Activate Web Form Controls
Activate provides a variety of predefined controls that can be used to build web forms displayed on the Activate web portal. These controls enable dynamic form creation for various purposes, including user interaction, data collection, and service provisioning.
Control Usage
Activate controls are primarily designed for:
- Web Portal forms displayed directly in the Activate portal.
- Display-only HTML rendering, useful for scenarios like embedding form output in emails.
- Plain text rendering, which may be necessary when integrating with systems like service desks that support text-only tickets.
Note: Some controls have limitations based on the rendering format (HTML or text). Unsupported controls should not be used where the output must be plain text or a specific rendering mode is required.
Services Web Forms
When designing web forms for services, it is generally expected that the form supports HTML display-only rendering. However, a plain text format may also be needed when:
- Generating a service desk ticket, where the target system only accepts plain text input.
Difference Rendering
Certain controls support difference rendering, which highlights or renders only the changes (differences) when:
- Updating services
- Modifying existing records
Controls that support this feature are identified in the summary below.
Control Summary
Control | HTML Display Only | Text | Supports Difference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ActivateWebGrid | Yes | Yes | No | |
Break | Yes | Yes | - | |
CheckBox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
CheckBoxList | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
CompareValidator | No | No | No | |
CustomValidator | Yes | Yes | No | Renders Nothing |
DatePicker | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
DropdownList | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ExpressionValidator | Yes | Yes | | Renders Nothing |
FileUpload | Yes | Yes | No | |
FormButton | No | No | - | |
FormPanel | No | No | - | |
GridPanel | Yes | Yes | - | |
HelpPanel | Yes | Yes | - | Renders Nothing |
HTMLEditor | Yes | No | No | Cannot be rendered in text mode |
Image | Yes | Yes | - | Renders nothing in text mode |
ImageUpload | No | No | - | |
LocalLabel | Yes | Yes | - | Label control is not supported |
Listbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ListPanel | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Literal | Yes | Yes | - | |
OptionalPanel | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
OrganisationChart | No | No | - | |
Panel | Yes | No | - | |
RadioButton | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
RadioButtonList | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
RangeValidator | No | No | - | |
RegularExpressionValidator | No | No | - | |
RequiredValidator | No | No | - | |
SectionHeader | Yes | Yes | - | |
SelectAsset | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectComputer | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectContact | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectDLFolder | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectFolder | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectGroup | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectPrinter | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectProvisioningObject | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectResource | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectRole | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectService | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectTask | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectUser | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectMultipleProvisioningObjects | Yes | Yes | No | |
TabControl | Yes (v6.1+) | Yes | - | Displays contents of each tab under a heading |
TermsAcceptor | Yes | Yes | No | |
Textbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
UserOrganisationChart | No | No | - | |
ValidatedPhoneNumber | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ValidatedTextBox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ValidationSummary | No | No | - | |
Troubleshooting
If a form includes an unsupported control, rendering the form in an incompatible mode (e.g. text or difference view) may result in the following error:
Error: "Unfortunately, the details cannot be shown in this mode. Please view the details on the Activate Web Portal."
Additionally:
- An exception will be logged in the application event log with detailed information.
- Removing or replacing the unsupported control or script should resolve the issue.
Activate provides a variety of predefined controls that can be used to build web forms displayed on the Activate web portal. These controls enable dynamic form creation for various purposes, including user interaction, data collection, and service provisioning.
Control Usage
Activate controls are primarily designed for:
- Web Portal forms displayed directly in the Activate portal.
- Display-only HTML rendering, useful for scenarios like embedding form output in emails.
- Plain text rendering, which may be necessary when integrating with systems like service desks that support text-only tickets.
Note: Some controls have limitations based on the rendering format (HTML or text). Unsupported controls should not be used where the output must be plain text or a specific rendering mode is required.
Services Web Forms
When designing web forms for services, it is generally expected that the form supports HTML display-only rendering. However, a plain text format may also be needed when:
- Generating a service desk ticket, where the target system only accepts plain text input.
Difference Rendering
Certain controls support difference rendering, which highlights or renders only the changes (differences) when:
- Updating services
- Modifying existing records
Controls that support this feature are identified in the summary below.
Control Summary
Control | HTML Display Only | Text | Supports Difference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
ActivateWebGrid | Yes | Yes | No | |
Break | Yes | Yes | - | |
CheckBox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
CheckBoxList | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
CompareValidator | No | No | No | |
CustomValidator | Yes | Yes | No | Renders Nothing |
DatePicker | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
DropdownList | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ExpressionValidator | Yes | Yes | | Renders Nothing |
FileUpload | Yes | Yes | No | |
FormButton | No | No | - | |
FormPanel | No | No | - | |
GridPanel | Yes | Yes | - | |
HelpPanel | Yes | Yes | - | Renders Nothing |
HTMLEditor | Yes | No | No | Cannot be rendered in text mode |
Image | Yes | Yes | - | Renders nothing in text mode |
ImageUpload | No | No | - | |
LocalLabel | Yes | Yes | - | Label control is not supported |
Listbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ListPanel | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Literal | Yes | Yes | - | |
OptionalPanel | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
OrganisationChart | No | No | - | |
Panel | Yes | No | - | |
RadioButton | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
RadioButtonList | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
RangeValidator | No | No | - | |
RegularExpressionValidator | No | No | - | |
RequiredValidator | No | No | - | |
SectionHeader | Yes | Yes | - | |
SelectAsset | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectComputer | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectContact | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectDLFolder | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectFolder | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectGroup | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectPrinter | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectProvisioningObject | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectResource | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectRole | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectService | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectTask | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectUser | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SelectMultipleProvisioningObjects | Yes | Yes | No | |
TabControl | Yes (v6.1+) | Yes | - | Displays contents of each tab under a heading |
TermsAcceptor | Yes | Yes | No | |
Textbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
UserOrganisationChart | No | No | - | |
ValidatedPhoneNumber | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ValidatedTextBox | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
ValidationSummary | No | No | - | |
Troubleshooting
If a form includes an unsupported control, rendering the form in an incompatible mode (e.g. text or difference view) may result in the following error:
Error: "Unfortunately, the details cannot be shown in this mode. Please view the details on the Activate Web Portal."
Additionally:
- An exception will be logged in the application event log with detailed information.
- Removing or replacing the unsupported control or script should resolve the issue.