Field Constraints

You can enforce a particular format on fields associated with a document class in Quick Fields by using pattern matching expressions.

To create field constraints

1. Select the name of a document class in the Session Configuration Pane.
2. Select Manage Metadata from the Action menu or the bottom of the Tasks Pane.
3. In the General tab of the Metadata Customization dialog box, select the name of a field.
4. Click Constraint....
5. In the Field Constraint dialog box, specify a pattern matching expression that will be used to format the field.

   Example: For a field designed to contain Social Security numbers, you could enter the expression \d\d\d-\d\d-\d\d\d\d to restrict the field to data in the format of digits and dashes of a standard Social Security number.

6. In the Constraint Violation Message box, specify the message that will be displayed to the user that will inform them that a value is invalid and provide tips for how to specify a valid value.

   Example: "Social Security numbers must be in the format ###-##-####."