TextInputField

TextInputField — editable single-line text surface primitive.

This is the raw editing primitive that powers the styled TextInput composite and any other widget that needs inline editable text — SpinBox being the primary second consumer.

Unlike TextInput, TextInputField paints no frame, no placeholder overlay, no validation border, and hosts no trailing slots: it is the focusable text area only. Compose it yourself with RectWidget, Padding, icons, clear buttons, etc. to build a styled control. Focus indication is the composite's responsibility — the Int UI convention is to thicken the enclosing frame's border to focus_ring_width and recolor it to the accent focus-ring color.

Features:

Bound Signal<String> for two-way text binding.
Full keyboard editing (arrow keys, Home/End, Backspace/Delete, Ctrl+X/C/V, Ctrl+A, Ctrl+Z/Y), IME commit, and pointer caret positioning and drag-select.
Optional per-character input filter (TextInputField::char_filter), max-length cap (TextInputField::max_length), and read-only mode (TextInputField::read_only).
Commit hooks: Enter fires on_submit_fn and focus loss fires on_blur_fn.
Non-editable trailing suffix, rendered flush-right inside the field's bounds (Qt's QSpinBox::suffix). Caret cannot enter it; clicks past the text end clamp to the last character.
Right-click context menu (Cut / Copy / Paste / Select All).
AccessKit Role::TextInput with value, selection, and character/word boundary metadata.

Example

let text = ctx.signal(String::new());
ctx.add(
    TextInputField::new(text.clone())
        .placeholder("Enter a name…")
        .char_filter(|c| !c.is_ascii_digit())
        .on_submit_fn(|ctx| ctx.send_intent(MyIntent::Save)),
);

Builder methods at a glance

placeholder, enabled, read_only, max_length, on_submit_fn, on_blur_fn, char_filter, suffix, text_height, interaction_signal, input_mask, mask_placeholder, validator, secure, input_purpose, active_descendant, controls, echo_char, revealed, at_reveal_policy, allow_copy, validation_feedback_signal, text, share_handle, handle, interaction, caret_position, caret_setter

API reference

📖 Full rustdoc API for this module

`pub enum InputPurpose`

The semantic purpose of a text field, surfaced to assistive technology as a specialised AccessKit role (WCAG 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose / EN 301 549).

This is the in-framework-achievable part of SC 1.3.5: a screen reader announces "email, edit text" instead of a generic "edit text". The FULL HTML autocomplete-token vocabulary (given-name, postal-code, cc-number, …) that drives OS/browser autofill has no representation in AccessKit 0.24 and therefore cannot be exposed from Teksilo — see docs/a11y/a11y_issues.md. Password entry is configured via TextInputField::secure, not here.

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
pub enum InputPurpose { /* variants */ }
}

Variants

Normal — Ordinary free text (Role::TextInput).
Email — Email address (Role::EmailInput).
Phone — Telephone number (Role::PhoneNumberInput).
Url — URL (Role::UrlInput).
Number — Numeric entry — e.g. a quantity or code (Role::NumberInput).
Search — Search query (Role::SearchInput).

`pub enum EchoMode`

How a secure (TextInputField::secure) field echoes typed characters. Mirrors Qt's QLineEdit::EchoMode.

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
pub enum EchoMode { /* variants */ }
}

Variants

Masked — Replace every character with the echo glyph (default '•'). The plaintext stays in the bound Signal<String> but never reaches the text engine while masked.
NoEcho — Show nothing at all — not even the length. The caret stays at the start. Qt's NoEcho.
RevealWhileTyping — Show plaintext while the field is focused (being edited) and re-mask on blur. Qt's PasswordEchoOnEdit.

`pub enum AtRevealPolicy`

How a revealed secure field reports to assistive technology.

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
pub enum AtRevealPolicy { /* variants */ }
}

Variants

SwapRole — When revealed, expose the field as a normal Role::TextInput carrying the plaintext value — matching what is visibly on screen and the web type=password ↔ type=text swap. When masked, it reverts to Role::PasswordInput. (Default.)
AlwaysProtected — Always report Role::PasswordInput and never expose plaintext to assistive tech, even while visually revealed. Higher confidentiality at the cost of consistency with the screen.

