Virto Custom Mask&Unique Field component  provides SharePoint users with two additional features for data entering, and is fully compatible with both Microsoft SharePoint 2007 and 2010. First, it enables creating pre-defined masks for entering data of a specific type and, second, it allows requiring selected fields of SharePoint lists to contain the unique values only.

SharePoint lists often contain information such as credit card numbers, phones, addresses etc. With the new Virtosoftware web part entering such kind of data becomes fast and convenient for the users. One can use any combinations of the default templates to design a custom mask for entered data:

• Text – a static value that will not change. For example, if you want to identify help desk tickets, you might want to include “HD” text in the front of the identifier;
• Date/Time – can be used to identify your list items with the date and time they were opened;
• Existing Column Value – you can also use a secondary column value from the same items in the ID;
• Site Name – use this type to point when the item resides in the portal by using the Site Name and List Name options in your ID;
• List Name – add this type to point when the item resides in the portal by using the Site Name and List Name options in your ID;
• Number – Auto Incremented, Go beyond the single digit ID of 1, 10, 100 and set it to show the same number of digits, say 4, all the time: 0001, 0010, 0100.

Flexibly combining these default templates, one can easily obtain a custom mask that would ideally fit his requirements and provide the users with a tool for as quick and easy data entering as possible.

Furthermore, Virto Custom Mask and Unique Field Validation enables requiring any SharePoint list field to contain unique values. With a single click on a check-box, that will be available in the field options once the component is installed, one can make your colleagues’ or clients’ last names to be unique, preventing double entering the data in the corresponding list. This feature, which is not available in standard version of Microsoft SharePoint, allows creating compact lists of data that contain relevant and needed information only.