FM BetterForms Docs
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  • Introduction
  • 🏆Features
  • Getting Started
    • Welcome to FM BetterForms!
    • System Overview
    • Quick Tour of the BetterForms IDE
    • 1. Setting Up Your Foundation
      • 1.1 Configure FileMaker Server
      • 1.2 Install BetterForms Helper File
      • 1.3 Add Your Server to BetterForms (IDE)
    • 2. Building Your First Application
      • 2.1 Create an App (Site) in the IDE
      • 2.2 Create Your First Page (Intro to Page Builder)
      • 2.3 Understanding & Managing Environments (IDE)
      • 2.4 Adding Elements to Your Page
      • 2.5 Understanding Validation
      • 2.6 Adding Actions to Your Page
      • 2.7 Creating Your First List View
      • 2.8 Understanding Page Data Flow
      • 2.9 Creating Your First Hook
      • 2.10 Working with Data Tables (Coming Soon)
    • 3. Understanding Core BetterForms Concepts
      • 3.1 Introduction to Hooks (and where to find them in the IDE)
      • 3.2 Running Your First Hook (Practical Example)
      • 3.3 Introduction to Actions & Action Scripts (IDE Context)
      • 3.4 Understanding the Data Model (and Page Data Model UI)
    • 4. Common Customizations & Expanding Your App
      • 4.1 Adding & Configuring Buttons (Page Builder)
      • 4.2 Implementing Page Navigation (Actions & Site Navigation UI)
      • 4.3 Displaying Data in Tables (Page Builder & Element Config)
      • 4.4 Basic App Styling (Site Styling UI)
    • 5. Mastering the BetterForms Environment & Advancing Your Skills
      • 5.1 Understanding & Managing Environments (In-Depth)
      • 5.2 Deep Dive: Page Configuration & Settings
        • Navigating the Page Builder Interface
        • Working with Page-Level Action Scripts
        • Configuring the Page Data Model
        • Page Integration Settings Explained
        • Managing Page Info & Other Settings
      • 5.3 Working with Global Scripts
      • 5.4 Managing App (Site) Settings & Navigation
      • 5.5 Exploring Further: What to Learn Next
    • Support & Resources
      • Getting Help
      • Learning JSON
  • Reference
    • Site Settings
      • Navigation
      • App Model
      • DOM Header Insertions
      • Global Named Actions
      • Site Structure
      • Slots / Code Injection
    • Developer Mode
    • Page Settings
      • Data Model
      • Card / Window Modals
      • Validation
        • Custom Validators
      • Misc Page Settings
    • Page Elements
      • Copy of Site Structure
      • BetterForms Elements
        • Checkbox
        • Checklist
        • Cleave.js Input Masking
        • DateTime Picker
        • Google Address Autocomplete
        • Image Display Element
        • Input
        • Masked Input
        • Range Slider (noUiSlider)
        • Radios
        • Select
        • Advanced Select (selectEx)
        • TextArea
      • Common
        • Input
        • Button
        • Data Table
        • HTML
      • Grouping Elements
        • Tabs
        • Panel
        • accordion
        • accordion2
        • listrows
      • Uploading Files
        • dropzone
        • dropzone to S3
        • uploadCare
        • 🏗️Uppy File Upload Widget Integration with AWS S3
      • Misc Elements
        • Plain Text / Code Editor
        • signature
        • fullCalendar
        • rangeSlider
      • Payment Gateways
        • Authorize.net
        • PayPal
        • Stripe
      • Adding Custom Page Elements
    • Actions Processor
      • Named Actions (Action Scripts)
      • Actions
        • runUtilityHook
        • path
        • debounce
        • throttle
        • showAlert
        • showModal / hideModal
        • function
        • clipboard
        • cookie
        • setFocus
        • scrollTo
        • wait
        • emit
        • validate
        • channelJoinAnon
        • channelLeaveAnon
        • messageSend
        • messageSendAnonChannel
        • consoleError
        • showStripeCheckout
      • Authentication Actions
    • Script Hooks
      • Globals Variables
        • $$BF_Model
        • $$BF_App
        • $$BF_State
      • Keeping Keys Private
      • Reducing Payload Size
      • API Callback Endpoint
      • Common Hooks
      • Scoped Hooks
    • Users & Authentication
      • Managing User Accounts
      • Custom Login Pages
      • OAuth
    • Advanced Configuration
      • Custom Domains
    • BF Utility Functions
      • Example Usage
        • BF.i18n()
    • BF Error Codes
    • Messaging
      • Adding users to channels
      • Removing users from channels
      • Sending messages
      • Get connected users
      • Get active channels
    • Practices for File Downloads
    • BF Streaming Proxy
    • Updating the Helper File
    • Connection Trouble Shooting Guide
    • Software Testing Overview
    • JavaScript Libraries
    • FM BetterForms - Quality Assurance
    • Rollbacks and Version Control
    • BF Server Proxy
    • Setting up Auth0
    • Create an S3 Bucket on AWS
    • ApexCharts - Getting started
    • BF Enterprise Documentation
    • BetterForms Error Pages API
    • BF Streaming API
    • LLM Query API
    • Creating a PWA
  • Usage Tips
    • Troubleshooting
      • Debugging
      • Frozen Actions Queue
      • Vue Variables
    • JavaScript Tips
      • Calling Named Actions from HTML Vue Events
      • Calculations
    • Hacking a Webpage
    • System Overview
    • Forms Processor
      • Form Types
      • HTML & VueJS
      • Styling and Design
    • Customizing and Styling
      • Custom CSS
      • Custom Components
        • Components Editor
        • Component Best Practices
      • Page Pre-loaders
      • Favicon
    • Design Patterns and Best Practices
      • Working with environments
      • Handling Data
      • Saving Data
      • Data Optimization
      • Business Logic
      • UI / UX
      • Debugging
      • Script Engine Optimization
    • Getting Started
    • Installation
  • Security
    • Authentication
    • Security White Paper
    • Firewalls
    • Technology Stack
  • Compatibility
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On this page
  • Common Configuration Properties
  • Example Schema Snippet
  • BetterForms Specific Notes
  • Full Property Reference

