Understanding Input Mask Characters

When you define an input mask, you can enter control characters, which determine the type of data that is accepted for each individual character. You can also enter literal characters, which are displayed and/or printed with the data.

Control Characters

Use control characters to explicitly define the type of data that is accepted for input in a specific character position. You can define each individual character position independently from the other characters in the input mask.

The following table describes the function of each of the control characters that are available for use in BarTender.

Mask character	Description
0	Digit (entry required): Requires numbers only. Plus and minus symbols are not allowed.
9	Digit or Space (entry optional): Allows numbers or spaces. Plus and minus symbols are not allowed.
#	Digit/Space/+/- (entry optional): Allows numbers and spaces. Blank positions are converted to spaces. Plus and minus symbols are allowed.
L	Letter (entry required): Requires letters only.
?	Letter (entry optional): Allows letters and spaces.
A	Letter or Digit (entry required): Requires letters or numbers only.
a	Letter or Digit (entry optional): Allows letters, numbers, and spaces.
&	Any character or a space (entry required): Requires letters, numbers, symbols, or spaces.
C	Any character or a space (entry optional): Allows letters, numbers, symbols, or spaces.
. , : /	Decimal and Thousands Symbols and Time and Date Separators: The actual character that is used depends on the regional settings that are specified in the Regional Settings Properties dialog, which you can access from the Windows Control Panel.
<	Convert To Lowercase: Causes all the alphabetical data that follows to be converted to lowercase.
>	Convert To Uppercase: Causes all the alphabetical data that follows to be converted to uppercase.
!	Fill In Data From Right To Left: Causes data to be entered from right to left rather than the default direction of left to right. You can enter the exclamation point anywhere in the input mask.
\	Single Character: Allows you to use any of the control characters as literal characters. For example, \L displays the letter L instead of functioning as a control character.
""	Multiple Characters: Allows you to use a string of control characters as literal characters. For example, "LAC#" is displayed as simply LAC#.

Literal Characters

Literal characters are characters that are displayed on the screen or are printed but do not affect the data. They are used to insert additional characters and symbols into the data that is received by BarTender for input into objects on your template.

Although some of the keyboard characters are considered control characters, most are not, and you can enter them into your input mask by entering them into the Input Mask field.

If you want to use a control character as a literal character, insert a back slash (\) immediately before the control character, or place a string of control characters within quotes.

By default, the literal characters in your input mask are displayed on the template and printed on your items. However, sometimes you want to display literal characters on the data entry, but you do not want them to be printed on your items. In this case, make sure that the Print Literal Characters option is not selected. When you do this, the literal characters are displayed in the corresponding reply boxes of the data entry form that is displayed when a print job is run.