Editors in detail
There is no difference in functionality between the Classic and Section view. This includes the main controls, mandatory fields and reference views. Note, however, that some specific features of tabs vs. sections may differ.
The Editors in detail section describes features common to both layout options.
Editor fields
Two types of fields can be found in the editor:
Plain Attributes
Most fields in the tabs or sections reference attributes of the business object which is being edited. The field is used to enter or change the attribute value. Depending on editor customization, an attribute field may be a straightforward text field or one of standard controls such as a list control, choice box, calendar control, etc.
Grouping the fields into sections/tabs (depending on the selected editor layout) prevents screen clutter and provides a visual clue for object editing. The number of editor tabs and their content can be customized using the Group layout tab of the View customizer.
Reference View
Some editor fields represent so called reference views.
Reference view is a small view, usually consisting of a handful of fields only, which displays data stored in a linked "target" object. From the technical point of view, a reference view represents an n:1 relation between the source and target object type. This type of relation links several objects to one object. For instance, several persons can belong to one department. The key to the department business object is an attribute in the Person business object.
For technical details and customization, see the View customizer and Relation customizer chapters of the Core Functionality documentation.
Mandatory fields are fields which must be filled in before an object can be saved. In the editor, you can meet two basic types of mandatory fields: Mandatory plain attributes and mandatory relations.
Mandatory plain attributes
Mandatory fields referencing the plain attributes (that is the fields containing data stored in the actual business object) are distinguished from other fields by bold font or an asterisk. Please see Global Settings > Representation > Mandatory Fields Settings.
Depending on the customization, they can also have colored background in the field. If you attempt to save an object with some mandatory fields left empty, you will get an information box identifying the field with missing information.
Mandatory relation in reference views
Reference View represents an n:1 relation between the edited object and an object of another business object type. If such relation is mandatory (the edited object must be linked to just one object of the target object type), the corresponding Reference View is distinguished from other Reference Views by bold font of the reference view label.
If you attempt to save an object with a mandatory Reference View left empty, you will get an information box identifying the Reference View with missing information.
Note: The Reference View can have three view options (depending on the customization).
Please see the Reference View Display Options chapter.
Mandatory relations in reference catalogs
Reference catalogs represents an n:m relation between the edited object and objects of another business object type. If such relation is mandatory (the edited object must be linked to at least one object of the target object type), the corresponding reference list is distinguished from other reference lists by bold font of the tab label.
If you attempt to save an object with a mandatory relation left empty, you will get an information box identifying the reference list with missing information again.
Note: Which attributes are mandatory is mostly a question of customization. Attributes can be made mandatory on the object type level (specifying data which have to be present for an object of a particular object type to exist - see Object Type Customizer) and on the view level (specifying fields which have to be filled in before the view can be saved - see View Customizer).
Note: The colors used for emphasizing mandatory fields and relations depend on the selected color scheme (GUI Style). The whole description and all images above apply to the 'Classic' GUI style.
Dynamic fields are fields whose presence in the editor is governed by view rules, i.e. the field is displayed only when a certain condition is met.
Default values of dynamic fields
When a default value exists for a dynamic field, it is set in the following way:
Default value of a dynamic field is set always (with exception 2 - below) when the field is displayed and its value is null.
Setting of default value is skipped when an already saved object is being opened in the editor. This holds true also for objects previously created (and saved) by a workflow.