Microsoft Dynamics NAV Documentation

How a control is represented in the client

Controls in the mobile screen

After a process is chosen the first step of the process will be shown on the mobile client.
The activity will be sent as an XML file to the portal. This XML file contains information about the activity and controls that will be shown on the client.

This information contains, amongst others, the value that will be shown in a textbox. This value can be generated from fixed text, or a parameter value, or a field from the control’s table. If the control’s source type is a parameter, then an expression can be used to show an initial value in the associated textbox.

Control Expressions

An expression is a mechanism that retrieves and returns a value. The way the value is retrieved can vary. It can be a fixed text, the value stored in a parameter, the value from a field in the control’s table, or the return value from a custom function.

Several expressions can be combined to generate a value.

Non-editable controls

Non-editable controls can be of any type except FileUpload or Signature.

The most common are Checkbox, Textbox and Label. The difference between a non-editable textbox and a label is that labels can only display fixed text and non-editable textboxes can be used to gather values that are used in the process but do not require user input. Use an expression to generate a value for the textbox. Use a parameter as the control’s source type and –no. to store that value in. For other controls, a datatype may be required. (for example a checkbox can only store a Boolean.

The image and label control are the only controls that can only be non-editable.

Editable controls

The controls FileUpload, Textbox, Signature and checkbox can be editable. To be able to be editable, they have to have a parameter as source.

Any editable control will be shown as non-editable (or not at all) when the control is not active.