Android Question PreferenceDialog: how to apply input data constraints?

[udg]

Hi all,
unfortunately it's along time I dont' use this very powerful tool (Formbuilder+PreferenceDialog), so I'm surely missing something obvious.

My goal(s)
- limit Text field to uppercase chars only (even better, limit it to some regex expression or similar)
- having a Numeric (integer) that extends to (almost) any number of digits (e.g a credit card number); this could be solved with the above regex type
- limit Numeric Range to integers only (currently, if setting it to 20-30-1, selecting 25 it gives 25.0 as result)

Probably a distinction between the field type and the keyboard type could be of help.
But, IMHO, introducing regex will help to solve almost any situation.

BTW, I know about "IsValid" to check the output data, but my preference goes to something that helps the user to input right data in a convenient way (i.e. the proper keyboard type).

Thank you all.

 

[Erel]

You can access the B4XFloatTextFields and change the input type.

Testing the user input with IsValid is quite reasonable. Limiting the user input, while the user types, can lead to bad user experience. Currently there is no other way to validate the input.

 

[udg]

You can access the B4XFloatTextFields and change the input type.

Do you mean to use "TEXT" input only (for text, numerics..) and apply regex to the B4XFloatTextField it's based on?

 

[emexes]

Limiting the user input, while the user types, can lead to bad user experience.

+1

although limiting typeable characters to only those allowed in the field is often a good thing

 

[udg]

I agree, thats' why a regex-based input field would be nice to set the right balance between "user freedom to input anything" and field data accuracy.

 

[Erel]

Do you mean to use "TEXT" input only (for text, numerics..) and apply regex to the B4XFloatTextField it's based on?

TEXT will not restrict the input but in other cases it can be useful to set the input type.

 

[LucaMs]

One solution would be to check the format every time a new character is inserted (or deleted), in short, in a TextChanged event.
(with PreferencesDialog I don't know if it is very simple but almost certainly feasible).

 

[LucaMs]

U?

 

[udg]

Nothing to write home about.
Since it was a quick test, I used the IsValid way of validating fields on exit. For a better and deeper control I could switch to a CustomDialog and at least highlight when the input leads to wrong data.
As said a few times. I am a great fan of PreferenceDialog+FormBuilder since they allow you to be ready in no time, but I feel it's a tool that needs some enhancements which, understandably, are lower on any priority list we can devise.