Adding a Combo Box or List

You can add a combo box drop-down, combo box drop-list, combo box simple (simple list), or a list (scrollable list) to your customized card.

Before you begin:
  • Open an existing card or start a new card.
  • If you plan to use the combo box or list to update and maintain other lists on the card, define your list or lists by selecting from the Card Editor menu bar Card > Lists.
See Also
About Combo Boxes and Lists
Controlled by Attribute Dialog Box
Attributes Dialog Box
About Default Values
Adding Lists
  1. Add a combo box or list by doing one of the following:
    • Click Combobox Droplist or select Edit > Mode > Combobox Droplist to create a drop-down list that allows users to either enter their own value or select from predefined options.
    • Click Combobox Drop-down or select Edit > Mode > Combobox Dropdown to create a fixed list of drop-down options.
    • Click Combobox Simple or select Edit > Mode > Combobox Simple to create a permanently visible list of values.
    • Click List or select Edit > Mode > List to create a scrollable list you define.
  2. Click the card where you want to locate the control.
    The Card Editor displays the:
    • Combobox properties pane if you select Combobox Dropdown.
    • Droplist properties pane if you select Combobox Droplist.
    • Combolist properties pane if you select Combobox Simple.
    • Listbox properties pane if you select List.
  3. Under Items, select one of the following:
    • Standard text and select a list from Standard text.

      You must previously define Standard text lists in the Lists Card Title dialog box, which you access from the Card Editor menu by selecting Card > Lists. If you have not previously specified lists for the card, this option is empty.

      Note: The lists are for updating and maintaining the lists on a card.

    • Free text and enter items (one per row) that are to display in the drop-list or list controls.

      To add translations for your item entries:

      1. Click the + tab.

      2. From Language, click and select the language.
      3. Enter the language translation for each item (one per row).

    • Controlled by attribute to have users select list values that depend on a value selected in another list. To complete this option:
      1. Click Details.
      2. From the Controlled by attribute dialog box, select an Attribute that is connected to the controlling list control, for example, Customer.
      3. Under Attribute Value, click and enter an attribute value, for example, XYZCompany.
      4. Under Card List, select the list to show if the attribute value matches the user's selection.

        Card List selections only appear if you have previously defined the card lists in the card's Lists dialog box.

      5. Click OK.
  4. From Attribute name, select the data card attribute to store the value selected from the list.

    Alternatively, you can select an attribute from the Attributes dialog box. The dialog box appears when you click Attributes. It contains a table of the available attributes, their entry types, and default values.

  5. Optionally, select the following Flags check boxes:
    1. Read only to make the list read only, thereby not allowing users to enter values.
    2. Update all configurations to have the system update all file data card configuration tabs by the value users select from the list.
  6. Under Default value, select one of the following:
    • Specify value to select the list values from the list in the Default value area.
      Notes: This list inherits the values specified in the Free text option.

      Specify value is the default for Search cards and cannot be changed.

    1. Select the Default overwrites check box if the selected value is to overwrite the existing attribute value when users copy or add files.
    2. In Excluded configuration, enter the names of configurations that are to be excluded as default values for the combo box or list.

      Exclusion occurs when files are added to the database or when the addition of a new configuration generates default values.

      Enter one configuration name per line. You can use * as a wildcard. For example, *magnet* excludes all configurations with "magnet" in the configuration name.

      Note: The software does not exclude configurations if the user manually generates values.

Your customized card includes the combo box or list.