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  1. Reference
  2. Page Elements
  3. BetterForms Elements

TextArea

The TextArea element provides a multi-line plain-text editing control, suitable for capturing longer pieces of text like comments, descriptions, or detailed notes.

In BetterForms, this is the standard choice when you need users to input more than a single line of text.

Common Configuration Properties

Below are some of the most common properties used when configuring a TextArea element in BetterForms:

Property
Type
Description

type

String

Must be set to "textArea".

label

String

The text displayed above or next to the textarea to describe its purpose.

model

String

The key in your BetterForms data model where the textarea's string value will be stored.

placeholder

String

Placeholder text displayed within the textarea when it is empty.

rows

Number

A hint to the browser for the number of visible text lines.

maxlength

Number

The maximum number of characters allowed in the textarea.

disabled

Boolean

If true, the textarea will be visible but not interactive. Defaults to false.

readonly

Boolean

If true, the textarea content will not be editable. Defaults to false.

hint

String

Additional helper text displayed with the textarea.

required

Boolean

If true, the form will require this field to have a value for submission. Defaults to false.

featured

Boolean

Can be used by themes to apply special styling.

styleClasses

String / Array

CSS class(es) to apply to the textarea wrapper for custom styling.

Example Schema Snippet

{
  "type": "textArea",
  "label": "Additional Comments",
  "model": "userComments",
  "placeholder": "Enter any additional comments here...",
  "rows": 4,
  "maxlength": 500,
  "hint": "Maximum 500 characters."
}

BetterForms Specific Notes

  • This element is intended for plain text. If you need rich text editing (WYSIWYG), look for a dedicated rich text editor component in BetterForms or consider integrating one as a custom element.

  • The min and max properties in the underlying library sometimes refer to character count for textAreas; however, maxlength is the more standard HTML attribute for this purpose.

Full Property Reference

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Last updated 25 days ago

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This element is based on a standard form generation library. For a comprehensive list of all available properties, advanced configuration options, and the full technical specification, please refer to the .

TextArea Field Documentation