About edit styles – PB Docs 2017

You can define edit styles for columns. Edit styles specify how
column data is presented in DataWindow objects. Unlike display formats,
edit styles do not only affect the display of data; they also affect how
users interact with the data at runtime. Once you define an edit style,
it can be used by any column of the appropriate datatype in the
database.

When edit styles are used

If both a display format and an edit style have been assigned to a
column, the edit style is always used, with one exception. When you
assign an EditMask edit style to a column, you can check the Use Format
check box on the Format property page for the column to use the edit
mask format when focus is on the column, and the display format mask
when focus is off the column.

Edit styles

The following table shows the available edit styles.

Edit style	What the edit style does	Example
Edit box (default)	Displays a value in the box For data entry, type a value
DropDownListBox	Displays a value from the drop-down list For data entry, select or enter a value
CheckBox	Displays a check box selected or cleared For data entry, select or clear the check box
RadioButtons	Displays radio buttons, one of which is selected For data entry, select one of the radio buttons
EditMask	Displays formatted data For data entry, type a value
DropDownDataWindow	Displays a value from a drop-down DataWindow For data entry, select a value
RichText	Allows display of data in rich text formats.
InkEdit	On Tablet PCs, displays an InkEdit control so the user can enter data with the stylus.

For example, suppose you have a column Status that takes one of
three values: the letters A, T, and L, each representing a status
(Active, Terminated, or On Leave). If you assign it the RadioButton edit
style, userscan simply click a button instead of having to type A, T, or
L. You do not have to create a validation rule to validate typed
input.