Field Types

Summary

Every field your server sends has a type that tells the client how to render it and what input to accept. This page covers all field types — what JSON to produce and what behavior the client applies.

Type-driven behavior

The client derives all behavior from the field type and structural properties. You do not declare per-field behavior. Set the type, and the client knows what to do.

The context-dependent shortcut (Ctrl+Enter and its alternates Shift+Enter, F6, Ctrl+O) resolves differently depending on field type:

Field Type	Enter	Ctrl+Enter (and alternates)	Space	Free-text edit
Boolean	Advance	—	Toggle	No
Option	Advance	Open modal	Cycle	No
Non-editable with `lookup`	DrillDown	DrillDown	—	No
Editable with `lookup`	Advance	Lookup	—	Yes
Editable (no lookup)	Advance	—	—	No
TextArea	Advance	Insert newline	—	Yes
Read-only	—	—	—	No

Text

Free text input. The default field type.

json

{
  "id": "name",
  "label": "Name",
  "type": "Text",
  "value": "Acme Corp"
}

For code fields (uppercase identifiers like customer numbers, product codes), use Text with an input mask:

json

{
  "id": "customer_no",
  "label": "Customer No.",
  "type": "Text",
  "value": "10000",
  "validation": {
    "input_mask": "uppercase",
    "max_length": 20
  }
}

Decimal

Numbers with decimal places. Right-aligned by the client.

json

{
  "id": "unit_price",
  "label": "Unit Price",
  "type": "Decimal",
  "value": "1,495.00"
}

Format the value string yourself (thousand separators, decimal places)
The client accepts: 0-9, ., ,, -
On save, the client sends the raw edited string; your server parses it

json

{
  "id": "amount",
  "label": "Amount",
  "type": "Decimal",
  "value": "45,000.00",
  "validation": {
    "min": 0,
    "max": 999999.99,
    "decimals": 2
  }
}

Integer

Whole numbers. Right-aligned.

json

{
  "id": "line_no",
  "label": "Line No.",
  "type": "Integer",
  "value": "10000"
}

The client accepts: 0-9, -

Date

Date input with Navision-style shorthand parsing.

json

{
  "id": "posting_date",
  "label": "Posting Date",
  "type": "Date",
  "value": "10-03-2026"
}

Format the value according to your locale.date_format
The client parses shortcuts:
Shorthand Meaning
t Today (work date)
t+N / t-N N days after/before today
DD Day DD in the current month
DDMM Day DD, month MM in current year
DDMMYY Full short date
The date format (DD-MM-YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY) is controlled by locale.date_format in the ScreenContract

Shorthand	Meaning
`t`	Today (work date)
`t+N` / `t-N`	N days after/before today
`DD`	Day DD in the current month
`DDMM`	Day DD, month MM in current year
`DDMMYY`	Full short date

Time

24-hour clock. The client auto-corrects separators (, and . become :).

json

{
  "id": "start_time",
  "label": "Start Time",
  "type": "Time",
  "value": "08:30:00"
}

The client parses shortcuts: t = now, 830 = 08:30:00, 1430 = 14:30:00

Email, Phone, URL

Text fields for contact information. Ctrl+Enter opens the value in the system app (email client, phone dialer, or browser).

json

{
  "id": "email",
  "label": "E-Mail",
  "type": "Email",
  "value": "ap@acme.example",
  "validation": {
    "pattern": "^[^@\\s]+@[^@\\s]+\\.[^@\\s]+$"
  }
}

{
  "id": "phone",
  "label": "Phone",
  "type": "Phone",
  "value": "+45 70 10 20 30"
}

{
  "id": "home_page",
  "label": "Web",
  "type": "URL",
  "value": "www.acme.example"
}

Boolean

Two-state toggle. Renders as plain text — "Yes" or "No" by default.

json

{
  "id": "taxable",
  "label": "Taxable",
  "type": "Boolean",
  "value": "true"
}

Value is always the string "true" or "false"
Space toggles the value. Enter advances to the next field without toggling
No edit mode — just toggles
The bottom bar shows "Space Toggle" when this field is focused

Labels

Override the default "Yes"/"No" text:

json

{
  "id": "privacy_blocked",
  "label": "Privacy Blocked",
  "type": "Boolean",
  "value": "false",
  "true_label": "Blocked",
  "false_label": "Not blocked",
  "true_color": "red"
}

Property	Default	Description
`true_label`	`"Yes"`	Text shown when the value is true
`false_label`	`"No"`	Text shown when the value is false

Colors

Control the color of the true and false states independently:

json

{
  "id": "shipped",
  "label": "Shipped",
  "type": "Boolean",
  "value": "true",
  "true_color": "green",
  "false_color": "red"
}

Property	Default	Description
`true_color`	field color	Color name shown when the value is true
`false_color`	field color	Color name shown when the value is false

If omitted, the normal field value color is used for both states. See Colors below for available color names.

Option

Fixed list of choices. The user cycles or selects from a dropdown.

