Multi-Select Dropdown Component

Overview

The Multi-Select Dropdown component is a compact way to show a long list of options to your end-user End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product.. The Multi-Select Dropdown component shares almost all functionality with the standard Dropdown component. But, the Multi-Select component lets your end-user make more than one selection.

Though the Checkboxes component offers similar functionality, some scenarios require a Multi-Select Dropdown component. For example, if you have more than six options or don't want your full list of options shown on the page at all times, you can use the Multi-Select Dropdown component.

Examples of when to use a Multi-Select Dropdown component are:

Which countries have you visited in the last five years? Select all that apply.
Which of these products are you interested in? Select all that apply.

This component also allows for custom styling. The standard Dropdown component relies on your end-user's operating system OS (operating system) is the program that manages other application programs on your computer. to determine the visual look and feel.

The amount of data in your Multi-Select Dropdown can vary, so you have a few internal and external options for how to populate it:

Internal: Enter the options directly in the configuration window or reference the options from a separate component.
External: Retrieve the options using an API APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services. call.

External data retrieved from an API must be a table array of JSON objects.

The Multi-Select Dropdown component is located in the Primary Fields group to the left of the Module Builder.

About the Configuration Window

To learn more about general component settings and those that display when a component is associated with Data Models, view our General Component Settings article.

Display Panel

Field Text

Setting	Description
Property ID	A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module. The Property ID is how the software identifies your component. Using Property IDs lets you link components, creating logic-based configurations and API APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services. calls. Property IDs must use camel case A naming convention for computer programming. Use camelCase for Property IDs, for example: newUser, lastName, & rdoButton. (stylized as camelCase) without spaces or punctuation.
Label Text	Label Text conveys what the input component is and what information it displays. Enter the purpose of the corresponding component or field. User-friendly labels make your module more accessible. Keep labels short and descriptive (a word or two) using title case. For longer entries, use sentence case.
Placeholder Text	A short prompt telling end-users the expected value of an input field. For example: Enter your Social Security Number. Placeholder Text displays inside the input field until the end-user begins an entry.

Setting

Description

Property ID

A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module.

The Property ID is how the software identifies your component. Using Property IDs lets you link components, creating logic-based configurations and API APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services. calls.

Property IDs must use camel case A naming convention for computer programming. Use camelCase for Property IDs, for example: newUser, lastName, & rdoButton. (stylized as camelCase) without spaces or punctuation.

Label Text

Label Text conveys what the input component is and what information it displays. Enter the purpose of the corresponding component or field.

User-friendly labels make your module more accessible. Keep labels short and descriptive (a word or two) using title case. For longer entries, use sentence case.

Placeholder Text

A short prompt telling end-users the expected value of an input field. For example: Enter your Social Security Number. Placeholder Text displays inside the input field until the end-user begins an entry.

Contextual Help

Setting	Description
Tooltip	A short hint that displays when an end-user positions their cursor over the (Tooltip) icon. Tooltips can display across more than one line.

Default State Options

Setting	Description
Hide Field	Displays or hides the component from view. Setting Hide Field to (ON) hides the component in Express View. Setting it to (OFF) displays the component. The component is always visible in the Module Builder. By default, Hide Field is set to (OFF).

Setting

Description

Hide Field

Displays or hides the component from view. Setting Hide Field to (ON) hides the component in Express View. Setting it to (OFF) displays the component. The component is always visible in the Module Builder.

By default, Hide Field is set to (OFF).

