Overview
To create or edit an item, a user must fill out an item form.
The standard item form lists all attributes of the item’s design/interface, so the user can input values for each one. Required attributes are indicated with an asterisk * .
Alloy lets you create one or more custom item forms for a design/interface. This powerful feature gives you full control over the form layout, the order and visibility of attributes, and the controls used for input.
What is an item form?
Item forms are a method of data input. They let a user populate an item’s attributes with values.
An item form applies to a specific design/interface and can be used when a corresponding item is created, edited, or both.
Using the Item Form Builder, you can add attribute controls to the form. Each control defines the field properties of its specific attribute and how a value can be entered.
Why use item forms?
Item forms provide a wealth of ways to customise data entry. Using them effectively can improve efficiency, save time and increase automation.
Compared to the standard item form, you can:
- show or hide an attribute
- change the order of attributes
- make an attribute read-only
- make an optional attribute required
- override an attribute’s default value
- use AQS to sort and filter items in the lookup list of a Link attribute
An attribute control has several properties, which can be configured statically or dynamically based on the output of an item form expression.
Using Permissions, different item forms can be made available to different users/groups. Item forms can also be targeted to specific platforms (e.g. Web or Mobile) through the use of tags.
Item forms vs stencils
Item forms and stencils both let you customise the order and visibility of an item’s attributes.
However, they differ in a few key ways:
| Â | Item form | Stencil |
|---|---|---|
| Used for… | Inputting data | Viewing data |
| How many can a design/interface have? | Many | One |
| Can it include multiple controls for a single attribute? | No | Yes |
| Can it pull in non-attribute data? | No | Yes (e.g. Street View control) |
Therefore, item forms and stencils serve different purposes and can be used together without conflict.