | MarkdownRef

Indicates whether an error occurred in the element.

We recommend using the Set Form Element Error and Clear Form Element Error activities to work with errors in form elements.

Type: Number

Name to Use in Expressions: maxLength

The maximum number of characters that can be entered in a field.

To access the enabled property in an expression:

For example:

Type: String

Name in Properties Panel: Placeholder Text

Name to Use in Expressions: prompt

A hint to the user about how to use the Text Area. The hint appears inside the Text Area. When the user starts typing in the Text Area, the hint disappears.

To access the prompt property in an expression:

For example:

Type: Boolean

Name in Properties Panel: Read Only

Name to Use in Expressions: readOnly

Indicates whether the user can edit the text in the Text Area or not. The user can select and copy read-only text, provided the element is enabled.

Use the Read Only property to prevent the user from changing the text in the Text Area.

By default, the user can change the text in a Text Area. If you want the text to be read only initially, select the Read Only checkbox.

To access the readOnly property in an expression:

For example:

Type: Boolean

Name in Properties Panel: Required

Name to Use in Expressions: require

The Required checkbox is intended as a quick way to do simple validation without having to add a validate event. When you add a validate event, the Required check is not performed even if the checkbox is selected. To force the Required check to be performed when a validate event is configured, add a Propagate Form Event activity anywhere within the event's subworkflow.

Indicates whether the user must enter some text in the Text Area. When the Text Area element is required, the user cannot submit the form until some text is entered. .

By default, Text Areas are not required. To require a Text Area , select the Required checkbox.

To access the require property in an expression:

For example:

Type: Number

The size of the Text Area, measured in rows. The Rows property controls the number of rows that the user can see at one time—it does not limit the number of rows of text that the user can enter. The user can scroll to see the other rows.

By default, Text Areas show 3 rows. If you know in advance approximately how many rows the user will need, you can adjust the Rows property accordingly.

To change the number of rows, you can either type the number into the Number box or click the arrows . The number of rows must be a positive integer.

Type: String

Indicates the name of the style that will be applied to the element.

To access the styleName property in an expression:

For example:

Type: String

Name in Properties Panel: Title

Name to Use in Expressions: title

The element's title, which appears at the top of the element. You may want to change the title to describe what the element represents in your workflow.

You can format the title using Markdown.

Type: String

Name in Properties Panel: Title Location

Name to Use in Expressions: titleLocation

Specifies whether the element's title appears above (default) or beside the element.

The value must be either "above" or "beside".

Type: String

Name in Properties Panel: Tooltip

Name to Use in Expressions: tooltip

A message that displays when the user hovers the mouse pointer over the Text Area. You may want to use the tooltip to provide help to the user.

Type: String

The variety of form element. Text Area elements are type "TextArea".

Use the type property to find out the variety of a form element in a form with many elements. Loop through ${Display Form ID}.state, comparing each element to the known form types and performing some action on the elements that meet your type criteria.

To access the type property in an expression:

${Display Form ID}.state.{Element ID}.type

For example:

Type: String

The text that the user entered in the Text Area.

To access the value property in an expression:

${Display Form ID}.state.{Element ID}.value

For example:

$form1.state.textArea1.value

Type: Boolean

Name in Properties Panel: Visible

Name to Use in Expressions: visible

Indicates whether the element is visible to the user. By default, Text Area elements are visible. If you want to hide the element, clear the Visible checkbox. You may want to change the visibility at run time depending on the user's input in a previous form element.

To access the visible property in an expression:

${Display Form ID}.state.{Element ID}.visible

For example:

The load event fires when the element finishes loading.

You can use the load event to set one or more of the element's properties at run time. For example, you could set the element's initial value.

The change event fires when the user clicks away from the Text Area after entering or changing the input.

You can use the change event to create dependencies between form elements. For example, you could configure a change subworkflow that enables or disables other form elements depending on the user's input.

The change event fires every time the user's input changes. This means that the change subworkflow can run multiple times. Because of this, you should make sure that the change subworkflow is not computationally intensive or long running.