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    Introduction
    • 05 Apr 2021
    • 2 Minutes to read
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    Contents

    Introduction

    • Updated on 05 Apr 2021
    • 2 Minutes to read
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    Article summary

    Objects are the building blocks of an app.

    The purpose of your app will dictate how many and what types of objects you will use. Familiarize yourself with the various types.

    Some objects provide a visual experience that you can include in your layouts. Others have no visual experience and are used for other purposes such as output language for reporting.

    Object Types

    Below is a table of supported object types.

    TypeVisualData TypeDescription
    PageYesTextVisual container for a group of layout objects
    CheckboxYesBooleanVisual toggle box with a label
    Dropdown ListYesTextVisual drop down box - single selection
    Dropdown List AndYesArray (of Text)Visual drop down box - multiple selections
    RadioYesTextVisual group of options - single selection
    TextboxYesTextVisual text field
    IntegerYesNumberVisual text field - integer values only
    DecimalYesNumberVisual text field - decimal values only
    LabelYesTextVisual label
    PictureYesTextVisual picture from Internet URL
    SentenceNoTextNon-visual language container
    Notice

    App Builder also contains experimental object types not included here.

    Make sure your apps only use supported object types before publishing them to the Marketplace.

    Purpose

    Objects have two primary purposes:

    1. Storing a single piece of information
    2. Defining a user experience to collect this information

    How your app is built and used determines which of these purposes is utilized.

    Insight

    Scripts can interact with the underlying data type of an object, regardless of whether or not a visual experience is defined.

    Adding Objects

    With your app hilighted in App Builder, follow these steps to add a new object to your app:

    1. Click the 'Add Object' button

    builder_add_object_plus

    1. Choose what type of object you want to add and give it a unique name

    builder_add_object

    Note: If you have an existing object selected, you can specify if you want this new object to appear below it or at the end of the list. Object placement (order) is important when building layouts.

    1. Specify values for your new object's properties

    builder_add_object_props

    Note: Aside from the common name, ID, and description properties, each object type has a unique set of properties for you to specify

    Identifiers

    Each object in your app must have two unique identifiers:

    • Name
    • ID

    The name property is specified by you and provides a convenient way to reference your objects. Make sure to use names that reflect what your objects represent.

    Example

    If the object you were adding was intended to store someone's first name, a good name would be 'firstName' because it reflects your intent.

    Spaces and special characters are not allowed in object names - keep them simple

    The ID property is a special numeric property that is automatically generated (using a numeric counter) when you add new objects to your app.

    What's Next