Form field: ComboBox

What is a ComboBox?

ComboBoxes are fields in either Document Forms or the User Profile. They work in the same way as DropDowns, but add the functionality to enter free text. 

What can ComboBoxes be used for?

• When you want to suggest what the User should enter, making the choice more efficient, but do not want to enforce or limit the input. 

When creating forms in Templafy, there are 7 types of fields to choose from. These all have different functionalities and applications. The type that will be discussed in this article is the ComboBox. As the name suggests, it combines the functionality of a "DropDown" and a "TextBox". It allows the User to either select a value from a DropDown, or add a value of their choosing. 

NOTE: If you do not have the ComboBox as an option, it is most likely the feature is not enabled. Contact Templafy or your Templafy trusted partner. 

How to configure ComboBoxes:

First, we will create a new form. For this example, we will add a sign-off field to a letter template. First, we need to create a Data Source with a list of sign-offs that we want to suggest to end-users. In this regard, the Combo Box behaves in exactly the same manner as a DropDown. 

Secondly, we have to create a new form, where we refer to the Data Source and add it to a template. 

When we now open the template with the added form, it will show the suggestions from the list in the Data Source. When these suggestions do not match the authors choice, they can manually enter the desired value. 

Filtering with ComboBoxes:

Since the ComboBox uses the same functionality as a DropDown, we are able to create filters to only show values we want the User to see. For example, only the sign-offs that reflect the language that the User has selected in their profile. 

To create a filter, we check the box called "filter based on other field". Extra fields will now appear, requiring input to create the filter. In this example, we use choices made in the User Profile and data from the "language" Data Source. 

With this setup, the User will only see suggestions that fit the language they have selected, but still have the option to enter their own value. For example, in this case "best regards".