1. A computer program product comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising: determining a current state of a field in a user interface of a software application program, the current state comprising at least one of an editable state, a read-only state, and a locked state; identifying at least one underlying factors that have resulted in the current state of the field, the at least one underlying factor comprising a condition of a database structure associated with the field; accessing a metadata repository based on the identified underlying factors, the accessing comprising retrieving at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item relating to the one or more underlying factors; and returning a state-specific mouse-over guidance content for display to a user when the user activates a mouse-over guidance for the field by moving a pointer on a screen to a trigger point associated with the field, the state-specific mouse-over guidance content comprising the retrieved at least one pre-determined mouse-over guidance content item.