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Forms - Working with Lists/Menus

The List/Menu form field allows users to select an option or multiple options from a list of choices. The List option displays values in a scrolling list, also known as a "drop-down list" and allows users to select multiple options. The Menu option, however, allows users to select only a single choice. To use a list or menu, you will have to insert it into your form and assign an item label and value. When users submit a form, their entries must go somewhere -- possibly to you via email or to a database or text file. Item labels and values are used to pass these form inputs to the script or form handler and then to you, by matching the user's form inputs to the form field that requested it.

This document will cover the following topics:

• Inserting a List/Menu

• Assigning Item Labels and Values

The following links may also be helpful as you work with form fields:

• Inserting the First Form Field

• Opening the Form Field Properties Dialog Box

• Terminology

Inserting a List/Menu

1. Place your cursor within the form boundary where you would like to insert the form field
   For more information on inserting forms, refer to Creating Forms.

2. From the Insert menu, select Form Objects » List/Menu
   OR
   From the Insert pane, in the Forms tab, click LIST/MENU
   A List/Menu appears.
   NOTE: If you are prompted to insert a form tag, click YES.

3. Type any desired text before or after the List/Menu

4. Proceed with Assigning Item Labels and Values

Assigning Item Labels and Values

The item label for the form field is the text the user sees when selecting an item from your list. The value of the form field should identify what option the drop-down item represented for the user (e.g., the location option below is an option to answer "location" in response to the question and has the value "location"). FrontPage will automatically set the text you enter in the Choice text box as the list item's value.

When a user submits the form, perhaps the inputs are sent to the owner of the form via email; the value of the drop-down box field will be matched with the item label of the drop-down menu field. The information the owner receives may look like this:

(item label) value (e.g., (UWEC) location)

To Assign the Item Label and Value

1. After inserting the List/Menu, click it
   The List/Menu Properties pane appears at the bottom of the screen.
   
    

2. From the Type section, specify whether you want to create a list or a menu
   NOTE: A List allows more than one selection to be made while a Menu only permits one selection.

3. From the List/Menu Properties pane, click LIST VALUES...
   The List Values dialog box appears.
   

4. Under Item Label, type the appropriate text for the item
   This text is what the user will see when selecting from your list.

5. Press [Tab]

6. Under Value, type the appropriate value
   This text should identify the label it corresponds to.

7. To add additional items to your list:

   1. Click ADD

   2. Repeat steps 4-6

8. To remove an item from your list

   1. Select the item

   2. Click REMOVE

9. To change the location that an item appears in your list

   1. Select the item

   2. click the appropriate arrow

10. When finished, click OK

11. In the List/Menu Properties pane, in the Selections section, specify whether you want to allow multiple selections by checking/unchecking Allow multiple
    NOTE: This option is only available when you create a list, not a menu.

12. In the Initially Selected section, select the list item you want to appear selected by default