Introduction to Data Types

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Data types are an essential part of any project in Vizor Builder. This module will cover the fundamentals of working with data types.

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 Objectives

1 Understanding Data Types

2 Base Data Types

3 Defining Data Type Initial Values

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 Understanding Base data types

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There are a number of key object types with which you should be familiar before beginning work on a Vizor Builder project. These
include:

Data Type, Schema Item, Schema Scheme, Form Set and Form.

- A Schema Item can be thought of as a variable, or a datapoint – a container into which a regulated entity will fill with some value.
- A Data Type will always map to a schema item. That is to say, a data type can be thought of as a constraint on the values which a
schema item can take.
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- A Form is an interface which asks for some certain data to be entered by the regulated entity.
- A Form Set is a collection of forms which are associated with each other.
- A Schema is a hierarchical collection of schema items. A schema maps to a form set; that is, a schema can be thought
of as the specification of how a form set relates to datapoints/schema items.

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Understanding Data Types

A data type is a property of an item – that is, every

schema item has an associated data type.

By definition, a data type defines the type of data that will

be collected. Different types of data can be collected such
as text or numeric values, files, dates etc.

A data type maps to an item – you can think of an item as

a variable that holds a value of a specific data type.

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Data Type Properties

In order to create an item, we must assign it a data type. This

necessitates creating a data type before creating an item

When adding a data type to a project, you must specify certain

properties.

These include:

• Name (used to identify the data type when assigning to a control)

• Base data type (Boolean, Date, String, Number, File)
• Description (e.g. where & why the data type is used)
• Properties (e.g. min & max length)
• Initial value (e.g. number data type with initial value of 0)

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 Base Data Type

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One of the key properties of Data Types is the Base Data Type. The base data types include:

- Numeric Values
- Strings of text characters
- Booleans, that is, binary values which correspond to true or false
- Dates
- Enumerations
- Files which can be uploaded
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Base Data Type - Boolean

A boolean data type has 2 possible values:

true or false. Boolean data types are mapped
to items which in turn are mapped to controls
on forms.

• Usually ‘boolean’ type controls are radio

buttons allowing a choice of 2 possible
selections. A checkbox can also be a
‘Boolean’ type control on a corresponding
form, i.e. checked or unchecked.

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Base Data Type - Number

Data types of base type number have several

properties associated with them. These can
limit the values accepted by items using the
data type. These include:

• A minimum and maximum value

• Digits before and after the decimal point

• An automatically assigned initial value

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Base Data Type – String (Text)

Data types of base type string have several properties

associated with them. These can limit the values
accepted by items using the data type. These include:

• A minimum and maximum length, or number of

characters

• Allowed and disallowed characters

• Regular Expressions, which allow only a certain

format, such as an email address.

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Base Data Type – Date

• Items with a Data Type of Date base can be

restricted according to the format of the date, such
as dd-mm-yyyy versus mm-dd-yyyy

• Restriction is also possible according to when the

date occurs (such as allowing only past dates, or
future dates.

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Base Data Type – File

When creating a data type of File base, the following

parameters can be specified:

• The maximum allowed size of an uploaded file

• File extensions which are allowed

• Customisable failure message when rejecting files

which do not conform to the above

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Base Data Type – Enumeration

• An enumeration is a set of exact values (usually used

for select boxes). Each element of the list must be a
key value (used for referencing) and a corresponding
label value (which is used for display to a user).

• The combination of a key and a value is called an

option.

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Initial Values

When creating a data type for use in a project, it is

possible to specify an initial value. This value will be
assigned to items with the data type, and therefore
also to controls which map to these items. The initial
value will therefore be displayed to end users
completing a form. An initial value can be
overwritten by the end user.

The available initial values depend on the base data

type. For instance, a data type of Boolean base can
only have three initial values: True, False or Blank.

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Thank You!

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