Using Data-Entry Fields

Move to and highlight an edit box by pressing the tab key or by double-clicking and highlighting the text. You can type over existing highlighted text. If the text is not highlighted, you are inserting rather than replacing text.

This example shows an edit box.

Some edit boxes are associated with database fields that have formatting attributes assigned to them. For example, most name fields are defined with the PeopleSoft name format that requires you to enter data in the following manner:

[Lastname],[Firstname] [Initial]

This format is case sensitive. Also, note that there is no space between the comma after the last name and the first name. The complete PeopleSoft standard name convention is as follows:

[Lastname] [Suffix],[Prefix] [Firstname] [Middle name/Initial]

If a field is not case sensitive, the system converts what you type to uppercase before writing it to the database.

Other types of formatting include:

• Social security, social insurance, or other government ID numbers.

• Dates.

• ZIP codes or other postal codes.

• International phone numbers.

For these types of formats, you generally type only the characters; the system inserts the appropriate dashes and slashes for you. For dates, enter the standard six-digit date format, such as mm/dd/yy (include zeroes); the system automatically changes the display to show a four-digit year.

In interactive mode, if you enter a field value incorrectly, the system highlights the field in which an invalid value was added, and a warning message appears with an explanation of the problem.

You use long edit boxes to enter anecdotal information such as comments or free form informational text.

Move to and highlight a long edit box by pressing the tab key or by double-clicking and highlighting the text. You can type over existing highlighted text. If the text is not highlighted, you are inserting rather than replacing text. If you enter data that extends beyond the visible area of the long edit box, a scroll bar appears for you to navigate through the data.

This example shows a long edit box with the Display in Modal Window and Spell Check buttons.

To select a single item from the list, click the down arrow to display the list, scroll through the list until your choice is visible, and then click the desired list item. The list closes and the selected value appears in the list box. You can also type the first letter of an item to select it. If there is more than one choice for a letter, type the letter repeatedly to cycle through the list. In the following example, first click the down arrow, then, if you want to select Greek, type the letter G twice. Alternatively, press the Down Arrow key to select the field entry that you want. Once your choice is highlighted, press Enter.

This example shows a drop-down list box.

Using Smart Drop-Down List Boxes

Application developers can configure drop-down fields to respond to user choices and list values based on the recently used items or frequently used items. Such drop-down fields are called smart drop-down list boxes.

Smart drop-down list values are separated into two sections, namely, Most Relevant and Others. The Most Relevant section displays the values based on your setting as specified on the My Preferences page. For example, if you select Most frequent first, then in the Most Relevant section of the drop-down list, the most frequently used items are listed first followed by the most recently used items. Similarly, if you select Most recent first, then in the Most Relevant section of the drop-down list, the most recently used items are listed first followed by the most frequently used items.

The Others section displays the remaining items of the drop-down values. Both the sections do not display duplicate values, that is, a value is displayed either in the Most Relevant section or in the Others section.

Initially, when you navigate to a drop-down field that is enabled for smart prompt, the drop-down list is not divided into the Most Relevant and Others sections. After you've selected values from the list, the smart drop-down list displays the Most Relevant and Others sections.The default value is always listed at the top.

If a drop-down list contains a blank value and a user selects it, the blank value is not added under the Most Relevant section.

For information on setting the smart drop-down option, see Specifying General Settings in My Preferences

The following example illustrates the display of smart drop-down list separated into the Most Relevant and Others sections.

You can insert or update images in your PeopleSoft system. For example, the Employee Photo page enables you to store and maintain photos of your employees in your PeopleSoft database.

This section discusses how to:

• Insert an image.

• Delete an image.