Formatting

Setting	Description
Input Behavior	Controls how end-users End-users, also known as Express Users, are the individuals accessing an application through Express View. In most cases, end-users are the customers using the product. interact with the component. Choose from the following options: Enable User Input: Allow end-users to view and enter data in this field. Disable User Input: Prevents end-users from entering data in the field, but lets them view it. In the Module Builder, the field’s background displays as gray. In Express View, when end-users hover over the field, their cursor displays with a prohibited symbol. Read Only - Legacy: Prevents end-users from entering data and replaces the field with the component’s data value. If no value is provided, the component displays None. Read Only - Accessible: Makes the field non-editable and applies the readonly HTML HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) is the standard markup language for for achieving font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects when creating web pages. attribute, which notifies screen readers that the field cannot be modified.
Allow Multiple Selections	When set to (ON), your end-user can make multiple selections from the drop-down. Set to (OFF) if you only use the component for its custom styling. By default, Allow Multiple Selections is set to (OFF).
Auto-Select Highlighted Option When Clicking Outside	When an end-user selects the drop-down, one of the options is automatically highlighted. When set to (ON), the first highlighted option will be selected when the end-user clicks outside of the drop-down. By default, this setting is set to (ON).
Set Dropdown Menu Height	Sets the number of search result rows the component displays when filtered by an end-user. If there are more options than the number entered, your end-user can scroll to view them all. Or, they can enter a value to navigate to relevant results.
Show Clear Button	When set to (ON), a Clear button displays after an end-user selects one or more options. The Clear button removes whatever selection(s) your end-user made. By default, the Show Clear Button toggle is set to (OFF).
Hide Chevron	When set to (ON), the arrow (chevron) to the right of the component is hidden. By default, Hide Chevron is set to (OFF).
Item Template	Lets you choose which column of data you want to display as the label for the drop-down options. Replace the word label with your chosen attribute in the following string format: <span>{{ item.label }}</span>.

Data Panel

Data Storage

Setting	Description
Store Data in Database	The Store Data in Database setting affects how data persists through your application. When set to (ON), Unqork stores values entered into the field to the database (server-side submission). This occurs in three scenarios: Navigating between Panels in a Navigation component. On navigation between pages (Panels), the component’s value saves to the database. Triggering a module save event using a Button component with an Action Type of Save. Navigating between screens of a workflow. On navigation between screens, the component’s value saves to the database. By default, workflows persist data from all fields in the client-side submission when navigating between screens. However, only values from fields with Store Data in Database enabled store in the server-side submission. Set the toggle to (OFF) when you don’t want to store the values from this field in the database. When using a Plug-In to remote execute a module, ensure data moving between modules is persistent. You can optionally enable Store Data in Database for components in the source module. But any components in the API module whose values are included in an API response must have Store Data in Database enabled. When a component’s data is not persistent, the data isn't included in an API call's response. So, Plug-Ins or external services requesting data from the API module can't receive non-persistent data in the response. Store Data in Database also affects what data is tracked using Unqork’s built-in tracker. When the Enable Tracker and Track Value toggles are set to (ON) in Module Settings, only values from fields with Store Data in Database enabled are tracked.

Setting

Description

Store Data in Database

The Store Data in Database setting affects how data persists through your application. When set to (ON), Unqork stores values entered into the field to the database (server-side submission). This occurs in three scenarios:

Navigating between Panels in a Navigation component. On navigation between pages (Panels), the component’s value saves to the database.
Triggering a module save event using a Button component with an Action Type of Save.
Navigating between screens of a workflow. On navigation between screens, the component’s value saves to the database.

By default, workflows persist data from all fields in the client-side submission when navigating between screens. However, only values from fields with Store Data in Database enabled store in the server-side submission.

Set the toggle to (OFF) when you don’t want to store the values from this field in the database.

When using a Plug-In to remote execute a module, ensure data moving between modules is persistent. You can optionally enable Store Data in Database for components in the source module. But any components in the API module whose values are included in an API response must have Store Data in Database enabled. When a component’s data is not persistent, the data isn't included in an API call's response. So, Plug-Ins or external services requesting data from the API module can't receive non-persistent data in the response.

Store Data in Database also affects what data is tracked using Unqork’s built-in tracker. When the Enable Tracker and Track Value toggles are set to (ON) in Module Settings, only values from fields with Store Data in Database enabled are tracked.

Data Source Types

There are three methods you can use to populate a Multi-Select Dropdown component: Values, URL, and Data Reference Key.

Values

Selecting Values displays a table where you can enter each option and its value.

