---
title: "How a control is represented in the client"
slug: "bc-how-a-control-is-represented-in-the-client"
description: "Explore mobile controls, including editable and non-editable options, XML data handling, and expressions for dynamic textbox values in Anywhere Mobility Solutions."
tags: ["Task"]
updated: 2026-06-25T09:59:05Z
published: 2026-06-25T09:59:05Z
canonical: "docs.staedean.com/bc-how-a-control-is-represented-in-the-client"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.staedean.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How a control is represented in the client

### Controls in the mobile page

After a user chooses a process, the first activity of the process appears on the mobile client. The activity sends as an XML file to the portal. This XML file contains information about the activity and controls to display on the client.

This information includes, among other things, the value to display in a textbox. This value can come from fixed text, a parameter value, or a field from the control's table. When the control's source type is a parameter, an expression can show an initial value in the associated textbox.

### Control expressions

An expression retrieves and returns a value. The retrieval method can vary, it can be fixed text, the value stored in a parameter, the value from a field in the control's table, or the return value from a custom function.

Combine several expressions to generate a value.

### Non-editable controls

Non-editable controls can be Anywhere Mobility Solutions type except **FileUpload** or **Signature**.

The most common are **Checkbox**, **Textbox**, and **Label**. The difference between a non-editable textbox and a label is that labels display only fixed text, while non-editable textboxes gather values used in the process without requiring user input. Use an expression to generate a value for the textbox. Use a parameter as the control's source type to store that value. Other controls may require a data type, for example, a checkbox can only store a boolean.

The **Image** and **Label** controls are the only controls that are always non-editable.

### Editable controls

The controls **FileUpload**, **Textbox**, **Signature**, and **Checkbox** can be editable. To be editable, they must have a parameter as their source.

Anywhere Mobility Solutions editable control appears as non-editable (or not at all) when the control is not active.

## Related

- [Working with the Anywhere framework](/bc-working-with-anywhere-framework.md)
- [The first steps in the process](/bc-the-first-steps-in-the-process.md)
- [How user input is processed](/bc-how-user-input-is-processed.md)
- [Determining the next step in the process](/bc-determining-the-next-step-in-the-process.md)