SmartFieldPalette
SmartFieldPalette was a text formatting package. It supplied data input fields that automatically restrict input, format data, and report errors and changes. It also provided extensive validation of the application user's input with very little programming effort. SmartFieldPalette could dramatically reduce the time required to develop applications that required information to be a specific data type, format, or from a specific set of valid values. It was an application that every developer would find extremely useful.
SmartFieldFeatures:
Input Restrictions:
Input could be restricted to a specific data type including:
• Digits
• Floating point numbers
• Regular text
• Regular expressions
• Integers
• Alphabetic characters
• Dates
Field Formatting:
• Text field input could be automatically formatted into upper or lower cases
• Date fields could be translated into a wide variety of date formats
• Numeric fields could be formatted using commas, periods, or a developer specified characteristic
• Field width maximums and minimums could be set.
Value Validation:
Values entered into an OTSmartField could be validated using:
• Lists of explicit values
• Ranges of valid values
• Regular expression patterns
The developer could dictate the behavior of the OTSmartField when an error was found, or when the contents of a field change. For example, bad input could be announced using alert panels and sounds and changes could be announced with visual alerts.
SmartFieldPalette was reviewed in the March 1992 issue of NeXTWatch. The following was an excerpt from that review.
"The SmartFields palette seems very well rounded. Except for the absence of a way to specify valid filenames, the SmartFields palette is an easy way of ensuring valid data. Unlike implementing a chooser without the ChooserPalette, doing error checking on input isn't that difficult, but doing it rigourously does take a lot of time and a lot of code which tends to clutter up other code. If you have a lot of text fields and are sick of doing input checking and would rather do real programming, take a look at the SmartFields palette. It is an excellent way to have a well-behaved and user-friendly application."
Price: SmartFieldPalette single license and software: $ 769
Purchasing a single license allowed up to five machines to share SmartFieldPalette over a network.
There were no run-time fees for the applications developed using these objects.
Educational institutions received a 50% discount.
Site licenses were available.
Objective Technologies, Inc.
SmartFieldPalette was a trademark of Objective Technologies, Inc. Interface Builder was trademark of NeXT Computer, Incorporated. SmartFieldPalette Product Description. Copyright ª 1992 Objective Technologies, Inc. Prices are subject to change without notice.