Define Data Dialog Box

You use the Define Data dialog box to choose the data service fields for an element, and specify their default values. For UI elements, the Define Data dialog box also enables you to choose the control to display for each field, or whether to hide the control (and thereby remove the field from the UI element).

You display the Define Data dialog box by right-clicking a view or connector element on the Design board or Layout board and choosing Define Data from the context menu.

The Define Data dialog box contains the following items:

Area	Item	Description
Search area	Search for...	The string that you want to search for in nodes and fields in the data set.
	Search	Searches for the string defined in the Search for... field in nodes and fields in the data set, according to the selected Advanced Search Options.
	Advanced Search Options	Enables you to refine the search using one or more of the following options: Search in Selected Node Only: Restricts the search to the node currently selected in the tree, together with all of its child nodes. Find Whole Names Only: Restricts the search to finding fields or nodes with the exact name that you specify in the Search for... area (no partial matches are displayed). Search in Name and Description: Searches for the specified string within node and fields names, as well as in field descriptions (if any exist).
	Show tree hierarchy	Displays the data structure nodes in a hierarchical tree.
	Show field descriptions	Displays the Description column in the Define Data dialog box, as described above.
Dataset tree pane	Displayed only when defining data for clustered datasets. Displays the nodes in the clustered dataset and enables you to modify them.
	Add Node	Adds a node as a child to the selected node.
	Delete Node	Removes the currently selected dataset node from the tree.
	Rename Node	Renames the currently selected dataset node. Note Node names are case-insensitive and can contain only ASCII characters, digits, and underscores. They cannot contain spaces, cannot start with a digit, and must be unique within the same data structure level (the fields of its parent node). End of the note.
	Initialize Data	Displays the Initialize Data dialog box, for entering initialization values for the fields of the dataset.
	Copy Node	Enables you to copy a single node (Copy Node) or a node with all of its subnodes (Copy Node and Children) to the Clipboard.
	Paste Node	Pastes the previously-copied node(s) as a subnode(s) of the selected node. If the top-level node is selected, you can choose to paste the previously-copied node as a child of the top-level node (Paste Below) or to replace the top-level node (Replace Node).
	Dataset tree	Displays the nodes and structure of the clustered dataset.
Dataset fields pane	Displays the fields in the dataset or the fields in the selected node of the clustered dataset and enables you to modify them.
	Add Field	Opens a list from which you can choose the type of field to add. You can add fields of the following types: String Boolean Number Date When defining initial data values for fields of type Date, the values must be entered in the format `dd/mm/yyyy`. Time When defining initial data values for fields of type Time, the values must be entered in the format `HH:mm:ss`. DateTime When defining initial data values for fields of type DateTime, the values must be entered in the format `date;time;timezone abbreviation`. Complex Field (a field that contains other fields). When you add a new field or paste a field from the Clipboard to a complex field, you can choose whether to add it as a sibling or as a child of the complex field.
	Delete Field	Removes the currently selected field from the list.
	Rename Field	Renames the currently selected field. Note Field names are case-insensitive and can contain only ASCII characters, digits, and underscores. They cannot contain spaces, cannot start with a digit, and must be unique within the same data structure level. End of the note.
	Find References	Searches the current component for any references to the selected field. Any references to the field are displayed in the Find Field References dialog box, so you can modify them as required. More information: Finding References
	Initialize Data	Opens the Initialize Data dialog box, in which you can define initialization values for each of the fields in the dataset. This option is available only when defining fields for clustered datasets and for connectors. More information: Initialize Data Dialog Box
	Copy Fields	Enables you to copy the selected field (Copy Single Field) or all the fields in the dataset (Copy All Fields) to the Clipboard.
	Paste Fields	Pastes the previously-copied field(s) under the selected field.
	Change Data Structure	Enables you to change the structure of the dataset from Record to Record Set and vice versa. This option is available only when defining data for certain connectors, and only when the existing dataset structure (if any) is not clustered.
	Select All	Creates controls for all fields in the list, based on the field type. This is equivalent to clicking the Add/Remove Controls column and adding a checkmark for each field. You can change the control by clicking it to display a list of controls of the same type, and choosing a new control from the dropdown list.
	Deselect All	Hides controls for all fields in the list. This is equivalent to clicking the Add/Remove Controls column and removing the checkmark for each field.
	(Add/Remove Control)	Shows or hides the control in the UI element for the selected field. When the control is shown, a checkmark appears in this column and the control type is indicated in the Control column.
	Field Name	Displays the name of the field. You can change the name by clicking the Rename Field button. If the field is a complex field, you can expand and collapse the complex field to show and hide its fields.
	Description	Displays the field label value, if it is defined in the back-end system. This column is displayed only when the Show field descriptions checkbox is selected.
	Control	The control to be displayed for this field in the UI element. You can change the control by clicking it to display a list of controls of the same type, and choosing a new control from the dropdown list. You can also choose Hide from the dropdown list to remove the control from the UI element (the field and its data still remain). This is equivalent to clicking the Add/Remove Controls column and removing the checkmark for the field.
	Default Value	Enables you to enter a default value for the field that is used at runtime. You can either enter a value in the field, or click the fx button to define a value using the Dynamic Expression Editor dialog box.
	Show All	Enables a scrolled display of the list of fields, if it is longer than the dialog box.