See this example (from http://forum.openlaszlo.org/member.php?u=10854 Squids on the forums):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<canvas width="900" height="2500">
  
  <class name="post" bgcolor="yellow">
    <attribute name="posttext" value="null" type="string"/>
    <text name="thetext" multiline="true" width="110" text="${parent.posttext}"/>
  </class>
  
   <view layout="axis:y;spacing:20" y="20">
  <text fontsize="18">Problem 2</text>
  
  <view x="20" bgcolor="0xeeeeee">
    <text fontsize="12">There is an edittext below but the bevel does not show up</text>
    <view layout="axis:x;spacing:5" y="20">
      <edittext name="entertext" multiline="true" width="200" height="300">Type some text here please</edittext>
      <button>create new text object
        <handler name="onclick">

var newtextvar = parent.entertext.getText();
var newpostvar = new post(newtextzoneid,{x:0,y:0,posttext:newtextvar});
Debug.write(newpostvar.thetext.getText());
</handler>
      </button>
    </view>
    <view id="newtextzoneid" x="450" width="400" height="300" bgcolor="0xdddddd">
      <wrappinglayout spacing="2" yinset="5" xinset="5"/>
      <text fontsize="9">new text objects are created here</text>
    </view>
  </view>
  
  </view>
</canvas>