Setting	Description
Option Label	Each option needs an end-user-facing label describing the choice that it represents. Enter your Option Labels using this column. After you create an option, another row displays for you to create the next option.
Data Source Values	Each option needs an associated value to store in the submission data Also known as Record Data. Submission data consists of information saved by Unqork components. View submission data by using the angular command, or in Record Collections.. Enter the values to store in the submission data using this column. By default, the value is a camelcase A naming convention for computer programming. Use camelCase for Property IDs, for example: newUser, lastName, & rdoButton. version of the Option Label. You can also assign a numeric value to each option for logic-based configurations.

Setting

Description

Option Label

Each option needs an end-user-facing label describing the choice that it represents. Enter your Option Labels using this column.

After you create an option, another row displays for you to create the next option.

Data Source Values

Each option needs an associated value to store in the submission data Also known as Record Data. Submission data consists of information saved by Unqork components. View submission data by using the angular command, or in Record Collections.. Enter the values to store in the submission data using this column.

By default, the value is a camelcase A naming convention for computer programming. Use camelCase for Property IDs, for example: newUser, lastName, & rdoButton. version of the Option Label. You can also assign a numeric value to each option for logic-based configurations.

In Express View, the dropdown list searches and filters using the Option Label and Data Source values.

URL

To use data not stored in a specific component, select URL. Generally, this data lives in two places:

External to Unqork and pulled into the component using an external API call.
Internally and stored as a Data Collection.

To use an external API call, reference the provider's documentation. You'll find the API's URL address and the information you need to filter the data. To learn more, see our Using an External API in a Dropdown Component article.

To reference Data Collections in Unqork, use the Data Collection Icon Data Collections tab at the Application Level. Click Create Data Collection to create a new Data Collection. Or, explore the available Data Collections and use one of them.

To learn more about data collections, see our Working with Reference Data article.

Setting	Description
Request Header	Enter the information to display in the drop-down selections. These are your end-user's options. For external APIs, you'll find this information in the API documentation. To pull data from a Data Collection, enter the column header you want to use.
Header Values	Each option needs an associated value to store in the submission data Also known as Record Data. Submission data consists of information saved by Unqork components. View submission data by using the angular command, or in Record Collections.. Enter the values to store in the submission data using this column. If you want the value to be the same as the label, enter the same information you put in the Request Header. By default, the value is a camelcase A naming convention for computer programming. Use camelCase for Property IDs, for example: newUser, lastName, & rdoButton. version of the Request Header. You can also assign a numeric value to each option for logic-based configurations.
Service	Select an external service configured through Unqork's Services Administration. This auto-populates the other required fields, including the Data Source URL.
Data Source URL	For an API to retrieve data, you need the API's URL information. In this field, enter the API information as obtained from the API documentation. Add additional filters at the end of the URL if you want to drill down to a specific type of data.
Value Property	If a data set includes a column for values, enter the column's name here. If not specified, the application uses the option label.
Data Path	If using an API call to populate the component, enter a specific data property to reference here. This is useful if you want to show one piece of a larger data set in your Multi-Select Dropdown component.
Label Path	This field refers to the option labels you want to pull. Enter the option label's column header in this field.
Filter Query	Provide additional filtering using query parameters. Parameters append to the end of the Data Source URL. Query parameters can be static or dynamic. For example, name={{data.groupName}}.
Search Query Name	The name of the search query string parameter used when sending a request to filter results. The server at the specified URL must support this query parameter.
Refresh On	This field displays a list of the other components in your module. You can select a component here to refresh your Multi-Select Dropdown. When your end-user interacts with the selected component, the Multi-Select Dropdown resets. You can also select Any Change. This refreshes the Multi-Select Dropdown if your end-user interacts with any of your components. This setting watches other components in your module. The more components the component watches, the more performance issues can occur. It’s also important to note that processes large amounts of data on the client side will also impact performance.
Refresh Delay	Works with the Refresh On setting to set the number of milliseconds that pass before refresh. Once typing has finished, the delay begins. The component has a minimum Refresh Delay of 250 ms, which is the default for this field.
Limit Number of Items	Limits the number of matching responses when working with large data sets. For example, an API might return more responses than you want to display, even when your end-user starts typing. Here, you can set a limit on how many results display.
Disable Limiting Response	When set to (ON), the request won't include the limit and skip options in the query string. By default, this setting is (OFF).
Search Parameters are Required	When set to (ON), search parameters must be present to execute the search. By default, this setting is (OFF).
Clear Value on Refresh	When set to (ON), the selected value is cleared after the Refresh On setting triggers. By default, this setting is (OFF).
Authenticate	When set to (ON), authentication headers from the application are sent to the Data Source URL destination. By default, this setting is (OFF).
Disable Filter Application	When set to (ON), filter parameters are not applied. By default, this setting is (OFF).

Data Reference Key

Using the Data Reference Key option, data from another component populates the Multi-Select Dropdown component. You'll most often do this with a Data Table component. Add your data to the Data Table component. Then, reference it in your Multi-Select Dropdown component's configuration menu.

Think of this as a hybrid option of Values and Data Collections to populate your Multi-Select Dropdown component. You still use data stored in Unqork, but it's data from your module instead of a Data Collection.

Setting	Description
Data Reference Key	Enter the Property ID A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module. of the component whose data you're referencing.
Limit Number of Items	Limits the number of matching responses when working with large data sets. For example, an API might return more responses than you want to show. Here, you can set a limit on how many results display.
Refresh On	This field displays a list of the other components in your module. You can select a component here to cause your Dropdown to refresh. When your end-user interacts with the selected component, the Dropdown resets. Here, you can also select Any Change. This refreshes the Dropdown if your end-user interacts with any of your components. This setting watches other components in your module. The more components the component watches, the more performance issues can occur. It’s also important to note that processes large amounts of data on the client side will also impact performance.

Setting

Description

Data Reference Key

Enter the Property ID A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module. of the component whose data you're referencing.

Limit Number of Items

Limits the number of matching responses when working with large data sets. For example, an API might return more responses than you want to show. Here, you can set a limit on how many results display.

Refresh On

This field displays a list of the other components in your module. You can select a component here to cause your Dropdown to refresh. When your end-user interacts with the selected component, the Dropdown resets.

Here, you can also select Any Change. This refreshes the Dropdown if your end-user interacts with any of your components.

This setting watches other components in your module. The more components the component watches, the more performance issues can occur. It’s also important to note that processes large amounts of data on the client side will also impact performance.

Actions Panel

Triggers

Setting	Description
Trigger	To set up a trigger, enter the Property ID A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module. of your chosen logic component into this field. When the end-user performs an action on the current component, the triggered component fires.

Validation Panel

User Input

Setting	Description
Required	When set to (ON), the end-user must enter a value in the component's visible fields. When set to (OFF), the input is optional. By default, Required is set to (OFF).
Required Error Message	A custom error message that displays below a required field. The error message displays when the end-user tries to save or submit the module without completing the required field.

Setting

Description

Required

When set to (ON), the end-user must enter a value in the component's visible fields. When set to (OFF), the input is optional.

By default, Required is set to (OFF).

Required Error Message

A custom error message that displays below a required field. The error message displays when the end-user tries to save or submit the module without completing the required field.

Advanced Panel

Additional Validation Options

Setting	Description
Require Unique Submission Data	When set to (ON), the data submitted for this field must be unique and not submitted before. By default, the Require Unique Submission Data toggle is set to (OFF).
Don't Allow Unique Values	When set to (OFF), your end-user can enter a custom value in the Dropdown field. This custom value saves and stores, even if the input doesn’t match existing values in the Dropdown. When set to (ON), your end-user can only select an existing value from the Dropdown. By default, the Don't Allow Unique Values toggle is set to (OFF).

Setting

Description

Require Unique Submission Data

When set to (ON), the data submitted for this field must be unique and not submitted before.

By default, the Require Unique Submission Data toggle is set to (OFF).

