Define and Format Control Text

Use the Form Editor to define static or conditional label and control text, and font format for the controls on a form.

This topic describes defining and formatting control text on a form with a universal theme. If you are editing a form with a classic theme, use this link to open the previous version of Define and Format Control Text.

A form control has two different kinds of text, both of which are automatically formatted by a form theme:

To add a Related Item Picker control to a form:

  • Label: Text to display beside the control to identify the control on the form. By default, the label text comes from the field name. The label text format (font/size/style) comes from the form theme font (Label font association).
  • Control: Text to display inside the control, either provided by a user (example: Text field) or listed (example: Drop-down). By default, the control text format (font/size/style) comes from the form theme font (control font association).

You can manually change any label and apply different text formats, if needed. Use the Form Editor (accessed from within a Blueprint in CSM Administrator) to define the label and text format for a control.

Good to Know:

  • Label text can be conditional (expression-driven). For example, define an expression to change a label when the status changes.
  • Text formatting options include:
    • Font: Theme or explicit font.
    • Font size: Point size for font (explicit fonts only).
    • Font style: Bold, underline, or italics (explicit fonts only).
    • Alignment: Horizontal (left, center, right) and vertical (top, middle, bottom) alignment of text.

      Text color is defined as a foreground color. See Select a Background, Foreground, and Border Color for a Control.

  • See Form Editor Behaviors for tips on working with controls and the Form Editor.

To define and format control text:

  1. Open a form in the Form Editor.
  2. Select a control.
  3. Define a label, either static or conditional text:
    • Static: In the label text box, provide the label to display next to the control.
    • Expression-driven text (conditional): Select the Expression button Text Expression Button, and then define the expression (condition) to determine the label, using either:
      • Stored expression: Select the ellipsis Ellipses Button to open the Expression Manager, and then select an existing stored expression or create a new stored expression. Stored expressions can be reused in numerous places in CSM.
      • Custom Expression: Select the Custom Expression button Expression Button to open the Custom Expression Builder, and then create a custom expression specifically for this scenario.
  4. Define text formatting:
    1. Font: Select the Edit Font drop-down list on the Form Editor toolbar, and then select a font in the Font dialog drop-down list .
      • Explicit font: The font selected by you is applied.
      • Theme font: The associated theme font is applied.
    2. Font Style: Select Bold, Underline, or Italics .
    3. Font size: In the Font Size drop-down list , select a point size (example: 12px).
    4. Horizontal alignment: Select one of the horizontal alignment buttons (Left, Center, or Right) to align the text on a horizontal axis within the control box.
    5. Vertical alignment: Select one of the vertical alignment buttons (Top, Middle, or Bottom) to align the text on a vertical axis within the control box.
  5. Publish the Blueprint to commit the changes, or save the Blueprint to continue making other changes.