Article Overview
This article describes how to populate dropdown list options with data table inputs. This allows large data sets to be referenced in a dropdown field without manual entry of the dropdown options.
If you do not have a data table created in Mirata's Admin tool, please review our articles in the Data Management section to learn more. This is required prior to creating your dropdown field as it needs a Mirata Data Table to reference.
Form Design
Select Dropdown Field
Select the dropdown field you wish to configure to prepare it for data sourcing.
Access Data Source Properties
Access the "data source properties" tab on the right hand side.
This tab includes information relevant to the data that is present in the dropdown field, whether it is an inline manually created table or to reference a Mirata data table.
Data Source Configuration
Set Source Type to Reference Table
Change the 'Source Type' from 'Inline Table' to 'Reference Table' to link your dropdown to an existing data table. Select the desired reference table.
This allows you to leverage pre-defined data sets, eliminating the need to manually input each option.
You can also choose a different source type to reference. Instead of a reference table you can also reference a query table. To do this you select the source type and change the option from 'Inline Table' to 'Query Table'.
Specify Return and Display Fields
Specify the 'Return' and 'Display' fields to ensure users see meaningful information in the dropdown. The options that show up next to these fields replicate the columns that were created in your data table. This allows you to decide what fields are visible in the form.
In this example there are 2 columns in my data table, "abbreviation" and "name". If I want the user to see the name and not the abbreviation I would ensure "name" is selected next to "display".
Set Sort Order
There is also a Sort feature, this allows you to organize the options presented in the dropdown.
In this example choosing to sort by the 'Name' field in "ascending order" lists the states alphabetically, improving user experience by making options easier to find.
Form Preview
Verify Dropdown Population
Preview the form to confirm that your data sourcing is correctly configured. This action displays the dropdown populated with options directly from the data table, ensuring data is pulled as intended.
Source Data from Query
Using the same steps as outlined above, if you select "query-table" instead of "reference-table", then you can populate the dropdown options from an Data Table Integration Action and can map input values.