Don't Allow Unique Values

When set to (OFF), your end-user can enter a custom value in the Dropdown field. This custom value saves and stores, even if the input doesn’t match existing values in the Dropdown. When set to (ON), your end-user can only select an existing value from the Dropdown.

By default, the Don't Allow Unique Values toggle is set to (OFF).

Additional Styling

Setting	Description
Custom CSS Class	Enter a Custom CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for presenting how a HTML or XML document looks to end-users. Class to apply to your component. Custom CSS lets you maintain a consistent look and feel when the field or element is part of a template or multiple modules. Updated CSS styling applies to all components that reference this custom class name.

Setting

Description

Custom CSS Class

Enter a Custom CSS Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for presenting how a HTML or XML document looks to end-users. Class to apply to your component. Custom CSS lets you maintain a consistent look and feel when the field or element is part of a template or multiple modules.

Updated CSS styling applies to all components that reference this custom class name.

Adding a Multi-Select Dropdown Component

Use a Multi-Select Dropdown to ask your end-user what vehicle types they own. Because the end-user could own multiple vehicle types, enable the Allow Multiple Selections setting. As the end-user selects vehicle types, they display above the drop-down as a button.

Configure the Multi-Select Dropdown Component

Configure a Multi-Select Dropdown to contain a list of vehicles the end-user can select from.

Drag and drop a Text Field Component Icon

Multi-Select Dropdown component onto your canvas.

In the Property ID A Property ID is the unique field ID used by Unqork to track and link components in your module. field, enter vehicles.

In the Label Text Label Text conveys what the input component is and what information it displays. Enter the purpose of the corresponding component or field. field, enter Vehicles.

Under Formatting, set Allow Multiple Selections to (ON).

Navigate to the component's Data settings.

Next to the Values table, click Edit. The Values table panel displays.

Below the Values table, click the New button seven times.

In the Values table, enter the following:

#	Option Label	Option Value
1	Sedan	sedan
2	Coupe	coupe
3	SUV	suv
4	Truck	truck
5	Motorcycle	motorcycle
6	Tractor	tractor
7	Horse and Buggy	horseAndBuggy

As a best practice, enter column titles in lowercase, with no breaks or special characters.

Click Save Component.

Once implemented, here's how your Multi-Select Dropdown component displays in Express View Express View is how your end-user views your application. Express View also lets you preview your applications to test your configuration and view the styling. This is also the view your end-users will see when interacting with your application. After configuring a module, click Preview in the Module Builder to interact with the module in Express View.:

Structure of a Multi-Select Dropdown Component's Data

Using the example above, in Express View Express View is how your end-user views your application. Express View also lets you preview your applications to test your configuration and view the styling. This is also the view your end-users will see when interacting with your application. After configuring a module, click Preview in the Module Builder to interact with the module in Express View., execute the AngularJS AngularJS is a JavaScript framework added to an HTML page with a <script> tag. AngularJS extends HTML attributes and binds data to HTML using expressions. command in the DevTools Console The DevTools Console helps you securely store, build, test, and deploy your software.. The vehicles Text Field Component Icon Multi-Select Dropdown component stores selected options in an array when viewed in the developer console. If no options have been checked, then the array is empty.

Resources

Overview

Examples of when to use a Multi-Select Dropdown component are:

Which countries have you visited in the last five years? Select all that apply.
Which of these products are you interested in? Select all that apply.

The amount of data in your Multi-Select Dropdown can vary, so you have a few internal and external options for how to populate it:

Internal: Enter the options directly in the configuration window or reference the options from a separate component.
External: Retrieve the options using an API APIs (application programming interfaces) are a set of protocols and definitions developers use to build and integrate application software. APIs act as the connective tissue between products and services. call.

External data retrieved from an API must be a table array of JSON objects.

The Multi-Select Dropdown component is located in the Primary Fields group to the left of the Module Builder.

About the Configuration Window

To learn more about general component settings and those that display when a component is associated with Data Models, view our General Component Settings article.