Enumerated Fields

File:Movie-rating.gif

Graphic stars illustrate movie rating

File:Enumeratedstatus-text.gif

Color-coded Labels

Enumerated fields provide powerful visual impact in Views, by displaying a graphic image or color-coded label in place of field values. Enumerated fields have an associated numeric value, which can be used to group, sort or filter data in Views and Reports. In Reports, enumerated fields can appear as color-coded labels, only.

These Field Display Types are enumerated:

• Radio Buttons
• Multiple Checkboxes
• Picklists
• Dependent Picklists
• Global Picklists
• Multi Select Picklists

About Enumerated Fields

Enumerated Fields in Views provide users with visual indicators of a data metrics. In this example, a movie library View is enhanced with the addition of stars to rank the movies by preference. Although the ranking (Picklist Value) is not displayed, it is used to sort the list.

File:Movie-name.gif Sorted by Movie Name

File:Movie-rating.gif Sorted by Movie Rating (Stars)

The ranking (with 1-4 stars) is created by adding a series of images and values to eligible Field Display Types:

File:Enumeratedpicklist-setup-stars.gif

Because the Picklist Value is stored in the database, it can be used in these areas of the platform: Sort order in Views and Reports Filters in Views and Reports Color coding criteria in Views and Reports Grouping criteria in Reports Learn more: Using Enumerated Picklists with Other Platform Elements

• Enumerated fields include these elements:

• Display Label

  Can be either an alphanumeric string or an image, or both

• Alphanumeric string, with optional color coding for text and background color
• Image, optional, selected from the Documents object
• Not used to group, sort, or filter records

• Item Value

• Stored as part of the record
• Used to group, sort, or filter records
• A number that can be used to define the display order

Working with Enumerated Fields

Create an Enumerated Global Picklist

1. Click Designer > Global Resources > Global Picklists
2. Click the [New Global Picklist] button and enter the following information:

   Name

   The field label that will be displayed

   Type

   Enumerated - Complete the following information:

   • Show First Value as Default - Checkbox
   • Sort List Alphabetically - Checkbox

   • Click the [Save] button to save your changes

Manage Enumerated Values

1. Optionally, click the [Reorder Picklist Values] button to change the order (applies only when Sort List Alphabetically option is unchecked)

Managing Enumeration Values

File:EnumerationValues.png

Setting Colors and Images for Enumeration Values

When you create text labels in enumerated fields, you can specify the color of the text and/or the background color, as in this example:

Text and background colors

Or you can choose to display graphic images:

Arrows indicate Status

Use Label for Grouping

File:Picklistgroupbylabel.gif

Fruit and Vegetable are group labels

Use this option to group picklist values by label. The Use Label for Grouping option is useful when a picklist is long, and can be organized into groups.

To Use Label for Grouping:

1. Create a Picklist (or Global Picklist with Type = Enumerated)

   • Enter the values in the desired order
   • Include the labels inline with the values

   

2. In the Enumerated Values section, select the intended label

   

   Fruit and Vegetable are the intended group labels

   Click the Use Label for Grouping checkbox

   

3. Repeat for each intended label

Additional Operations

Create a Dependent Picklist

When the possible choices depend on selections made in other fields, use a Dependent Picklist.

Using Enumerated Fields with Other Platform Elements

Because Picklist Values can contain alphanumeric characters, additional functionality becomes available, as listed here:

Sort order

Use the Picklist Value in Views and Reports to define sort order

Grouping

Use the Picklist Value to Group records in Views and Reports

Display in Views

The Display Labels are shown when displaying a record and in Views. Based on the options selected, the image and the text colors will be shown.

Color coding in Views

Criteria can be specified using Display Labels or Picklist Values; The first match is done using the Display Label, followed by the Picklist Value

Searches/Filters in Views

Criteria can be specified using Display Labels or Picklist Values; The first match is done using the Display Label, followed by the Picklist Value

Global Search

Global search will use only the Picklist Values

Display in Reports

The Display Labels are shown (no images or color coding are displayed)

Reports must not use the Group option

REST or JAVA API

The Picklist Values are returned (not the Display Label)

Dependent Picklists

Learn more: Dependent Picklist

Conditional Layouts

Layout rules will use only the Picklist Values

Considerations

• The Use Label for grouping option is only available for Picklists

• After the Use Label for grouping option is selected, the Sort List Alphabetically option is reset to NO
• If the Use Label for grouping option is selected, the enumerated values are not available for dependent field associations
• After a dependent field association is created, the Use Label for grouping option cannot be enabled for any of the parent or dependent field values

• A field cannot be deleted if it is a "parent" for a dependent field
• If the "parent" field of a dependent field is changed, a confirmation message appears, requesting the user to acknowledge that data will be lost if the change is executed
• Dependent picklist values cannot be reordered

Learn more: Enumerated Field Behavior For REST Web Services