Shared field settings

Review the settings that Ninox data fields have in common.

Many data field types share the same settings. Others include options that depend on the field type. Some settings, like the visibility, affect the table structure. Others only change how the field appears in the form.

Ninox groups field options by where they apply:

• Everywhere: applies globally to this field across all views and forms. These setting are bound to the server. Because of that they apply also if no user interface exists like during the execution of API requests or server side logic.
• On the form: applies only to this field in the current form view. These setting need the user interface and the current form to apply.

Many data fields include these common settings:

• An description of the field type
• links to the Ninox documentation
• lets you delete the field

Everywhere

• Label: the name users see on the form
• Internal name: the technical field name used in the table structure and in scripts

Change the Internal name carefully. Other parts of the app, especially scripts, may depend on it.

Under Permissions for:

• Roles that can read: controls which roles are allowed to read. If no role is selected all users can read this field. Inherits access from the table.
• Roles that can edit: controls which roles are allowed to edit. If no role is selected all users can edit this field. Inherits access from the table.
• Can read if: controls who can view the field content
• Can edit if: controls who can edit the field content To set up these options:

  • Click the gray field with the icon.
  • Enter the logic that controls who can read or edit the field.

  For syntax and function details, see Ninox Scripting.

Under Behavior for:

• Required: makes the field mandatory
• Unique: each record must have a unique value in this field. This option is not available for relationship fields.
• Indexed: this creates a lookup structure that allows the database to find records efficiently. This option is not available for relationship fields.

Do not index every field. Indexes use extra storage and memory. They can also reduce performance if used incorrectly.

Use indexing only when:

• the table holds many thousands of records,
• the field is used in where conditions
• and the query runs frequently every day.

Avoid indexing when:

• the table is small or the field is rarely filtered
• most records share the same value such as a Yes/No field.

For more details see Index fields to speed up filters and searches.

Under Automations for:

• On update: runs a script on the server, after leaving the field and the value actually changed.

On the form

Label: lets you label the field only for the form view.

Use a more descriptive label for the user on the form. Keep the global label in Everywhere concise. This makes the field list easier to scan.

Under Display to configure:

• Label position: controls where the label appears

  • Top: shows the label above the field
  • Left: shows the label to the left of the field
  • Inside: shows the label inside the field
  • Hidden: hides the label
• Placeholder: shows a text when the field is empty
• Left icon, Right icon: displays an icon on the left or right side of the field in the form
• Tooltip: add help text that displays when the user moves the cursor over the field

Under Behavior:

• Disabled: makes that field read-only. To control that option by a logic click the gray field with the <> icon and enter a script for the condition.
• On change: runs a script immediately after each input, without leaving the field. For example in a text field, it runs after each character you type or delete. For syntax and function details, see Ninox Scripting.

Under Visibility:

• Visible, Hidden: controls whether the field appears on the form
• Conditional: lets you define a Visibility condition that controls when this field is shown or hidden

Shared settings can still vary slightly by field type. The main differences usually appear in General and in field-specific display options.