Skip to main content


         This documentation site is for previous versions. Visit our new documentation site for current releases.      
 

Configuring a Text area control

Updated on December 13, 2022
Applicable to Theme Cosmos applications

Help your users enter long-form information comfortably by setting up large text boxes. The Text area control holds several lines of unformatted text, and you can adjust the size and appearance of the text box to match your form and your business needs.

For example, in a hotel booking application, you can set up a Text area for additional comments from the customer. When empty, the text box is collapsed, but expands when the user enters text.
Before you begin: Add a Text area control to the layout.

For more information, see Adding UI components to a view.

  1. Open the view with the control that you want to edit.
    For more information, see Accessing views in your application.
  2. In the configuration pane on the right side of the window, hover over the control, and then click the Edit icon.
  3. On the General tab, in the Property field, define the property that you want to associate with the control:
    • To select an existing property, in the Property field, press the Down arrow key, and then click the property.
    • To create a new property, click the Open icon next to the Property field, and then configure a new property record. For more information, see Properties.
  4. In the Default value field, define the text that appears in the control automatically:
    • To use a fixed value, enter the text manually.
    • To tie the default value to an expression, click Open expression builder, and then define the expression that you want to use.
  5. On the Presentation tab, in the Editable settings section, define the size and format of the text field:
    ChoicesActions
    Fit to layoutIn the Specify width and Specify height fields, click Auto.
    Specific widthIn the Specify width field, click Custom, and then define the size of the control in pixels or as a percent ratio.
    Specific height with scrollbar
    1. In the Specify height field, click Custom.
    2. In the Height field, define the size of the control in text rows or pixels.
    3. In the Scrollbar field, add a scrollbar to your control by clicking True.
    Collapsible
    1. In the Specify height field, click Size to Content.
    2. In the Minimum height field, define the minimum size of the control in text rows or pixels.
    3. In the Collapsible field, select the default state of the control (collapsed or expanded).
  6. In the Min characters and Max characters fields, define the length of the control.
  7. In the Type field, select how to format the control in a read-only state:
    For example: To create a control that hides the text that the user enters behind bullets select Text, and then in the Obfuscated field, select Yes.
  8. Click Apply.
What to do next: Configure the remaining settings. For more information, see Configuring common control settings.

Have a question? Get answers now.

Visit the Support Center to ask questions, engage in discussions, share ideas, and help others.

Did you find this content helpful?

Want to help us improve this content?

We'd prefer it if you saw us at our best.

Pega.com is not optimized for Internet Explorer. For the optimal experience, please use:

Close Deprecation Notice
Contact us