Using drop-down lists and list boxes

Drop-down lists and list boxes provide users with a way to select a single choice from a list. The choices are represented by text. You define the list of default options.

Drop-down list

List box

Only one choice is visible until the user opens the list.

Any number of options can be visible at once. When the display area of the list box is too small to display all of the items in the list, a vertical scroll bar is displayed.

Accepts custom user entries.

Does not accept custom user entries.

Unlike check boxes and radio buttons, drop-down lists and list boxes support variable sizes of data and variable sets of choices. Clicking the drop-down arrow button displays the full set of choices, and clicking a choice in the list selects a single item. When the layout of the form prohibits the use of check boxes or radio buttons, consider using a list box to present options.

After you add a drop-down list or list box to the form design, you can edit the caption text and manipulate the object’s properties in the Field, Value, and Binding tabs of the Object palette. You can define these properties:

You can dynamically populate a drop-down list or list box with values from a data source.

To specify the list of options for a drop-down list or list box

You can add a list of options to a drop-down list or list box by using either of these two ways:

  • By copying the data from Microsoft Excel or a text editor

  • Individually by using the Add Item button

    The data that you are copying must be in tab-delimited format. You can copy and paste text or a text and value pair. If you choose to paste text, you place the text in a single column. If you want to paste a text and value pair, place the text in one column and the value in a second column. Here are examples of text and value pairs in Excel and Notepad. Always place the list items in the first column.

    View full size graphic
    View full size graphic
    You can dynamically populate a drop-down list with values from a data source.

To add items from Excel or text editor

  1. Select the drop-down list or list box.

  2. Do one of the following actions:

    • In Excel, copy the spreadsheet cells that contain the text (or text and value pair) you want in the drop-down list or list box.

    • In a text editor, copy the text (or text and value pair) you want in the drop-down list or list box.

  3. In the Object palette, click the Field tab, and then click Paste .

  4. You can do any of the following actions:

    • To reorder an item in the list, select the item and click Move Up or Move Down .

    • To delete an item in the list, select the item and click Delete Item .

    • To sort the list in ascending order, select Sort Ascending .

    • To sort the list in descending order, select Sort Descending .

    • For a drop-down list only, to enable users to specify an item that does not appear in the list, select the Allow Custom Text Entry option.

To add items individually

  1. In the Object palette, click the Field tab, and do one of the following actions:

    • Double-click below the Text column heading in the List Items box.

    • Click Add Item .

  2. Type the text corresponding to the first option and press Enter.

  3. Type the text corresponding to the next option and press Enter.

  4. Repeat step 3 for each option that you want to add to the list.

  5. You can do any of the following actions:

    • To reorder an item in the list, select the item and click Move Up or Move Down .

    • To delete an item in the list, select the item and click Delete Item .

    • To sort the list in ascending order, select Sort Ascending .

    • To sort the list in descending order, select Sort Descending .

    • For a drop-down list only, to enable users to specify an item that does not appear in the list, select the Allow Custom Text Entry option.

To define the behavior of a drop-down list or list box

  1. In the Object palette, in the Value tab. From the Type list, select one of these options:

    • To allow users to choose to enter data or not, select User Entered - Optional.

    • To prompt users to enter data and make the field recommended, select User Entered - Recommended and type a custom message in the Empty Message box.

    • To prompt users to enter data and make the field required, select User Entered - Required and type a custom message in the Empty Message box.

    • To make the field read only and display a data value that is calculated and displayed through an attached script, select Calculated - Read Only. Users will not be able to edit the calculated value.

    • To make the field editable and display a data value that is calculated and displayed through an attached script, select Calculated - User Can Override. Users can edit the value if the calculation script has been written to accept the input. If a user does edit the calculated value, the custom message you specify in the Override Message box appears.

    • To make the field read only and display a data value that is merged or calculated and displayed at run time, select Read Only. Users will not be able to edit the value.

  2. If the value is recommended or required, type a prompt into the Empty Message box.

  3. If the value will be calculated, attach the calculation script to the object using the Script Editor.

  4. (Optional) If a calculated value can be overridden, type a message into the Override Message box.

To display a default selection in the drop-down list or list box

You can set a default selection for the drop-down list or list box. You must first specify the list of options for a list.

  1. In the Object palette, click the Value tab.

  2. Select the default option from the Default list.

    Note: The Default list is not available when the Type option is set to Calculated - Read Only or Calculated - User Can Override.

    The options in the Default list correspond to the list items in the Field tab of the Object palette.

To define custom data-binding properties for a drop-down list or list box

Binding options enable you to build a form that captures data for enterprise infrastructures or use an external data source to populate a form at run time. Set data-binding properties in the Binding tab of the Object palette.

  1. Select the drop-down list or list box.

  2. Enable the form to connect to the data source when the form is opened.

  3. Bind the list to its corresponding data node. For information about how to bind objects to a data source, see Binding fields to a data source.

To specify list item values for a drop-down list or list box

Each item in a list is associated with a data value that represents the list item. By default, the values match the text for the list item. You can change these values, for example, to match existing values in a data source.

When you choose to specify item values for the first time, the values will change to integer values starting with “1” for the first item. If you deselect the Specify Item Values option, the values will revert to match the list item text.

You can dynamically populate a list box with values from a data source.

  1. Select the drop-down list or list box object.

  2. In the Object palette, click the Binding tab.

  3. Select Specify Item Values.

  4. Double-click the first value that you want to change.

  5. Type the new value.

  6. Press Enter to change the next value or double-click any other value to change it.

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