Simple format (value equals label)

json

{
  "id": "type",
  "label": "Type",
  "type": "Option",
  "value": "Item",
  "options": [
    "",
    "Item",
    "Resource",
    "G/L Account",
    "Text"
  ]
}

Labeled format (separate value and display label)

json

{
  "id": "blocked",
  "label": "Blocked",
  "type": "Option",
  "value": "",
  "options": [
    {
      "value": "",
      "label": " "
    },
    {
      "value": "ship",
      "label": "Ship"
    },
    {
      "value": "invoice",
      "label": "Invoice"
    },
    {
      "value": "all",
      "label": "All"
    }
  ]
}

Which format to use: use simple strings when the stored value and the display text are identical (e.g., "Item", "Resource"). Use labeled objects when they differ — for example, when a blank value should display as a space rather than an empty string, or when the code differs from the label.

Both formats are valid. The client handles either.

The client renders the current value with a ↓ indicator and supports:

Space to cycle
Ctrl+Enter to open a selection modal
Backspace/Delete to reset to the first option

Password

Masked text input. Renders as ****.

json

{
  "id": "password",
  "label": "Password",
  "type": "Password",
  "value": ""
}

Used for login forms.

Separator

Visual divider between field groups. Not interactive, not editable. The client skips separators entirely — they are not navigable, not included in changesets, and not referenced for autofill or validation.

Always use "separator" as the id:

json

{
  "id": "separator",
  "label": "",
  "type": "Separator",
  "value": ""
}

Multiple separators on the same form all use the same id. The client ignores it.

DateRange

Range format for filter forms: 01-01-26..31-01-26.

json

{
  "id": "date_filter",
  "label": "Date Filter",
  "type": "DateRange",
  "value": ""
}

TextArea

Multi-line text input for notes, comments, and message bodies.

json

{
  "id": "notes",
  "label": "Notes",
  "type": "TextArea",
  "value": "First line\nSecond line",
  "rows": 4
}

rows controls the visible height of the field (default: 4). The field can hold more text than the visible rows — the user scrolls within the field.
The value uses \n as the line separator. Your server receives the value with \n embedded.
Works in Card and action form modals.

TextArea uses a flat cursor model — the cursor is a position within the full string, and \n counts as one character.

Key	Behavior
`Enter`	Confirm edit, advance to next quick_entry field
`Ctrl+Enter`	Insert a newline at the cursor
`F2`	Cycle: Cursor End → Cursor Start (Select All is skipped)
`Ctrl+A`	Select all text
`Tab` / `Shift+Tab`	Confirm edit, move to next/previous field
`Esc`	Revert to original value, return to select mode

The bottom bar shows the current line count while editing — for example 2/4 Ctrl+Enter New line.

Field values

All field value properties are strings, never null. An empty field is "". The client sends string values on save, and your server sends string values in responses. This applies to every field type including Boolean ("true" / "false") and Decimal ("1,495.00").

Color and bold

Use color and bold to override the default appearance of any field:

json

{
  "color": "yellow",
  "bold": true
}

Both are optional. bold defaults to false and can be omitted. Used primarily on drill-down fields. See Colors below for available color names.

Validation rules

Add a validation object to enforce client-side rules:

json

{
  "validation": {
    "required": true,
    "max_length": 100,
    "min_length": 1,
    "pattern": "^[A-Z0-9]+$",
    "input_mask": "uppercase",
    "min": 0,
    "max": 999999.99,
    "decimals": 2
  }
}

Rule	Applies to	Behavior
`required`	All types	Empty value rejected: "{Label} is required."
`max_length`	Text types	Value longer than N characters rejected
`min_length`	Text types	Value shorter than N characters rejected
`pattern`	Text types	Regex — value not matching is rejected
`input_mask`	Text types	`"uppercase"`, `"lowercase"`, `"digits_only"` — filters keystrokes
`min` / `max`	Decimal, Integer	Out-of-range value rejected
`decimals`	Decimal	Maximum decimal places

These are client-side hints. Your server must still validate on save.

Colors

The following named colors are available wherever a color name is accepted — in color, true_color, and false_color:

Name	Notes
`"yellow"`
`"red"`
`"green"`
`"blue"`
`"cyan"`
`"magenta"`
`"white"`
`"black"`
`"gray"` / `"grey"`

Color names are case-insensitive. An unrecognised name falls back to white.

Screen Types

Fields

Operations

Field Types

Summary

Type-driven behavior

Text

Decimal

Integer

Date

Time

Email, Phone, URL

Boolean

Labels

Colors

Option

Simple format (value equals label)

Labeled format (separate value and display label)

Password

Separator

DateRange

TextArea

Navigation

Field values

Color and bold

Validation rules

Colors

Field Types ​

Summary ​

Type-driven behavior ​

Text ​

Decimal ​

Integer ​

Date ​

Time ​

Email, Phone, URL ​

Boolean ​

Labels ​

Colors ​

Option ​

Simple format (value equals label) ​

Labeled format (separate value and display label) ​

Password ​

Separator ​

DateRange ​

TextArea ​

Navigation ​

Field values ​

Color and bold ​

Validation rules ​

Colors ​

Field Types

Summary

Type-driven behavior

Text

Decimal

Integer

Date

Time

Email, Phone, URL

Boolean

Labels

Colors

Option

Simple format (value equals label)

Labeled format (separate value and display label)

Password

Separator

DateRange

TextArea

Navigation

Field values

Color and bold

Validation rules

Colors