Getting Started > The Desktop > About the Desktop >
Fields

Use fields to enter numeric values and text. Fields are recessed, light blue boxes.

Numeric Fields

The following descriptions presume you have numeric indicators enabled (the default setting) in your preferences. See User Interface Preferences. A horizontal bar appears on the lower edge of numeric fields when the Numeric Fields button is enabled.

Numeric Field Type | Appearance | Description
--- | --- | ---
Unrestricted |  | A numeric field with an unrestricted value range accepts any numeric value.
Restricted |  | A numeric field that accept values within a preset range. The small white numeric indicator shows the current value relative to the range for the field.

With numeric indicators enabled, fields provide the following feedback:

- If a numeric field is set to its default value, the horizontal bar running along the lower edge of the field is blue.
- If a numeric field is set to another value, the horizontal bar running along the lower edge of the field is black.
- If the numeric field accepts a restricted range of values, the current value is indicated relative to the range by a white marker along the horizontal bar that runs along the lower edge of the field.

You can enter values into numeric fields gesturally or using the on-screen calculator.

TipTo reset a field to its default value at any time, Ctrl-click the field.

To enter a value in a numeric field using the calculator:

1. Click the numeric field.

   The calculator appears.

2. Use the calculator to enter a value and then press Enter.

TipYou can use the numeric keypad keys on your keyboard to operate the calculator. See Calculating Values for Numeric Fields.

To change a value in a numeric field using the pen or mouse:

1. Drag right or left on the field to increase or decrease its value. With the pen, increase pressure on the tablet to increase drag speed. With the mouse or the pen, spacebar-drag to decrease drag speed, or Alt+spacebar-drag to increase drag speed.
2. When you reach the value you need, release the cursor.

Text Fields

Text fields are primarily used for naming purposes, for example, to name a node in a Batch processing setup, or to name a setup file when you save it using the file browser. You can also use X-copy functionality to enter text into a field.

To enter text in a field:

1. Click the text field to activate it.
2. Press Esc to delete the current contents.
3. Type the new text using the keyboard.
   TipYou can use the up and down arrow keys on your workstation keyboard to retrieve previously typed character strings.
4. Press Enter.

To enter text in a field, you also have the option of using the on-screen keyboard. Set this preference in the User Interface section of the Preferences menu. When On-screen Keyboard is enabled, you enter text in the on-screen keyboard that appears when you click a field. For certain commands, for example, naming reels and Desktops, the on-screen keyboard automatically appears.

(a) Keyboard field

Use the on-screen keyboard as you would use your workstation's keyboard. When you press a key on the screen, the character appears in the Keyboard field. To save text from the on-screen keyboard, click Enter or click Exit Keyboard. You can also press Enter on the workstation's keyboard. To return to the previous menu from the on-screen keyboard without saving your changes, click Cancel Keyboard.

To enter text into a field using X-copy functionality:

1. With the cursor over the Flame interface, press Alt+Tab to send Flame to the background.
2. In, for example, a gedit window, drag a text selection of the text you want to copy.
3. With the cursor over the Flame interface, press Alt+F3 to bring Flame to the foreground.
4. Click the text field to activate it. Do not make a text selection in the field.
5. Press Esc to clear the current text in the field.
6. Click the text field again, pressing the pen button at the same time as you click to enter the text selection that you made in step 2.

TipYou can use this technique to copy large text files for text rolls and text crawls into a layer in the Text module. See Creating Text Rolls and Text Crawls.