Multi-Select Dropdown Component

Estimated Reading Time:  8 minutes

Overview

The Multi-Select Dropdown component is a compact way to show a long list 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 need 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 instead.

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 from a lot to a little. So, you have a few internal and external options for how to fill it:

• Internal: Enter the options directly in the configuration window or draw the options from a separate component.

• External: Pull 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. (application programming interface) call.

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

What You'll Learn

After completing this article, you’ll know when to use a Multi-Select Dropdown component, how to configure its settings, and how to use it in an Unqork application.

About the Configuration Window

TIP  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

Data Panel

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 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.-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.

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.

NOTE  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 Collections tab at the Application Level. Click Create Data Collection to create a new data collection. Or, look through the available data collections and use one of those.

TIP  To learn more about data collections, see our Workspaces: 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 bring in 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.
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. Then, reference the Data Table in your Multi-Select Dropdown's configuration window.

Think of this as a hybrid option of Values and Data Collections to populate your Multi-Select Dropdown. 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  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.

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. NOTE  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. NOTE  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. To learn more about Store Data in Database in the context of API modules, see the panelResponse Panel section of the API Specification Snippet article in our In-Product Help. TIP  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.

Actions Panel

Triggers

Setting	Description
Trigger	To set up a trigger, enter the Property ID 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. Set the toggle to (OFF) when an entry is optional. By default, the Required toggle 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

Adding a Multi-Select Dropdown Component

Let's configure a Multi-Select Dropdown component referencing a Data Table. Use the Multi-Select Dropdown to ask your end-user which vehicles they own.

For this configuration, you need:

• 1 Data Table component

• 1 Multi-Select Dropdown component

Configure the Data Table Component

First, configure your Data Table component. This Data Table supplies the vehicle labels and values for your Multi-Select Dropdown. Then, configure the Multi-Select Dropdown to pull that data and display it. These instructions assume that you have an open module saved with a title.

4.

Click Save & Close.

Configure the Multi-Select Dropdown Component

Next, add a Multi-Select Dropdown component. Configure this component to reference the Data Table you just added.

1.

Drag and drop a  Multi-Select Dropdown component onto your canvas, placing it below the dtVehicles  Data Table.

2.

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.

3.

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.

4.

From the Data Source Type options, select Data Reference Key.

5.

In the Data Reference Key field, enter dtVehicles. This refers to the Property ID of your dtVehicles  Data Table component.

6.

Click Save & Close.

7.

Save your module.

Once implemented, here's how your Multi-Select Dropdown component displays in Express View Express View is how your end-user views you 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

The Multi-Select Dropdown component's data stores in a key/value format. In the above example, the vehicles  Multi-Select Dropdown component stores the tractor value from the dtVehicles  Data Table component.

Resources

• Modify the Multi-Select Dropdown component using the toolbar settings.

• Introduction to Primary Fields.

• Using an External API in a Dropdown Component.