Multi-line Text

This article explains the features of the Multi-Line Text block and how it can be used to design your app.

Use Cases

1. Long Answers

2. Address

3. Comments

4. Remarks

5. Notes

Editing the Block

Click on the block and configure it by editing on the right panel.

Label

The label is the name of the block that the end user sees in the app.

Example: Company Address is written as the label and is saved. 

Description

The description is the additional information provided to the end user which will be displayed below the input area.

Example: Enter the registered address of the company’, is written as the label and is saved. 

Placeholder Text

This text appears inside the multi-line text block. This is used to give the end user an idea about what kind of details should be entered or how to input the specific data in the multi-line text block.

Example: Street, Road, Building Number, City - Pin code, State - Country

This is how the Multi-line text block with the label and the description will look to the end user.

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Required

Enable this option if you want the user to compulsorily input the data. If enabled, the end user can submit if and only if the data is entered in this field.

Voice to Text Conversion

The Multi-line Text block supports voice-to-text conversion, currently available only in the web app when using Google Chrome. This feature leverages Chrome's built-in microphone support to transcribe spoken words into text.

In ‘App Home’, click the microphone icon at the corner of the Multi-line Text box to start recording. To stop recording, click the icon again. The transcribed text will then appear in the text box. You can edit this text manually if needed.

Upon clicking the icon for the first time, your browser may prompt you to allow microphone access. Ensure you click "Allow" to enable this feature.

Microphone Access Issues: If the recording feature isn't working, verify that Chrome has permission to access your microphone.

The transcribed text is captured in the language set in the browser. For example, if the browser language is set to Arabic, spoken Arabic will be accurately transcribed, but any words spoken in, say English, might not be captured correctly and may be transcribed as similar-sounding Arabic words. Ensure your browser language matches the language you intend to speak for optimal accuracy.

Advanced Options

Use this option to show the advanced options to configure the multi-line text block.

Display this field if

Use this option to show or hide the field under specific conditions. It accepts the standard Clappia formulae, similar to conditional sections or in the ‘Calculations & Logic’ block.

1. Type @ to get a list of all the fields you have added in the app and select the relevant field or type @ followed by the field name.
2. Use these field variables to write spreadsheet-like formulae for conditional display of the field in the app.

Retain value if hidden

This option appears once a condition is set in the Display this field if option. Enable this setting if you want the field's value to be retained even when the field is hidden. This is useful for preserving user input in cases where the field may temporarily disappear based on conditions.

Example: If the field is hidden based on user selection but you still need to keep the entered value for future reference or calculations, enable this option to ensure the data is retained.

Advanced Label

The Advanced Label option allows you to change the label of a field dynamically based on a condition you define. Instead of always showing the same fixed label under the ‘Basic’ tab, the field can display different labels depending on requirements of the form. Use spreadsheet-like functions such as IF, AND, OR, etc. and make use of other field variables to set your conditions. Type @ and select the field.

This is useful when the meaning of a field changes based on context, business logic, or user choices.

For example assume you have a dropdown field called Visit Type with options “Initial Visit” and “Follow-up Visit”.
The Multi-line Text field is where users enter remarks, but the label should change to match the visit context.

So:
– For Initial Visit, show label “Initial Visit Notes”
– For Follow-up Visit, show label “Follow-up Notes”

Formula:

IF({visit_type} = "Initial Visit", "Initial Visit Notes", "Follow-up Notes")

This allows the same field to adapt its displayed purpose without needing multiple separate fields.

Advanced Description

The Advanced Description option works exactly like Advanced Label, but it changes the description text instead. This is useful when guidance or instructions for a field need to change depending on earlier answers.

For example, using the same scenario from Advanced Label:
If you have a dropdown called Visit Type with options like “Initial Visit” and “Follow-up Visit”, you may want the description of your Multi-line Text field to guide the user differently depending on what they selected.

So:
– If the user selects Initial Visit, the description could say: “Add notes from your initial observation.”
– If the user selects Follow-up Visit, the description could say: “Add updates based on your follow-up visit.”

Formula:

IF({visit_type} = "Initial Visit","Add notes from your initial observation.","Add updates based on your follow-up visit.")

This helps users understand what is required from them without showing unnecessarily long or irrelevant instructions.

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Important Notes (applies to both Advanced Label and Advanced Description)

1. Variables do not change
When a field is created, its variable name is derived from the label you set in the Basic tab. That variable name is what you must use in formulas, workflows, and other logic. The visible label or description shown by Advanced Label / Advanced Description does not change the variable name.

2. Submissions tab: table view vs right panel
In the Submissions area, the table view always displays the labels from the Basic tab. When you open an individual submission, the right panel shows the labels and descriptions as they appear in the form (i.e., the Advanced Label and Advanced Description applied for that submission). This keeps the submission list consistent while letting reviewers see the context-aware labels and descriptions when viewing a record.

3. Bulk Edit shows Basic tab labels and descriptions
When you need to Bulk Edit submissions, the spreadsheet you download shows the labels and descriptions from the Basic tab only. Advanced Label and Advanced Description are not applied in Bulk Edit, so keep that in mind when preparing bulk updates.

4. Some fields cannot be used inside Advanced Label/Description formulas
Certain block types do not expose a variable that can be referenced in Advanced Label or Advanced Description. If a block does not expose a variable, you cannot use it inside the formula.

Geo Address

GPS Location

PaymentGateway

Audio

Live Tracking

Signature

Code Scanner

Nfc Reader

Get Data from RestApi

Get Data from Other Apps

Get Data from Google Sheets

Get Data from Database

AI Block

Text, HTML & Embedding

Attached Files

Image Viewer

Video Viewer

PFD Viewer

Code block

Progress Bar

Action Button

Additional Examples (Apply to Both Advanced Label and Advanced Description)

1. Showing nothing until a selection is made

For example, if you have a dropdown field called Visit Category with options “Routine” and “Urgent”, you may want the label or description of a field to remain blank until the user first selects a category.

Once a selection is made:

• If the user chooses Routine, the field will display “Routine”.
• If the user chooses Urgent, the field will display “Urgent”.

Formula (can be used in either Advanced Label or Advanced Description):

{visit_category}The label/description stays empty until the dropdown has a selected value.
After the user picks an option, the selected text (Routine or Urgent) becomes the label or description.

2. Changing label/description based on language selection

For example, if your form includes a dropdown field called Select Language with options English, Spanish, and French, you can show the label or description in the selected language.

So:

• If the user selects English, show English text.
• If the user selects Spanish, show Spanish text.
• If the user selects French, show French text.

Formula (can be used in either Advanced Label or Advanced Description):

IF({select_language} = "English", "Enter details", IF({select_language} = "Spanish", "Ingrese detalles", "Entrez les détails"))The formula returns the text for the selected language.Only one label/description is shown at a time, depending on what the user picks in the Select Language dropdown.

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Allow value to be changed after initial submission

This option is enabled by default. End users can edit the value entered in this field after creating a submission. Disable it if you do not want the end users to edit the submitted value.

Example: A new submission has been created in the Customer Visit app. You do not want the customer's name and other details to be edited by anyone after the submission has been created.

You can also write a formula here to conditionally allow editing of the data in the block after submission.

Example: In the customer visit app, the customer address should be editable if and only if the status of the submission is not equal to Confirmed or if the user is an admin. 

Width of the block

Desktop View: Set the width of the Multi-line text block in the desktop view. Options are 100%, 75%, 50%, or 25%.

Mobile View: Set the width of the Multi-line text block in the mobile view. Options are 100% or 50%.