Formatter API

Implementation of a new formatter

After creating a new formatter in the workspace, a text editor with the formatter implementation template will open.

The formatter is represented as a JavaScript function with the signature initially provided in the template:

function formatText(input) {
         return { 
                formattedText: input.textToFormat,
                cursorPosition: input.cursorPosition 
          };
}

Description of the formatter function signature:

Parameter name
Nature
Type
Description

input.textToFormat

input

String (JAVA)

Text to be formatted. You should convert the JAVA type of the variable to the JavaScript (new String(input.textToFormat); ) in order to call methods for the String (e.g. replace())

input.locale

input

String (JAVA)

A string specifying the language in which the form is displayed (e.g. "pl", "en"). You should convert the JAVA type of the variable to the JavaScript (new String(input.locale); ) in order to call methods for the type String (e.g. replace())

input.cursorPosition

input

int

Cursor position in the text field before formatting

output.formattedText

output

String

Text after formatting

output.cursorPosition

output

String

Cursor position in the text field after formatting - an integer in the range <0,output.formattedText.length> - if a number outside the range is provided the webforms application will not change the cursor position (the browser's default behavior will be preserved)

The formatter implementation should be done by changing only the inside of the function.

For correct operation the formatter must be a valid JavaScriptlanguage function. Otherwise, when attempting to save the formatter in the current user workspace, an appropriate system error message will be generated.

Example formatter code (adds a thousand separator to the number and always sets the cursor at the end):

Version with the caret positioned at the natural position (taking thousand separators into account). The formatter below will not work for an EMAIL TextField due to JavaScript limitations (input type="email" does not implement getting the caret position).

Version with the caret positioned at the natural position

Support for formatters according to the earlier template

For formatters created according to the earlier template shown below, the cursor after formatting the text will be set to the end if it was at the end before formatting. If the cursor was set within the text, the cursor in the field after formatting will be set to the same position it was before formatting.

Description of the earlier formatter function signature:

Parameter name
Nature
Type
Description

textToFormat

input

String

Text to be formatted

locale

input

String

A string specifying the language in which the form is displayed (e.g. "pl", "en")

formattedText

output

String

Text after formatting

Limitations

  • Formatters cannot use prototype inheritance mechanisms

  • In formatters that format outputs from a service, objects passed to the formatter are Java objects; to perform string operations they must be converted to JavaScript objects (e.g.: const textToFormat = new String(input.textToFormat + ""))

Demo form: demoFormatters

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