The Text Box is the workhorse single-line text input. Use it for names, short titles, codes, reference numbers, and anything that fits on one line.
Conditional options
- Min Length — the minimum number of characters required. Leave blank for no minimum.
- Max Length — the maximum number of characters allowed. Leave blank for no maximum (the underlying database column still has a limit based on its type — usually 255 characters for VARCHAR).
- Only Allow Unique Values — when on, the form rejects values that already exist in this column on another row.
- Provide Suggestions — when on, as the form field is typed into, it will search the database for any entries similar and provide them as suggestions. Useful for fields like "Department" or "Job Title" where consistent vocabulary matters.
When to pick Text Box vs. Text Area
Text Box is for things shorter than about 100 characters that don't need line breaks. Text Area is for anything longer or anything where line breaks are part of the content (notes, descriptions, paragraphs).