It is possible to have a select field in your form pull options from a resource. In this article we'll be giving a walk through of how to set this up for your mobile form.
To do this you simply need to upload an Excel spreadsheet or connect a Google Sheet Live Resource. The example below uses an Excel Resource, however the same basics apply for a Google Sheet Resource.
Spreadsheet Formatting Requirements:
The first row is interpreted as column headers
The rest of the rows are data
Do not include any duplicate values within a column to be set as an Identifier Column (more information below)
No blank cell values in Identifier Columns
No empty rows between data
No empty columns between data
No empty headers row that contain data in the column
Remove any filtering settings
Remove any fixed/frozen column/row settings
Remove any hidden column/row settings. All columns/rows must be visible.
Text format is required for cell data (no formulas)
No "trailing spaces" after any data sets
The following should not be present anywhere in your resource:
, (commas)
<. > (less than, greater than)
& (ampersands)
Example:
Once you have a resource you can attach it to your Select question in the Designer.
These requirements are designed to optimize performance and maintain compatibility. Making the necessary adjustments to align with the formatting guidelines, will significantly reduce the likelihood of any issues.
Issues may including empty select option lists, empty LOOKUP values, forms stuck in a downloading state, incorrect values being pulled using a Lookup.
Upload/Attach your Resource
First click on your Select question. In the Field Properties Box on the right hand side, next to "Select Options", choose "Options from Resource".
Next, click "Select Resource".
You will be able to either upload the Excel file or select the resource you uploaded previously from the File List.
Note: To learn how to upload resources outside the Form Designer, click here.
Link your Options
Finally, you have 3 settings to link your Resources:
Options Table: This is the name of the Sheet in your Excel file, where the options have been saved.
Identifier Column: This is the value that gets sent to the server. (This can be the same as the "Text Column", but needs to be unique values)
Text Column: These are the options that the user sees on the mobile form.
Save the form and test the form on your mobile device after refreshing your Forms tab.
If you need to make any edits to your select list, just simply edit your resource and this will take effect on all associated forms.
Note: Options are always pulled as text. If your options are numbers and you'd to use these to perform calculations in Calculated Questions, then please used the TO_NUMBER() function in your expression to change the text to a number.
If you have any questions or comments, please send us a message at support@devicemagic.com.