1. A method in a computer system for formatting data in an edit field, the computer system having windows for inputting and displaying data and having an application program that supports editing, the application program providing a rich text edit control for implementing the behavior of the edit field, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of: opening a dialog window, wherein the dialog window is displayed; displaying the edit field in the displayed dialog window; receiving data, directly from a user, to be displayed in the edit field; and without closing the dialog window, displaying the received data in the edit field according to a first format; determining a second format; and using the rich text edit control, re-displaying the received data displayed in the edit field according to the determined second format.