Adding Values List Fields
Values lists allow users to select values you defined in a Values List, Matrix, or Cross-Application Status Tracking field.
For example, you could create a questionnaire values list with the answers "Yes," "No," and "I don't know," and you could use this list for questions such as "Is sensitive cardholder data securely disposed of when no longer needed?" and "Are all but the last four digits of the account number masked when displaying cardholder data?" By creating questionnaire values lists that you can reuse, you can save a significant amount of time in the creation and management of Values List questions within your questionnaire.
Values list fields can be calculated.
On this page
Task 1: Create the field
- From your application, go to Designer tab > Layout tab > Objects panel > click
. - Select the field type, enter a name, and click OK.
- If possible, keep names under 20 characters. For example, use Description instead of Description of the Asset.
- Capitalize the first letter of each word in the field name. For example, use Predicted Impact instead of Predicted impact.
- Avoid redundant wording in field names. For example, using the word Asset is unnecessary in the following series of fields: Asset Name, Asset Type and Asset Value.
- Use noun-based field names whenever possible. Avoid verb-based field names, for example, Set Asset Name.
- Do not use the names: Version, Level ID, or Content ID for fields that you add to an application or questionnaire. Field do not display properly with these names.
- In the Values List field, select a Values list.
- In the General Information section, enter a description.
Field name guidelines:
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Field - Specific list |
A field-specific values list is considered “local” to its related Values List or Matrix field, meaning that it cannot be used again to populate other fields. Custom values lists are useful in cases where the values do not make sense in the context of another application or field. For example, a field-specific values list with the values “Draft” and “Final” may be useful only for a Status field in a Document Repository application. |
|
Global |
Global values lists can be accessed and reused by other administrators. A global values list can be used to populate Values List, Cross-Application Status Tracking, and Matrix fields in an application. For example, if you create a global values list that includes project statuses (pending, in process, under review, completed, and so on), and you use this global values list in an Exception Requests application, other administrators can use this values list in applications they create, such as an Incidents application. If you grant a user or group access rights to the Manage Global Values Lists page, these individuals have access to all global values lists in the Archer. If you want a user to have access to specific global values lists and not all lists, select the appropriate CRUD access for the individual global values list on the Manage Access Roles page. |
Note: When you save the field, the system strips any HTML tags <?xm>l, <form>, <textarea>, <option>, <select>, <meta>, and <body> that you may have inserted in the description because they may constitute vulnerabilities in the system. The following example shows how you can correct the cascading style sheet (CSS) syntax for the <body> tag so that it will function correctly:
<html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">.c0 { font-family: 'Arial' } .c1 { margin: 0px; background-color: #ffe4e1 } </style>
</head>
<body class="c0">
<p class="c1">This is a text field.</p>
</body>
</html>
Note: Do not use absolute positioning in HTML content.
- In the Values List field, select to use a field-specific values list or a global values list.
Task 2: Determine how the field displays
In the Display Control section, select how you want the field to display in the record.
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Dropdown |
Displays a list of items from which users can select an item. |
|
Radio button |
Displays a list of items from which users can select an item. |
|
Checkboxes |
Displays a list of items from which a user can select one or more items. |
|
Listbox |
Displays a selection list from which users can select one or more items. |
|
Values Popup |
Displays a selection list from which users can select one more items. For example, a list may contain hundreds or thousands of values. It is recommended that you select a values popup for large lists of values. For small lists of values, it is recommended that you select a dropdown, radio buttons, or checkboxes. |
Task 3: Configure options
In the Options section, select all of the following options that apply to this field.
