Multiple Selection

You can use multi-select Fields to create a list of values for users to pick from when adding Records.

In this article you can read about how to set up multi-select Fields, what display options you have and how to refer to these Fields using formulas.

Design

In the Form Designer, you can add a multiple-select field and specify the options.

For example, you can define a multiple-select Field with a label titled “Nationality”, and add multiple options, such as “Jordanian”, “Lebanese”, “Palestinian”, and “Syrian”. When entering records, users are able to select one or more pre-defined values for this Field.

You can set how the multiple options are displayed when entering records. By default, the options are listed under each other as checkboxes. Consider presenting the choices as a dropdown list when having more than a few options.

Making changes

If you want to modify the display options of an already existing multiple-choice Field, do the following:

1. Go to your Project.
2. Click “Database settings”.
3. Click on the Folder that contains your Form.
   Skip this step if you do not use Folders in your hierarchy.
4. Click on the Form you want to add the dropdown option to.
5. On the right side panel click “Edit form”.
6. Select the multiple choice field you wish to modify.
7. Make the changes, for example rename field or add more options.

Each option is assigned a unique, immutable ID that is not visible in the form designer. The option’s ID is stored in a record. This means that if you rename an option in the Form Designer, the change is reflected in all previously collected data.

Data entry

A multiple select field is displayed in the data entry form as a list of checkboxes, or a dropdown list, depending on the administrator defined display settings.

The selected display option will be reflected on the mobile interface as well. So when designing a Form, consider a mobile user’s data entry experience.

Formulas

You can refer to multiple selection fields in formulas in the following ways:

First, you can refer to the multiple selection field itself. A reference to the multiple-select field itself evaluates to a comma-separated list of the selected options' labels. So you can write formulas such as:

• CONCAT(Name, " - ", Nationality) and it evaluates to, for example, “Alex Bertram - Lebanese”, or “Alex Bertram - Palestinian, Jordanian”.

Second, you can test whether a specific option is selected. To do this, you can also use the “dot” notation. For example:

• Nationality.Palestinian evaluates to TRUE if the “Palestinian” option has been selected.
• Nationality.[Other nationality] evaluates to TRUE if the “Other nationality” option has been selected. The brackets are required because symbols that include spaces or other symbols must be “escaped” with brackets to avoid ambiguity.

If you use the dot notation, with the option label as a symbol rather than a string, then ActivityInfo can automatically update your formulas if the option is later renamed or corrected.