To create a data table:
Navigate to the location for the new data table. Either paste a data table from the clipboard, import a data table, or perform the following steps to create one from scratch.
Select File > New > Data Table.
The New Data Table wizard opens.
In the Create tab, enter the following properties:
Name (required). The name of the new data table.
Description (optional). A description that appears below the navigation path on the data table’s page. You can edit this field after the data table is created.
Click Next to create the data table’s fields (or columns). A data table entry consists of the fields that make up a row. Each field has a name, and a data type, and one of the fields is the designated entry name. Three, unnamed, plain-text fields are initially provided for a new table. You can edit, add, or delete fields as appropriate.
For each field, choose settings as follows:
Field Name (required). The name label for the field. For example, Name, Date, Part Number, and so on. The name must be between 1 and 128 characters in length, and it must be unique within the current table. One of the field names is designated as the entry name.
Field Type. The type of data the field contains. Choose a field type, as described in Table 9.3. You cannot change (edit) the data type of a field once the table is created.
Use as entry name. The field identified as the name of the entry. Clicking the entry name in a data table row opens the entry. The following field types can be entry names: plain text, number, autonumber, date, or member. You cannot change (edit) or remove the entry name field once the table is created.
To add a field, click Add; to delete a field, click Remove.
Either continue to another tab, or click Finish to create the data table.
Click Finish to close the wizard, and create the data table.
Or, you can click Cancel to close the wizard without creating a data table.
To enable a discussion for the data table, you must select the Show Discussion checkbox on the Info tab of the create data table wizard, or the data table’s properties dialog box.
Table 9.3. Data table field types
| Field type | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain text | For fields displaying text with no special formatting. | ||
| Formatted text | For fields displaying text with type styles such as bold, and italic, as well as graphics, and hyperlinks. | ||
| Date | For fields displaying calendar dates. When creating a table, and defining a date field, you can (optionally) select a checkbox that specifies the field as a due date. | ||
| Number | For fields displaying fixed digits, and related characters, such as currency symbols, commas, and decimal points. | ||
| Autonumber | Numeric values created automatically, according to the sequence in which the entry is created. A data table can have only one autonumber field. | ||
| Yes/No | For fields displaying blank, yes, or no values. | ||
| Traffic light | For fields displaying blank, red, yellow, or green values, indicating the overall status of entries. | ||
| Choice list | For fields that display a subset of predefined values. Specify the choice values in the text box (for example: choice 1, choice 2, and choice 3, without the commas, and each on its own line). A choice list must have at least one choice, each choice must be unique in the list, and no line can be blank. The order of lines determines the order in which the choices appear in the list of choices when users create or edit an entry. To allow users to choose more than one value for this field, select the checkbox labeled Allow multiple choices. | ||
| Member list | For fields that display the names of members. Members can either be users or groups. Decide whether multiple users can be selected for this field or only from a list of specified users. | ||
| Discussion | For including a discussion field in the entry. A data table can have only one discussion field. | ||
| Attachments | For including an attachments field in the entry. A data table can have only one attachments field. | ||
To create a data table entry:
Navigate to (or create) the data table in which you want to create an entry.
In the data table summary view, select File > New > Entry.
The New Table Entry dialog box opens.
In the Create tab, enter data for each of the field types.
You can either continue to another tab, or click Finish to create the entry.
Click Finish to close the dialog box, and create the entry.
Or, you can click Cancel to close the dialog box without creating an entry.
Table 9.4. Editing data table field types
| Field type | Description | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain text | Edit a plain text field using a standard text box. | ||
| Formatted text | Edit a formatted text field using the RTE. | ||
| Date | Edit a date field using a text box with a date picker provided for choosing a date. If the date is a due date, you can optionally select the Done? checkbox to indicate when a task is finished. | ||
| Number | Edit a number field using a text box. | ||
| Autonumber | The autonumber field is read-only. | ||
| Yes/No | Select blank, Yes, or No. | ||
| Traffic light | Select Red, Yellow, Green, or blank. | ||
| Choice list | For a choice-list field that allows one choice only, pick the value from a drop-down list of predefined choices. For a field that allows multiple choices, select from the set of predefined values. | ||
| Member list | Use the member picker to select members (either users or groups). | ||
| Discussion | You cannot edit a discussion field. | ||
| Attachments | You cannot edit an attachments field. | ||