A composite is a group of fields and their associated data types which form a single data type. Each part of the composite is called a component. Once defined, a composite data type can be used like any ordinary data type.
Composites can be used to store information such as account or item numbers, which are composed of several parts. Each component of the composite can have different formatting characteristics, allowing you to display information in a variety of ways.
Composites should be composed of only string and numeric fields, and the total length of the composite must not exceed 128 characters. While it is possible to include some other control types in composites, we don’t recommend it. Text and picture control types should never be included as composite components.
Dexterity supports two types of composites: standard composites, which can have up to 9 components, and extended composites, which can have up to 128 components. Standard composites have a fixed length and flexible formatting while the length of extended composites is determined at runtime, but the formatting is slightly less flexible. Extended composites are used for special purposes such as the account numbers in Microsoft Dynamics GP.
Information about composites is divided into the following sections: