Text Form Element

The Text form element displays text on the form. Use the Text element to provide instructions and other information to the user. The Text element does not get input from the user.

Example of the Text form element, shown in a viewer

Text Properties

The Properties table describes the properties of the Text form element.

The type of a property defines what types of values the property can have. Many properties are type string, which means that the property's value is text. Boolean properties can be true or false. Some properties have more than one possible type.

Property names in Workflow Designer's Properties panel are written using the capitalization and spacing of a title. Property names in expressions are valid JavaScript identifiers and start with a lower case letter.

In the table below:

If a property can be accessed in both the Properties panel and expressions, then the table gives both versions of the name.
If a property's name in the table starts with a lower case letter, then you can only access the property in expressions.
If a property's name starts with a capital letter and the table does not give a name to use in expressions, then you can only access the property in the Properties panel.

Expressions are case sensitive. When you access a form element property in an expression, you must use the correct capitalization.

Properties of the Text Form Element

Accessible Description

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.

Description

Type: String

The text to display in the form.

Use a Text form element to provide instructions and other information to the user.

You can format the description using Markdown.

Element ID

Type: String

The element's ID, which is used in other form elements and activities to access the element's properties. 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:

$form1.state.text1.visible

error

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.

styleName

Type: String

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

To access the styleName property in an expression:

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

For example:

$form1.state.text1.styleName

Title

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. By default, the title is blank. You may want to change the title to describe what the element represents in your workflow.

You can format the title using Markdown.

Title Location

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

Type: String

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

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:

$form1.state.text1.type

Visible

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 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:

$form1.state.text1.visible

Text Element Events

The following table describes the events associated with the Text form element. As in Workflow Designer, the events are listed in the order that they fire.

Events for the Text Form Element

load

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.