About Drop-Down Lists

The system uses two basic drop-down list types: business-data lists and option lists.

Business-Data Lists

The drop-down list for a business-data list displays information added to the database by system users using data-input forms.

Filtering Lists

You can filter to reduce the number of items returned and displayed in the drop-down list. For more information, see Filtering a Drop-down List.

Right-click Context Menus

Right-clicking a business-data list field brings up a context menu that usually presents the Add, Details, Find, and Help commands. These commands, along with other features for using business-data lists, are basic aids to finding and entering information in the system. For more information, see:

Refreshing Lists

While you are viewing a form containing a business data drop-down list, you or another user might edit the records in the original form from which the list is derived. Any new or removed records are not reflected in the list, unless you refresh it.

To refresh the list:

Perform one of the following actions:

Option Lists

The drop-down list for an option list displays a fixed set of options. These options are built-in to the system, rather than being created and stored in the database. You cannot usually change the options in these lists, and they usually have fewer than ten items.

The three statement cycle options Weekly, Monthly, and Quarterly are built-in to the system and cannot be changed or added to.

Right-click Context Menus

The right-click context menu for option-lists usually presents only the Help command. For more information, see Getting Help.


Related Topics

Working with Fields

Adding a New Field Value

Changing the Cap on Drop-down Lists

Filtering a Drop-down List

Finding Details about a Value in a Drop-down List

Finding a Specific Value in a Drop-Down List

About Field Types and Background Colors

Changing or Deleting Field Values

Entering Dates

Graphics and Other Binary Objects in Fields

Types of Fields