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Make this a required field |
Designates the field as required and forces users to enter a value when adding or editing a record in the application. An icon indicates required fields to alert users that they must enter a value. |
|
Display last modified data |
Displays the date and time of the field’s last update, and the name of the person who made the change. |
|
Make this a searchable field |
Makes this field available for display in all search results. |
|
Display this field in global search results |
Makes this field available for display in global search results. This option is only available if this field is set as searchable. |
|
Require unique values |
Prevents users from entering an identical value in a field in separate records. |
|
Make this the key field |
Designates the field as the key field in the application. Search results display the key field as a hyperlink, which users can click to view the details of a record. When you select this option, the required field and search results options are automatically selected. The key field must be on the page layout of the application. After saving the field, you can only clear this checkbox by selecting another field as the key field in the application. |
|
Make this a calculated field |
Allows users to specify a formula to dynamically compute the field value. For example, you can use the following formula that populates the Date field with the current date: TODAY(). The calculated field displays as read-only for all application users. Each time the field is recalculated, the value updates. |
|
Display advanced formatting options |
Displays the Advanced Field Display Options section, in which you can add descriptive text and alter the standard display of the field. You can set the following options:
|
|
Validate this field when any value changes in the record |
Designates that a field is validated whenever any value changes in a record. If this option is not selected, this field validates only when the value in this field has changed. |
|
Enable bulk update from search results |
Makes this field available for bulk updates from advanced search results. |
|
Enable editing in search results |
Enables the field to be editable in search results and reports. |
|
Enable trending options |
You can enable or disable trending to track status changes for the value of a numeric or values list field. You must set a duration period when enabling trending on the field. You can disable trending on a numeric or values list field that has trending enabled so that trending data is no longer retained for the field. An asynchronous cleanup job that runs once per day removes both expired trended data and any trended data for fields that the user has disabled trending. When trending is disabled on a trending-enabled field, the trending chart on the application layout is replaced with a Placeholder layout object with the same span properties.
By default, the value of this field is No Selection, but you must select a Duration Type when the Trending option is selected. If you click Apply without changing the value, a warning message displays. Click OK to return to the Options tab. For more information, see Trending. |
|
Hyperlink selected value(s) in View mode |
Displays the selected value for the field as a hyperlink when users view records in the application. Users can click the linked value to read a description of the value from a pop-up window. |
Task 4: Set configuration options
In the Configuration section, set the following options:
|
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Minimum selections |
Specifies the minimum number of required selections of users or groups for the Dropdown, Checkboxes, Listbox, and Values Popup display control options. |
|
Maximum selections |
Specifies the maximum number of required selections of users or groups for the Dropdown, Checkboxes, Listbox, and Values Popup display control options. |
|
Column layout |
Specifies the number of columns for the Radio Buttons or Checkboxes display control options. |
|
Field height |
Specifies the height of the field in lines and is specific to a Listbox or Text Area display control. If more values are available for selection in the field than the number of lines you specified, a vertical scroll bar appears in the field to enable users to view all available values. |
Task 5: Add values
If you selected to use a field-specific values list in task 1, add values. Once you have added values, you may also want to arrange those values for your users.
Task 6: Configure help text
Field-level help provides additional guidelines and instructions to ensure users enter appropriate information in the field. This Help text displays for users when they add, edit, and view records in the application where the field resides.
Consider the following general guidelines when writing field-level Help:
- Use short, concise instructions that direct the user to take a specific action. For example, "Enter your name" is preferable to "This field is used to enter your name."
- Use complete sentences whenever possible.
- Avoid jargon (unless terms are critical and are familiar to your users).
- Consider the technical aptitude of your audience, and author your help text at a corresponding level.
- Use “you” and “your” as if you are speaking directly to the user.
- Consider posing Help text in the form of a question, for example, "What is your level of interest?"
In the Help text section, do the following:
- Select a display option for both edit and view modes.
- If you are using help text, enter the text.
| Option |
Description |
|---|---|
|
None |
Help text does not display. |
|
Tooltip Icon |
Help icon displays beside the field in edit and view modes. Click this icon to display the field Help. The application dynamically sizes of the Help box based on the number of characters in the text.
|
|
Below |
Help displays below the field in edit and view modes.
|
Task 7: Configure field access
Access rights determine whether all users or only select users or groups have access to the field.
In the Access section, do the following:
- Select Public or Private.
- If you selected Private, maximize the pane and click
to select the users and groups to whom you want to grant access.
Note: Key fields must be public.