Predefined choice lists allow you to define preset lists of options to reuse across multiple apps, for single-choice or multi-choice field types. These are some examples of selections where choice lists are useful:
Statuses (Active, Closed, Available, N/A)
Languages (English, Spanish, French, etc.)
Ratings (1 to 5 stars)
Cities
States
…and many others
Their aim is to save you time when creating fields that require the same list of options.
Creating a Choice List
A Choice List can be easily created by following the steps described below the image.
On the left-hand side menu click Setup to display the available options and then select Choice Lists under the APP SETUP section.
To start creating predefined choice lists, click the + New Choice List button.
On the right-hand side of the screen, give your Choice List a Name and add a description that would help you identify it.
To add the Choices, drag and drop the Add New Choice button available right under ADD FIELDS into the canvas area on the center of the screen (it works like the App Designer).
Each choice has two fields, label and value. To learn more about them, continue to the Advanced Functionality section of this article.
Once you are done adding your choices, don't forget to click the SAVE CHOICE LIST button.
If you had already created a Choice List, you can select it from those available on the list in order to make changes to it. You can also select a choice list previously created to make changes.
If your organization has less than 100 apps, then the apps using a given choice list will be displayed under each choice list option.
Advanced Functionality
The value attribute to the right of each label name allows you to set a backend value, so the label (the field label presented within Fulcrum) can show a human-friendly label, and the value can be used to store the more system friendly value.
Here is an example of the difference between labels and values:
Label: “Samsung Galaxy S5” (user-friendly, easy to read)
Value: sm-g900v (system friendly, short)
When data is exported, the export file will contain the values instead of the labels.
Example
In the following example, we want to create a reusable list of options containing a list of facility features (Foundation, Roof, Windows, Doors, Walls). This predefined list of options can then be used in single-choice and multi-choice fields that could serve different purposes.
For instance, to record the facilities that were damaged during a storm or disaster, as a multiple-choice list, or maybe to identify the facility that should be repaired urgently, you could create a single-choice list for "Urgent Repair" that takes in the same facility values we already have on our predetermined choice list.
Choice Lists essentially serve as a “template” for a choice field, so you don’t have to manually specify the options each time you build a new field that will use those values, either within the same app or in a new one.
To create the Facility Features Choice List, follow the steps described above and add as many choices as you need.
Using a Choice List in an App
Once a choice list is built, you would use it by adding a new field to your app (either an existing, or a brand new one) that is either single-choice or a multi-choice field. After dragging and dropping one of these two field types, you will be able to configure the field.
To use your predetermined choice list, click the Use a pre-defined choice list option. This will display a dropdown menu called Choice List, where you can select from the different lists you have created by simply clicking the one you want to use.
Importing a Choice List
If you are interested in importing a Choice List instead of manually creating them, please click the following link for more information: