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Short Text Control

The Short Text control captures a single line of text from the user.

It consists of a single-line text box and a label. The label tells the user what to enter — for example Purchase Order Number or Customer Reference.

For longer, multi-line answers use the Long Text control instead.

Add to the Template​

The Short Text control can be added from the controls toolbar in the Template.

Once you have added the control you must set the label text that will be displayed above the text box. The label is required — it is also the name used to identify the control elsewhere in CheckFlow, such as in reports and dynamic values.

Required​

Tick the Required checkbox if the user must enter a value before the parent task can be completed.

RegEx Validation​

You can enforce a specific format by adding a regular expression. This is useful when an answer must follow a known pattern — an order number, a postcode, an employee ID, a serial number.

  1. Click Add RegEx Validation.
  2. Enter the regular expression the answer must match.
  3. Enter the validation message the user will see if their entry does not match. Write this in plain language, for example "Please enter a valid order number (3 letters followed by 6 digits)."
  4. Save the popup. The expression is displayed beneath the control in the template designer, and the button changes to Edit RegEx Validation.

The pattern is checked in the browser as the user fills the control in, and again when the task is completed.

note

RegEx validation only applies when the user has entered something. An empty Short Text control is not checked against the pattern unless the control is also marked as Required.

Populating from a Data Set​

The Short Text control cannot be linked to a Data Set. Only the Dropdown, Multi-Choice, Sub-Tasks and Table controls can be.

Use in the Checklist​

The user sees the label with a single-line text box beneath it. Their entry is saved automatically as they type, and the control records who last changed it and when.

Validation​

When a Short Text control is marked as required, validation is performed when the user completes the task. The task cannot be completed until a value has been entered.

Validation error messages are shown below the text box.

If you try to complete a task outside of the checklist (e.g. from the Dashboard) and it fails validation we will notify you of the validation failure via a pop-up message.

Conditional Logic​

A Short Text control can be used to drive Conditional Logic. The available conditions are is, is not, has no value and has any value, and the value is matched as free text.

A Short Text control can also be the target of a rule, so it can be shown or hidden by a condition driven by another control.

Dynamic Values and Parameters​

The answer given in a Short Text control can be reused elsewhere in the checklist as a Dynamic Value — for example inside a Text control or a Mail-To email.

The control can also receive a dynamic value, through a Dynamic Value Binding set from the control's Content Settings cog. Short Text accepts all of the standard global dynamic values, as well as the value of another control in the same checklist. See Dynamic Values.

The control can also be bound to a Template Parameter of type String, so it is pre-filled when the checklist is created.

Linked Checklists​

A Short Text control can be either side of a Linked Checklist control mapping, so a value captured in a parent checklist can be carried into the child checklist it creates.

Reporting​

Short Text answers are available in Reports and can be added as a column.

Control columns are only available in a report when a single template is selected. Add the column from the Columns dropdown, under Tasks & Fields. See Report Columns.

Limits​

LimitValue
FormatUnrestricted, unless you add a RegEx validation pattern
Maximum lengthNo limit. Despite the name, a Short Text answer is not length-capped.
  • Long Text — when the answer needs more than a single line.
  • Conditional Logic — how to show or hide other tasks based on what is typed here.
  • Dynamic Values — how to reuse the answer elsewhere, and how to pre-fill this control.
  • Control Types — the capability matrix for every control.
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