Difference between revisions of "Custom Field Type: Select One – Combo Box"

Revision as of 13:54, 10 April 2013

Field Display

Edit Mode

View Mode

General Description

Displays as a set of values in a combo box. The user can select a single value. The size of scrolling window is controlled by the Height Setting.

Field Options

• Mandatory: Selecting this option means that this field is required and must be completed.
• Appear Mandatory: Makes the field appear as though it is a required field. Typically used in conjunction with browser scripts, JavaScript Validation or Submit Logic that perform validation.
• Label Display: Determines the location of the field caption. Options include: Left of Field, Above Field, No Caption, Hide Caption. Note: this option was previously called Label Display. (See examples here.)
• Searchable: This field can be searched within the tracking application.
• Track Changes: Keeps track of changes made to this field.
• Show as Radio Buttons: Values will be displayed as radio buttons, rather than check boxes.
• Show Display Value in List Views: By default, the stored value is shown when fields are referenced in List Views. Selecting this option will display the display value.
• On New Record: Controls how the field should be displayed until record has been saved once.
  • Always Display: Field will be exposed both before and after the record is saved.
  • Hide on New Record: Field will be hidden until record is saved.
  • Only Show on New Record: Field will be exposed until record is saved, and then it will be hidden. This option is useful for fields that provide instructions for filling out forms before saving.

Special Options for Field

Values: The values to be used within the combo box, delimited by a semi-colon with no spaces.

The first value listed will be the default value when a new record is created.

Note: If you want the value stored in the field to be different from what is displayed in the combo box you can use the following syntax in the Values section:

StoreValue1=DisplayValue1;StoreValue2=DisplayValue2;StoreValue3=DisplayValue3;

The value before the equal sign will be stored. The value after the equal sign is what will be displayed in the combo box, but does not get saved.

• This technique is important when translating to other languages. The StoreValue must be the same in all languages. See here for further information.

Services

• Enable Map Service: displays the map icon next to the field name that will launch the user’s selected map service and display a map of the content of the field
• Enable People Search Service: displays the search Internet icon next to the field name that will launch a variety of search services and display the contact details from those services
• Enable Organization Search Service: displays the search Internet icon next to the field name that will launch a variety of search services and display the organisations details from those services

Field Validation

• Type: Select Date, Numeric, or Alphabetic validation
• JavaScript Validation: Custom JavaScript validation formulas can be entered in this field
• Message: The message that the user will see if the data in the field fails a validation check

Value Stores To

• Custom Field: Enables linking two different custom fields to the same user data

Field Formatting Options

• Width: Determines the width of the field
• Number Format: Allows you to define how numbers in this field will be displayed. See here for details.
• Style: Bold, Underline, Italic, Highlight
• Tool Tip: Enter help text to be shown on mouse-over
• Read Only: Checkbox
• HTML Tag: Additional attributes to the field HTML tag
• Visibility Condition: Conditions upon which the field is visible

Role - Field Permissions

These fields allow you to control by Role who is allowed to view and/or modify the field.

Status - Field Permissions

• Only present within the Universal Tracking Application

These fields allow you to control by the Status of the record whether or not the field can be viewed and/or modified.

Referencing the Value

@fieldname.value@

@fieldname.combovalue@

or

@#fieldid.value#@

@#fieldid.combovalue#@

When trying to reference the values of this custom field type, you must use @fieldname.value@ or @fieldname.combovalue@, depending on how the field is setup. Typically, you can use @fieldname.value@ but there is a special case where you must use @fieldname.combovalue@ when the values in the combo box are 1=Yes;2=No;3=Maybe.

Using @fieldname.value@ will return the Yes, No, or Maybe. But using @fieldname.combovalue@ will return 1, 2, or 3.

Notes

Allow Empty

Because the values in a Combo Box Custom Field are restricted to the semi-colon delimited list in the Values field, the Allow Empty field has a slightly different behaviour than usual. It controls whether or not the record can be saved with the default value (which is the first value listed in the Values section):

• If Allow Empty is checked, the record can be saved with the default value.
• If Allow Empty is not checked, the record cannot be saved with the default value. In this way you can force the user to select a value different from the default value.
• Important: Because the record cannot be saved with the default value, the first item listed in the Value section should be either a space followed by a semi-colon (if you want the field to start out blank) or an instruction to the user such as -----Select One-----; Please choose; or similar. You do not want an actual value as the first item, since the record can never be saved with the first value if Allow Empty is deselected.

See Also

• Custom Field Language Settings