template-string

Arguments: editable-text

Returns the template for a single-line editable-text control, which constrains the number and type of characters that a user can type into the control. Use setf to set up the template initially or to change it. You can also edit the template string in the inspector window when inspecting an editable-text control.

A template consists of two kinds of characters:

1. static characters that are shown in the control and over which users cannot type (the cursor is moved past these characters as the user types or uses the arrow keys).
2. template characters, which must be described in the *template-chars* association list (any character not in this alist is regarded as a static character). By default the template characters appear as blank spaces in the control and allow users to enter certain types of characters depending on which template character is specified for each position.

Templates can be cleared with clear-template.

Example:

(setf (template-string my-editable-text-widget) "999-99-9999")

This example would set up a template for entering a social security number. There is an entry in *template-chars* for the character #\9 indicating that a user must enter a numeral in its position, and that it displays initially as a space. There is no entry in *template-chars* for the dash character, so the dashes in this template will display as dashes, and users cannot type over them.

template-string is a property of the editable-text class, as well as the editable-text-column-mixin and combo-box-column-mixin  grid-widget classes.

Copyright (c) 1998-2008, Franz Inc. Oakland, CA., USA. All rights reserved.
Documentation for Allegro CL version 8.0. This page was not revised from the 7.0 page.
Created 2005.12.9.