What Types of User Input Options Can I Use With a Column or Variable Prompt?

At design time, you must specify the prompt's user interface component. This component enables the user to enter a prompt value at runtime. You can select from several user input options. The Radio Button option enables the user to specify only one prompt value. The Check Boxes, Choice List, List Box, and Text Field options allow the user to select either one or multiple prompt values. The Slider option enables the user to select multiple values by specifying a range of values, or all values that are lesser than or greater than a specified value (for example, include everything equal to 200 and greater). Note that the input option types that are available depend upon the column type that you are working with. The following sections provide information about each input option.

Check Boxes

The Check Boxes input option provides the user with a visible list of all prompt values where a small, selectable box displays before each value item. This input option is suitable for a prompt that contains a smaller set of data. Note that the List Box input option is suitable for a prompt that contains a larger set of data. This user input type automatically enables the user to select one or more prompt values. To select a specific prompt value, the user scans the list and clicks the box that corresponds to a particular item.

Figure 6-1 shows an example of the Check Boxes user input option for a column or variable prompt. The column being prompted is R50 Region, and each value option (AMERICAS, APAC, and EMEA) is displayed next to a small box. To select a value, the user clicks the small box that is adjacent to the prompt value. This example shows that the APAC and EMEA are selected, which illustrates that the user can select multiple prompt values.

Choice List

The Choice List input option provides the user with a collapsed list of all prompt values. This option is useful for a long list of values where you want to provide the user with the ability to search for a specific value. You can set up this user input type to accept only one prompt value or multiple prompt values.

This input option provides a field and list that, when the user clicks the down-arrow button, expands and contains a list of all prompt values. To select a specific prompt value from the expanded list, the user scrolls through the list (or searches the list) and clicks the box that corresponds to a particular value. If you are using this input option with hierarchical columns, then a search dialog is displayed where the user can search for the prompt values.

Figure 6-2 shows an example of the Choice List user input option for a column or variable prompt. The column being prompted is R50 Region. The user accesses the list of values by clicking the down-arrow button next to the R50 Region field. After accessing the list of values, each value option (AMERICAS, APAC, and EMEA) is displayed next to a small box. To select a value, the user clicks the small box that is adjacent to the prompt value. This example shows that APAC and EMEA are selected, which illustrates that the user can select multiple prompt values. The user can also click Search at the end of the list of values to search for a specific value.

List Box

The List Box input option provides the user with a visible list of all prompt values. This input option is suitable for a prompt that contains a large set of data. Note that the Check Boxes input option is suitable for a prompt that contains a smaller set of data. You can set up this user input type to allow the user to select only one prompt value or multiple prompt values by using Ctrl+ click or Shift+ click.

To select a specific prompt value, the user scans the list and selects the prompt value name (for example, Chicago), similar to how a user would click a hyperlink. The List Box option is very similar to the Check Boxes option, but the List Box option does not include a box before each value item.

Figure 6-3 shows an example of the List Box user input option for a column or variable prompt. The column being prompted is R50 Region. The list contains each value option (AMERICAS, APAC, and EMEA). To select a value, the user clicks a value. This example shows that APAC is selected.

Radio Buttons

The Radio Buttons input option provides the user with a visible list of all prompt values where a Radio Button is displayed before each prompt value. This option type is useful for short lists of values where the user is to select only one prompt value. To select a prompt value, the user scans the list and selects the radio button that corresponds to a particular item.

Figure 6-4 shows an example of the Radio Buttons user input option for a column or variable prompt. The column being prompted is R50 Region. The list contains each value option (AMERICAS, APAC, and EMEA). To select a value, the user clicks a radio button that corresponds to the value. This example shows that the APAC radio button is selected.

Slider

This option is not available for Variable Prompts. Note that the Prompt Width option, which sets the prompt's field size, and the "Wrap Label to Fit" Prompts page setting option cannot be specified for or applied to this user input type.

You can use the Slider input option for numeric data values only. Depending upon the operator that you select, this option enables the user to select multiple values by specifying a range of values, or all values that are lesser than, greater than, or equal to a specified value. You select the Slider option to provide the user with a number line representation of the range of prompt values. The number line displays the prompt values in a range, for example 10,000 to 20,000. To select a prompt value, the user can either click a value on the number line or click and drag the thumb to select the desired value. A spinner box is also provided with up and down-arrow buttons that the user can click to select the desired value. If you selected the Slider option and the is between operator for the prompt, then the user can click and drag two thumbs to select the desired range of values for the prompt. Two spinner boxes are provided where you can either type or use the up and down-arrow buttons to specify a range of values.

Figure 6-5 shows an example of the Slider user input option that accepts a range of values for a column prompt. The column being prompted is 7-Shipped Amount. The slider itself is a number line and on the left end is the number label 500K, in the middle is the number label 750K, and on the right end is the number label 1M. There are also two spinner boxes above the number line. From these spinner boxes, the user can specify either a single number (for example, 500000 in the first spinner box and 500000 in the second spinner box) or two numbers to specify a range of numbers (for example, 500000 in the first spinner box and 750000 in the second spinner box). To specify numbers in the spinner boxes, the user can either type the value or use the box's up and down arrows to scroll to the desired value. To select a value from the number line, the user clicks and drags the thumb to the desired value or clicks and drags both thumbs to specify the desired range of values. This example shows that a range of values from 500000 to 750000 is selected.

Text Field

The Text Field input option provides the users with a field into which they can type a specific prompt value. You cannot use this option for multiple prompt values. Only the field and the field label display for this option. This option is useful in instances where the user knows the prompt value and does not have to search for it, or for prompts with numeric values. Note that the prompt value that you enter must match the column's value. For example, if a column's data values include AMERICAS (in all capital letters), then the user must type AMERICAS into the text field. Numeric values cannot contain commas. If your repository is configured for double columns, and you are creating a prompt on a display column and specify Text Field, then filtering occurs on display values, not on code values.

Figure 6-6 shows an example of the Text Field user input option for a column or variable prompt. The column being prompted is R50 Region. The field next to the R50 Region label is blank. In this field, the user enters the name of the Region (for example (AMERICAS, APAC, and EMEA). This example shows that the AMERICAS was entered into the text field.