`pub struct TextInputField`

Editable single-line text surface primitive.

See the module docs for the full feature list and a compositional example.

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
pub struct TextInputField { /* fields */ }
}

Methods

`pub fn new(text: Signal<String>) -> Self`

Construct a new field bound to text.

`pub fn placeholder(mut self, text: impl Into<String>) -> Self`

Declarative placeholder string. The field itself paints nothing for placeholder — that visual is the composite parent's responsibility (TextInput overlays a TextWidget). The string is still stored here and published via AccessKit's placeholder property so screen readers announce it.

`pub fn enabled(mut self, enabled: impl Into<Prop<bool>>) -> Self`

Set the enabled state, statically or reactively. Disabled blocks input and AccessKit interaction. Forwarded to the arena at build time.

`pub fn read_only(mut self, read_only: bool) -> Self`

Mark the field read-only. Caret and selection still work; inserts, deletes, paste, undo/redo, and cut are all no-ops.

`pub fn max_length(mut self, max_length: usize) -> Self`

Hard cap on document length in chars (grapheme count is approximated — each char counts as one unit, matching String::chars().count()).

`pub fn on_submit_fn(mut self, f: impl Fn(&mut EventContext) + 'static) -> Self`

Closure fired on Enter. Unlike on_blur_fn, this does not move focus — the field stays focused and the caret stays where it was.

`pub fn on_blur_fn(mut self, f: impl Fn(&mut EventContext) + 'static) -> Self`

Closure fired once per focus-loss, after selection/scroll have been reset. SpinBox-style callers parse and reformat here; validators revalidate here.

`pub fn char_filter(mut self, f: impl Fn(char) -> bool + 'static) -> Self`

Per-character input-filter predicate. Applied uniformly to keyboard input, IME commits, and clipboard paste so a filtered field cannot receive disallowed characters through any path. Composes with max_length and the built-in control/newline strip (filter runs after the strip). Whole-string validity (e.g. "at most one decimal point") is a commit-time concern for on_blur / on_submit.

`pub fn suffix(mut self, text: impl Into<Prop<String>>) -> Self`

Static non-editable trailing string rendered flush-right inside the field's bounds (Qt's QSpinBox::suffix). The caret cannot enter the suffix; clicks past the text end position the caret at the last editable character.

Accepts a static String/&str or a reactive Signal<String> / Prop<String>; when bound, the field re-measures the suffix glyphs and relayouts the editable text viewport each time the signal fires. Typical use: a SpinBox with special_value_text binds an empty string to the suffix whenever the value equals min, and the configured unit string otherwise.

`pub fn text_height(mut self, height: f32) -> Self`

Override the intrinsic text-area height. The field is a pure leaf with no theme lookup of its own; by default it reports DEFAULT_TEXT_HEIGHT. A wrapping composite like TextInput passes its theme's text_field.height minus border + padding here so the visuals line up with the rest of the form.

`pub fn interaction_signal(mut self, signal: Signal<InteractionState>) -> Self`

Bind an externally-owned InteractionState signal. The field writes Focused on focus gain and Idle on loss; other states (Hovered, Pressed, Disabled) are the composite's responsibility. When unset, the field owns a private signal that observers can still read via interaction, but composites that drive a focus ring or border color usually want to push their own.

`pub fn input_mask(mut self, mask: impl AsRef<str>) -> Self`

Set an input mask (Qt grammar). Constrains accepted characters per position, auto-derives the empty-state template (__/__/____ for 99/99/9999), and routes typed chars through the mask's class filter.

Composes with char_filter: a char must pass both the mask's per-position class AND the user's char_filter to be accepted.

On parse error (only the trailing-backslash case in practice), the mask is silently dropped — the field falls back to its no-mask behaviour rather than panicking.

`pub fn mask_placeholder(mut self, c: char) -> Self`

Override the visible character used for unfilled editable mask positions. Default: the theme's text_field.mask_placeholder_char (typically _).

`pub fn validator(mut self, f: impl Fn(&str) -> ValidationOutcome + 'static) -> Self`

Install a validator. The closure runs on every commit (Enter, Tab-out, focus loss) and returns a ValidationOutcome that drives validation_feedback_signal.

