Dependent Picklist
A Dependent Picklist lets you change the list of available choices, based on some other value.
About Dependent Picklists
A Dependent Picklist can be based on a set of Radio Buttons or a standard Picklist. Some other value in the record (a trigger value) then determines which of those choices are available for the user to select.
For example, in manufacturing, a computer might be created from a few Sub Assembly items, each made up of available component parts. The Component Parts might be enumerated, based on inventory level, for example.
- Example
Field Name Field Display Type Available Values Sub Assembly Picklist External Case Assembly / Circuit Board Kit / Data Storage Devices / Ports and cables
Component Parts Dependent Picklist (select Sub Assembly as Dependent Field) ST-2342 / ST-99843 / ST-3209 / ST-0094 / FR-23432 / FR-6530 / FR-9093 / RF-234 / RF-235 / RF-237 / GTT-34534 / GTT-0779 / GTT-300567 / GTT-300595 / GTT-300827 / GTT-300857
- The resulting Child Values are created based on associations created between Component Parts and the Sub Assembly Parent Value.
- Considerations
-
- It is not possible to specify a default value for a dependent picklist (multiple defaults would be needed--one for each trigger value.)
Adding a Dependent Picklist
For each Dependent Picklist, a "parent" field is selected, which defines the top-level field in the dependency hierarchy. Additional values ("child" fields) are defined within the dependent picklist. The resulting dependent picklist is created by associating "child" field(s) with each "parent" field.
This is a two-step process; first, create the "parent" field, then create the Dependent Picklist (the "child" field).
- Using the instructions in Fields, create a new field of any of the following types, add picklist values and save the field (this will be used as the parent field):
- Radio Buttons
- Picklists
- Using the instructions in Fields, create a new field of type: Dependent Picklist, and enter the following information:
- Label
- The field label that will be displayed
- Display Type
- Dependent Picklist
- Parent Field
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- Select the "parent" field (created in the previous step)
- Enter the picklist values
- Optionally, modify any of the remaining sections, using the instructions in Fields
- Click [Save]
- In the Enumerated Values section, click [Manage Values] to specify the collection of all possible values.
- In the Dependent Picklist Associations section (at the bottom):
- Click the [Add Associations] button.
- Choose the Dependent Picklist Values to be associated with each Parent Value.
Using a Dependent Picklist
- Considerations
-
- After a dependent field association is created, the Use Label for grouping option cannot be enabled for any of the parent or dependent field values
- A field cannot be deleted if it is a "parent" for a dependent field
- If the "parent" field of a dependent field is changed, a confirmation message appears, requesting the user to acknowledge that data will be lost if the change is executed
- Dependent picklist values cannot be reordered
- It is not possible to specify a default value for a dependent picklist.
- Learn more: Enumerated Fields