Choices Fields used correctly can help smooth out your data capturing process. Learn how Choices Field can be used in alternative ways, how to filter out options based on initial choices, and how to create a handy summary at the end of your Form.
Where To Find The Choices Field
The Choices Field is easy to find. In the Form Designer, it is nested under “Basic Fields”, sixth field down.
Now you have selected a Choices Field, let us look at three interesting ways to make the Choices Field work even better for you.
1. Dynamic Value
By default, the Choices Field allows a user to select displayed options. If, however, a scenario requires the opposite (all options start out selected), that is possible with the Dynamic Value property.
Start by adding your choices and select the “Multiple Choice” property. “Multiple Choice” allows multiple answers to be selected. Give each choice a value and then head to the Dynamic Value property.
There, enter the choices (by value) that you want to have selected by default, and separate them with a vertical pipe bar (no spaces).
For example:
Field Type: Choices
Property: Dynamic Value
Formula: option1|option2|option3
Additionally, this can also be triggered based on a user’s interaction (as seen in the above screenshot) from a button press.
Formula:
IF({{btnAll}} = ‘Select All’ , ‘option1|option2/option3’, ”)
2. Filtering & Visibility
Based on a user’s previous selection, subsequent Choices Fields can be filtered by criteria to display relevant options (waterfall, cascade). The Field’s visibility itself can also be driven using 1 of 2 Choices formula functions.
In our example Form, “Fruits” is the main category, and under this are berries, apples, bananas, etc. So, when the category “Fruits” is selected in your first Choices Field, the subsequent Choices Fields will filter based on that category.
We use the SELECTED() function in the “Visibility” property, which checks if an option has been selected and returns a true/false value.
For example:
Field Type: Choices
Property: Visibility
Formula:
SELECTED({{choice1}} , ‘textOption’)
SELECTED({{choice1}} , numericOption)
The CONTAINS() function and others can be used to achieve the same result.
3. Summary
Counting how many options have been selected in a Choices Field with the Multiple Choices property enabled can also be useful when creating a summary. That is where the 2nd Choices formula function comes in handy, COUNT-SELECTED().
This formula returns the number of options selected all in one place.
For example:
Field Type: Text
Property: Dynamic Value
Formula: COUNT-SELECTED({{choices1}})
Additionally, by using the CONCAT() function, you can format the output as desired to display multiple Choices field counts.
Formula:
CONCAT(
COUNT-SELECTED({{choices1}}) , ‘ : Option1 , ‘\n’ ,
COUNT-SELECTED({{choices2}}) , ‘ : Option2’ , ‘\n’ ,
COUNT-SELECTED({{choices3}}) , ‘ : Option3’ , ‘\n’
)
This will display each Choices field’s count coupled with static text on a new line. Using ‘\n’ it allows a new line to be added to your concatenation.
You have any questions, need any help, have any suggestions for articles, or any other general enquiries please contact Customer Success.
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