Labeled Text Input Fields?

Why is there no labeled text entry field capability available to script-writing users in the SL client?

The client is quite capable of displaying a text label indicating what the meaning of the desired input is and displaying a text entry area for people to type in.

One example of what I mean is in the Search dialog; below the row of tabs, there is the word "Find" displayed, with an outlined area to the right in which to enter the search term.

The preferences dialog has many of these labeled text entry fields and variants of this idea in it; the place where you enter your Busy response is an example of a free form type of text entry, while the place where you enter your draw distance, with it's little triangular delta-clickers, illustrates a more complex variant of the basic labeled text entry field.

This seems like a very basic need. It is hard for me to understand how one could possibly entertain some of the hopes expressed by the Linden corporation's founders and principal members for their multi-user virtual environment product to be the magic glue that allows the world's people to bind together when it lacks fundamental input output capabilities that were present and in broad use on machines and software decades ago back in the twentieth century.

I remember playing with and working on Kaypro machines running CPM on monochrome monitors built in to the system suitcase, before mice were ubiquitous and possibly before mice were invented, on which the interpreted, line numbered BASIC made this rudimentary form of user input much easier and more graceful by far for both programmer and program user than Second Life does.

Being able to display a prompt such as "Username"" and accept input of a certain type, such as only alphabetic characters plus underscore and dash, or numbers and minus sign, occupying only a certain space on the screen, able to scroll or not as needed up to the maximum length allowed for the entry field, is not sexy or jazzy but it is basic and fundamental and extremely, exceedingly useful compared to the amount of resources required to provide it.

Why don't we have this ability?

Sue, no particular reason why it's not done, apart from this being a feature request that should be in the Feature Voting Tool -- since you think it's so useful, hopefully more Resis will too.

I am actually not clear on how you wish this done, a picture would be great.

Also, I know there's quite a few internal inconsistencies in the Preferences (e.g., why don't sliders have tick marks so you can clearly get a better idea for what you're setting somethign to?); if this is clearly confusing to many, I can definitely help advocate for it as part of the Resident Experience.