Fields

Pega Platform™ applications collect and process important case data. By defining the fields that are displayed at runtime, you can collect information from users or present case information for review. For example, when providing search criteria to book accommodations, users enter each search criteria in a separate field; the criteria returns results that are displayed as read-only information.

Each field corresponds to a data element that stores a single value. When you create a data element, you assign it to a field type. The field type identifies the type of information stored in the system. By assigning a field type to a data element, you ensure that users provide valid information in the fields and that the system displays data in the correct format, as shown in the following Booking form.

In Pega Platform, you can assign a simple field type to a data element. The following table shows a list of simple field types and the information each type stores.

Field type	Type of data	Example
Text (single line)	Any single line of text.
Text (paragraph)	A large text box that accepts multiple lines of text.
Boolean	Allows users to select a check box to indicate one of two possible responses.
Currency	Currency code and value are stored based on the default currency type.
Date & time	UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) value normalized to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Date automatically displays in a localized format.
Date only	Calendar date with a localized format.
Decimal	Numbers with a fractional component. Use this field type when fractions are needed.
Email	Valid email format with a @ symbol. An email field is an action-oriented control, meaning the value stored in the field displays as a link. For an email, the link initiates users' default email application.
Integer	Positive and negative whole numbers, including the value zero (0).  Tip: An integer field stores only the value that begins at the first non-zero digit. For values that do not require arithmetic calculations, use a text field type.
Phone	Digits display in a localized format. A phone field is an action-oriented control, meaning the value stored in the field displays as a link. For example, if users access the application on a mobile device, the phone number link initiates a phone call.
Picklist	A list of predefined values.
Time only	UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) value normalized to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
URL	Web address. A URL field is an action-oriented control, meaning the value stored in the field displays as a link. For a URL, the link initiates the users' default browser and opens the target web page