InitialValue property
Special value available in formulas:
Item
The field this property is part of, enabling multiple checked items in the app designer to share the same formula and be updated all at once.
Consider the fields Field1 and Field2, which should
only be considered to be valid if their values are at
least 3 characters long. Without using the Item value, the
Valid property of Field1 would need to use the formula
LEN(Field1) >=
3LEN(Field1) >= 3 and
the Valid property of Field2 would need to use the formula
LEN(Field2) >=
3LEN(Field2) >= 3.
Using Item, both formulas can read LEN(Item) >=
3LEN(Item) >= 3.
This is useful if you have many fields and you want to be able to
update their formulas all at once. To do so, click their check boxes in
Calcapp Creator and make sure that a checked field is selected. Then,
when you update a formula for one checked field, you update all the
other checked fields too, which is a great timesaver.
Use Item in exactly the same way you'd use the regular
name. Field1.VisibleField1,Visible and Item.VisibleItem,Visible are equivalent, for
instance.
The initial value of the field, used before the user has entered an explicit value.
When the text drop-down field has fixed values, an unchanging initial value can be assigned by selecting a value from it in Calcapp Creator. Select the empty value to unset the initial value.
When drop-down values are determined by a formula, you must set the initial value using a formula as well. The drop-down is disabled in Calcapp Creator because the available values aren't known until the app runs. Use formulas like INDEX(Item.Values, 1)INDEX(Item,Values; 1) to select the first available value, or specify a particular text string if you know it will always be available. See below for additional examples.
When a field is reset through a reset button or the RESET function, its value is set to the initial value. (Reset buttons can also be configured to assign blank values.)
If an initial value is set through a formula, the formula is evaluated just before the screen housing the field is shown. In other words, the formula can reference values of fields that have been shown previously.
When drop-down values are determined by a formula, the initial value is also checked whenever those values change. If the user's current selection is no longer available among the updated values, the initial value determines what gets selected instead. This keeps your app working smoothly when drop-down values change based on other user choices.
Examples
Sets the initial value to the value of the Product field, which appears as part of the screen MainScreen, but only if the field is valid. The value of the Product field must be among the options supported by the text drop-down field.
Sets the initial value to the last available value.