Working with Textual Data
There are four value types available that can store textual data. When you create or update your data model, your decision between these four options should be based on the kind of texts you plan to store (short single line texts, or longer texts) and what options the input field should have.
- String: this value type will generate a single line input field and is best used for short textual data (the word 'string' refers to the concept of a sequence of characters). Common use cases include a name (e.g. a given name like 'Barbara' or a family name like 'Smith') or non-numerical identifiers (e.g. a Wikidata entity identifier like 'Q215562').
- Text: this value type will generate a multi-line non-formatted text field. Common use cases include a notes field about source material or a notes field to store information about data entry procedures.
- Text (Layout): this value type will generate a multi-line formatted text field. Formatting options are listed above the input field. Use these buttons to add headings, specify a bold font weight or italic type, add a quote or a URL. Next to these options, a number of BBCode tags and HTML is also supported. Common use cases include writing formatted texts to be used in (digital) publications (e.g. Collecting the West).
- Text (Tags & Layout): this value type will generate a multi-line non-formatted text field with tagging capabilities. The formatting options of the 'Text (layout)' value type are available for this value type. Common use cases include writing formatted texts with in-text references to be used in (digital) publications (e.g. ERNiE and METROMOD).