Special Field Types

There are several types of fields used in Needles that contain advanced functionality. The following special field types are described in more detail below.

• Date Field
• Edit Names Field
• Number field
• Money field
• RTF Text Field
• Searchable Names Field
• User Defined Field Types
• Regional Settings

Date Field

A date can be manually entered into the date field. Date fields in Needles display a Calendar icon at the end of the field. Clicking on the Calendar icon will open the Date Navigator window to assist in selecting the date.

Date Navigator Window

The Date Navigator Window includes several functions to assist the user in finding and selecting the correct date needed. When clicking on the calendar icon in a date field that is already populated with a date, the navigator window will display the month for the existing date (as shown above). If the field is empty, the current month will display. To use the Date Navigator Window

• The current date is displayed at the top. Clicking on the current date will return the Date Navigator to the current month view selecting the current date.
• The date interval  is displayed above the calendar between the navigation arrows. Clicking on the date interval will toggle the calendar display to show months for the currently selected year. Continue clicking the date interval to change it from months to years to a range of years. Click on the current date to return to the current month and day and the default monthly date interval.

• Use the left navigation arrow to move backward through the selected date intervals.
• Use the right navigation arrow to move forward through the selected date intervals.
• Click on the Clear button to quickly clear the existing date entered in the field.
• Click on the Calculator button to access the Date Calculator in Needles to calculate a date (such as a deadline due 45 days from today).

Edit Names Field

An Edit Names Field can be identified by the Edit button located at the end of the field. Clicking on the Edit button will open a detail window for specific information to be entered. Examples of Edit Fields can be found on the Party tab for entering the Party Name or the AKA Name fields.

Enter the information into the detail fields, and click OK to populate the field with the detail information.

Number field

Number fields are displayed with decimal formatting. A calculator displays when clicking the dropdown icon at the end of a number field. The results of the numbers and functions entered on the calculator will display in the field.

Money field

Money fields are similar to number fields, however, they are displayed with US currency formatting based on the user's Windows regional settings. A calculator displays when clicking the Calculator icon at the end of a money field. The results of the numbers and functions entered on the calculator will display in the field.

RTF Text Field

If the Enable Rich Text option has been selected in the Default Firm Preferences, additional formatting features will be available when entering text in notes fields (Case Notes, Value Notes and Provider Notes). The following right-click menu will display when right-clicking on text in an RTF Text Field, allowing for the font to be changed, additional formatting applied, and bookmarks or hyperlinks to be added.

Searchable Names Field

Searchable Names Fields can be identified by the bold label and a Search icon at the end of the field. The following features are available in this type of field:

• When entering a name into this type of field, simply enter a fragment of the name and click the search icon or hit ENTER to search for the name to see if it already exists in the database. Entering only the beginning fragment of a name helps to prevent duplications or misspellings and also assists with conflicts searching. If no match is found, click on the Add New Provider button to enter the new name information.
• Double-click on a name field in Needles to view or modify the information of an existing name, including address, phone, online account, and other contact details, as well as any notes or documents.

When creating user defined fields, the Searchable Names field type should be used if the response is a person or entity which is already entered into the case, or a name that is in your Needles names directory in another case.  It should also be used if you wish the name to become part of your names directory, thereby assisting in conflicts searches.  If the name will never be relevant in connection with any other case in Needles, consider using the alphanumeric field type.

User Defined Field Types

The following types of user defined fields are available for use when designing user defined screens while customizing the Needles system.

Regional Settings

To change the format of your Windows Regional Settings controlling date format, time format, currency formats, etc.,

1. Go to your Windows Control Panel.
2. Select the Regional Settings option.

3. Make the desired changes to formats for numbers, currency, time or date.
4. Click OK to close the settings window.