An input mask limits the amount and type of information. You have probably already seen an example of an input mask on an ordinary paper form—the type of form that wants you to write down your phone number or Social Security Number a certain way and thus provides you with a guide like (___) ___ - _____ or ____-___-______. Look familiar? That’s an input mask, pure and simple.
There are two ways to create an input mask:
Use the Input Mask Wizard to create the input mask for you (the fast and easy way). The only problem with the Input Mask Wizard is that it can only help you create input masks for phone numbers, Social Security Numbers, ZIP codes, and date and time fields.
Create the input mask yourself by typing a series of characters in the Input Mask box (the more difficult way). If you want to use this method, refer to the table at the end of this lesson to see what you have to enter in order to create an input mask.