Does not run per-keystroke — that's char_filter's job. Mixing per-keystroke text rewriting with validation produces caret-jump bugs and is explicitly out of scope.

`pub fn secure(mut self, echo_mode: EchoMode) -> Self`

Turn this into a secure (password) field with the given EchoMode. Masking happens at the text-engine layer (one echo glyph per source char), so the plaintext never reaches the shaper or glyph atlas while masked, and caret / selection / hit-test stay correct. Also defaults allow_copy to false and opts the focused node out of OS IME composition. Pair with revealed for a reveal toggle.

`pub fn input_purpose(mut self, purpose: InputPurpose) -> Self`

Declare the field's semantic InputPurpose (WCAG 1.3.5), which selects a specialised AccessKit role (EmailInput, PhoneNumberInput, …) so screen readers announce the field's kind. Ignored while secure (the password role wins). Does not change IME behaviour — winit's ImePurpose has no email/number/url variants — nor drive OS autofill, which AccessKit cannot express (see docs/a11y/a11y_issues.md).

`pub fn active_descendant(mut self, active: Signal<Option<WidgetId>>) -> Self`

Publish active_descendant pointing at the row a separate list is currently highlighting — the ARIA combobox pattern.

Keyboard focus stays in this field while arrow keys move a highlight through a listbox elsewhere in the tree (a command palette, a type-ahead picker, a suggestion popup). Assistive technology follows the focused node's active descendant, so the announcement has to be published here, on the node that actually holds focus — not on the composite ancestor that owns the list. Without it the arrow keys move a highlight that is announced to nobody.

Bound at AccessibilityOnly, so moving the highlight re-walks the AT tree without a rebuild or a repaint. Pair with controls.

`pub fn controls(mut self, listbox: Signal<Option<WidgetId>>) -> Self`

Publish a controls relation to the listbox this field drives, so an AT client can navigate from the input to the list it is filtering. The companion of active_descendant.

`pub fn echo_char(mut self, c: char) -> Self`

Override the masking glyph (default '•', U+2022). Any uniform-width character works; the engine emits exactly one per source char.

`pub fn revealed(mut self, revealed: Signal<bool>) -> Self`

Bind the reveal toggle. When the signal is true the field shows plaintext regardless of EchoMode; when false it masks. Shared with the eye IconButton::visibility_toggle.

`pub fn at_reveal_policy(mut self, policy: AtRevealPolicy) -> Self`

How a revealed secure field reports to assistive tech. Default AtRevealPolicy::SwapRole.

`pub fn allow_copy(mut self, allow: bool) -> Self`

Permit (or forbid) copy / cut. Plain fields default true; secure flips the default to false. Even when false, copy is allowed while the field is revealed.

`pub fn validation_feedback_signal(&self) -> Signal<ValidationFeedback>`

Reactive handle on the published ValidationFeedback state. Composites bind to this to render the inline feedback strip below the field. Always present; reads Pristine until the first commit (or forever if no validator is installed).

`pub fn text(&self) -> Signal<String>`

The Signal<String> this field is bound to.

`pub fn share_handle(mut self, handle: &TextFieldHandle) -> Self`

Adopt an existing handle instead of minting one.

For a composing widget — TextInput wraps this field — that must hand out a handle of its own before it builds the field it will delegate to. Sharing the slot and the focus signal makes the wrapper's handle and the field's the same handle, rather than two that agree by accident.

`pub fn handle(&self) -> TextFieldHandle`

A live handle on this field, valid before and after build.

The counterpart of RichTextEditor::handle, and the reason it exists: an application that routes Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste and Select All to "whichever text surface holds the caret" has to be able to drive every such surface, not only the rich editors. Without this, a menu built for those commands can only grey them out over a rename field or a search box while the field's own key handling still works — a menu that lies about what the keyboard can do.

Like caret_setter, the handle reaches its state through the slot the widget late-populates, so it may be taken while the tree is being described and used once it is live.

`pub fn interaction(&self) -> Signal<InteractionState>`

The interaction signal this field writes on focus changes. Call before inserting the field into the tree.

`pub fn caret_position(&self) -> Signal<usize>`

Reactive caret position in the field's text (in usize char offsets). Updates after every keyboard or pointer action that moves the cursor. Used by composing widgets that need to know where the caret is — e.g. DateEdit reads this to figure out which date segment Up/Down should step.

