Question Type: Text Area

Use the Text Area question type to collect up to 4000 characters of multi-line text input in a single question. Form designers add a Text Area question when mobile users need to enter notes, comments, or other free-form content that doesn't fit in a single-line field. Text Area accepts alphanumeric, numeric, and special characters, and supports voice-to-text entry when enabled.

Available on all tiers with more options on the Intelligent and Elite tiers:

Contents

• Question Type: Text Area
  • How the Text Area question works
  • Question Tabs
    • General
      • Question Text
      • Unique Identifier
      • Data Type
      • Restrictions
    • Properties
      • Question Properties
      • Router Setup
      • Rich Text formatting
      • AI Text Transformation
    • Help Options

How the Text Area question works

The Text Area question type displays a multi-line input field where mobile users can enter up to 4000 characters of text at one time. Form designers often use Text Area to capture long-form notes or comments in the field. When voice-to-text is enabled, mobile users can dictate content instead of typing it. You can also pair Text Area with Digit Extraction or String Concatenation to parse or combine the captured text.

Info:Go to Voice to Text Functionality for details on enabling dictation.

Question Tabs

The Question Edit screen for the Text Area has three tabs: General, Properties, and Help Options.

General

Question Text

This is the text displayed on the Mobile App to give the user instructions or ask questions. You can use question text formatting to improve readability and highlight important information.

Unique Identifier

The Unique Identifier (Unique ID A Unique ID refers to the specific identifier of a question, form page, form section, or Data Destination. Unique IDs are used as reference points when pulling data for conditional logic, Analytics projects, Data Destinations, and Documents.) is the reference for the question. It can either be auto-generated based on the question text, or customized.

Info:The topic Overview: Unique IDs describes how to use these in more detail.

Data Type

Data Types are the kind of information your mobile users will be putting into these questions. The Text Area question has a Free Text data type.

Restrictions

The following table shows which restrictions you can set for the question type. Note that:

• ✓ indicates a restriction that you can configure.

• ✓* indicates a restriction that is always on.

• ✘* indicates a restriction that is always off.

	Required	Read-Only	Hidden on Device	Hidden on Reports	Keep question width to 100% (Side-by-Side Sections Side-by-Side Sections display questions and answers in a condensed, two-column layout. This can make it easier and faster for field users to scan, complete, and confirm the answers in a form. only)
Text Field	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Properties

Properties configure how the Text Area question behaves. Question Properties apply a validation rule and a default value. The Router Setup property parses and routes data to other questions in the form.

Question Properties

• Validation Type: Checks the mobile user's input against a defined pattern and blocks entries that don't match. Available patterns:
  • Non-accented Letters Only, no spaces: Accepts letters A–Z and a–z with no spaces or accented characters. Example: Abc.
  • Non-accented Numbers or Letters Only, no spaces: Accepts digits 0–9 and letters A–Z and a–z with no spaces or accented characters. Example: Abc123.
  • Postal Code: Accepts input that matches the format A1B 2C3.
  • Advanced: Validates input against a regular expression.
• Use mobile user's username as default value: Sets the mobile user's username as the initial value for the question.
• Default Value: Sets the initial value for the question.

Router Setup

Available on the Intelligent and Elite tiers:

The Router Setup property is a question property available for Text Field, Text Area, File Upload, and Barcode Scanner question types. You can use the Router Setup to parse (subdivide) long strings of data captured by a question—such as from a barcode scan—into smaller substrings. You can then push the substrings to subsequent questions in your form.

Use the Router Setup property to route data from Text Area questions (source questions) to supported target question types.

Info:Go to Configure the Router Setup Property for setup steps, or Supported question types for the list of supported target question types.

Rich Text formatting

The Rich Text property makes the Text Area support rich text. Mobile users see a formatting toolbar on device to add headings, bulleted and numbered lists, bold, italic, strikethrough, code, and quotes, and the question renders any markdown content as styled text. Formatted content also renders as styled text in the Web Portal Form Submission details page and in generated PDF documents.

Rich Text formatting Rich Text formatting makes a Text Area question support rich text. Mobile users see a formatting toolbar on device, and the question renders markdown content as styled text. Available on Text Area questions and on Additional Comments that use a Text Area. is off by default on every Text Area question, including existing ones. Existing plain text submissions stay as plain text — Rich Text formatting applies only to submissions made after you turn it on.

Info:Go to Set Up Rich Text Formatting and AI Text Transformation on Text Areas for setup steps.

AI Text Transformation

Available on the Elite tier:

The AI Enhancement property adds AI-assisted text refinement to the Text Area. When you turn it on, a sparkle icon appears in the formatting toolbar on device. Mobile users select a prompt from a menu, review the AI output, and approve the result.

Create at least one prompt in your FormSpace FormSpaces are where forms are stored and organized in the TrueContext Web Portal. A TrueContext Team may have multiple FormSpaces, depending on their needs. Admins can set FormSpace permissions to control which users have access to the forms in that FormSpace. to use AI Text Transformation. You associate up to five prompts with a single Text Area question. For each prompt, set a Display Name — this is the label mobile users see when they select a prompt. Drag the handle to the left of a prompt to change the order; prompts appear on device in the order listed.

Info:Go to Set Up Rich Text Formatting and AI Text Transformation on Text Areas for setup steps, or Create and Manage Prompts to Use in Forms to build prompts.

Help Options

Adding “Help” content to forms gives mobile users access to support and other resources Resources are materials that field technicians can access while they work on records in the Mobile App. A resource might be a Resource Document, like a manual or a floor plan, or a Resource Image, like a schematic or a diagram. Resources are uploaded to a FormSpace and can be referenced in forms or made available in the Resource Library. out in the field. Help content is available to users through a button embedded beside a question. Any question in the form can include a link to YouTube videos, web pages, or work instructions.

Info:The topicAdd Help Options to Questions describes how help options work and how to set them up.