Text Fields

A text field is a slot where text is displayed.  If editable, the user can type in a single line of data-such as a file name, a part number, or an address into the text field.

Editable or selectable text should be displayed against a white background; text that isn't selectable or editable should be displayed against a background other than white (usually gray).  The white background indicates that the text is selectable or editable; in certain contexts (a panel, for example), it also prompts for user input.

Selectable or editable text should (ally be enclosed by a border of some kind to set it off from the background.

Labels and titles are displayed against a gray background without a border.  If they can be selected or edited, the background should turn white when the user first initiates a selection (i.e., on the first mouse-down event).

The text in a text field is normally editable, so it's displayed against a white background.  When the text field is temporarily disabled, the text becomes gray (just like the label of a button) but the background color doesn't change.

Generally, editable text fields accept unrestricted data, but sometimes an entry won't be acceptable if it's the wrong data type-if, for example, the user types in a floating-point number when an integer is called for.  Text fields generally recognize these five restricted types of data:

·	Unsigned integers 
·	Signed integers 
·	Unsigned floating-point numbers 
·	Signed floating-point numbers 
·	Dates

If the user's entry isn't acceptable, all of the text in the field is selected and highlighted.  The user can make any necessary corrections and try again.