`pub fn caret_setter(&self) -> std::rc::Rc<dyn Fn(usize)>`

Returns a callable that programmatically sets the caret position (in char offsets) on the field. Capture this on the builder BEFORE ctx.add(...) consumes the field; call it after a programmatic text rewrite to restore the caret to the right column instead of leaving it at the document end (the default behaviour of cursor.insert_text).

The returned closure becomes a no-op until build() runs; after build it walks the field's inner state and moves the document cursor to position, clamped to the document length. Used by DateEdit / TimeEdit segment-stepping to keep the caret within its current segment after Up/Down.

`pub struct TextFieldHandle`

A live handle on a TextInputField — its text-editing commands, for a caller outside the widget.

Every method is a no-op before the field is built (and after it is destroyed), which is the honest answer rather than a panic: a menu row bound to a field that is no longer on screen should do nothing, not crash.

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
pub struct TextFieldHandle { /* fields */ }
}

Methods

`pub fn detached() -> Self`

A handle not yet attached to any field — for a composing widget that hands one out before building the field it will delegate to. Every method answers "nothing" until TextInputField::share_handle binds it.

`pub fn focused_signal(&self) -> Signal<bool>`

true while this field holds the keyboard focus. Observable, so a router can follow the caret without polling.

`pub fn is_live(&self) -> bool`

Is the widget built and still alive?

`pub fn text(&self) -> String`

The field's current text.

`pub fn has_selection(&self) -> bool`

Is any text selected right now?

`pub fn allows_copy(&self) -> bool`

May this field's content be copied at all? A password field says no — see TextInputField::allow_copy.

`pub fn is_read_only(&self) -> bool`

Is the field refusing edits? Cut and Paste are meaningless when it is.

`pub fn select_all(&self)`

Select the whole field.

`pub fn copy(&self, ctx: &EventContext)`

Copy the selection to the clipboard.

`pub fn cut(&self, ctx: &EventContext)`

Cut the selection to the clipboard.

`pub fn paste(&self, ctx: &EventContext)`

Paste over the selection.

`pub fn undo(&self)`

Undo this field's own last edit.

`pub fn redo(&self)`

Redo this field's own last undone edit.

`pub fn can_undo(&self) -> Signal<bool>`

Is there anything to undo? Debounced like the editor's twin.

`pub fn can_redo(&self) -> Signal<bool>`

Is there anything to redo?

`pub enum ValidationOutcome`

What a validator returns for a given commit attempt.

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
pub enum ValidationOutcome { /* variants */ }
}

Variants

Valid — Input is valid as typed. The field commits unchanged and the feedback signal flips to ValidationFeedback::Valid.
Corrected — Input was accepted after normalization. The field replaces its text with corrected, the bound Signal<String> observes the new value, and the feedback signal carries message for composites to surface as a polite announcement. Use for clamping, completion, and reformat. Examples: "12/50/2026" → Corrected { corrected: "12/31/2026", … } for "day clamped to month length"; "2026" → Corrected { corrected: "2026-01-01", … } for "year-only completed to start of year".
Invalid — Input is rejected. The field reverts its text to the pre-edit value and the feedback signal carries message for composites to surface as an assertive error.

`pub enum ValidationFeedback`

What composites render. Distinct from [ValidationOutcome]: the outcome is the validator's return value (no time concept); the feedback adds a since instant so the visual layer can decay an auto-correction announcement after a window without re-running the validator.

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
pub enum ValidationFeedback { /* variants */ }
}

Variants

Pristine — No commit has happened yet, or the user is editing again after a previous outcome (typing always clears prior feedback).
Valid — Last commit returned ValidationOutcome::Valid. Composites typically render this identically to Pristine — the distinction matters for tests and for callers that want to signal "yes, it's confirmed valid" with a checkmark.
Corrected — Last commit returned ValidationOutcome::Corrected. since is the wall-clock instant the correction was applied; composites use it to decay the visual after corrected_pulse_duration_ms from the theme.
Invalid — Last commit returned ValidationOutcome::Invalid. Persists until the user edits again or an external Pristine reset.

Keyboard shortcuts

Teksilo Documentation