Multiple Choice fields
One field for every list of answers: radio buttons, a dropdown, or several tick boxes.
Multiple Choice is the field for any list of answers. One setting decides how the list appears - radio buttons, a dropdown, or tick boxes that allow several answers - and you type the options in yourself.
Step by step: add a Multiple Choice field
- Select the section it belongs in.
- Click Multiple Choice under + Add Fields.
- Type the question in Heading.
- Choose Show options as (below).
- Under Options, click Add option and type each answer. Use the × to remove one.
Show options as
| Choice | On the phone | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| One answer - radio buttons (the default) | Every option visible, tap one | One |
| One answer - dropdown list | A list that opens when tapped | One |
| Several answers - tick boxes | Every option visible, tick any | Any number |
Use radio buttons when the list is short enough to read at a glance, a dropdown when it is long, and tick boxes when more than one answer can be true. You can change it at any time; the options stay the same.
Its other settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Options | The answers, in the order you type them |
| Include an ‘Other (please specify)’ option | Adds Other with a box for the technician’s own answer. See The ‘Other’ option |
| Print all options on the report | Prints every option with the chosen ones ticked, instead of just the answer |
It also has the settings most fields share.
On the report
Normally the report prints the question and the answer. With several answers, each goes on its own line. With Print all options on the report, it prints the whole list with a tick against each chosen option - useful on certificates that must show what was not selected.
Options are typed, not imported
There is no paste or import for a list of options in the designer; add them one at a time. The Import Document wizard can create Multiple Choice fields for you when it builds a form from a Word document.
Follow-up questions
A child field under a Multiple Choice field can appear only when a particular option is chosen - for example a “Describe” box when the answer is Damaged.
See also
- The ‘Other’ option - letting someone type an answer you did not list.
- Show a field only when it is needed - questions that depend on the choice.
- Tick boxes - a single tick, rather than a list.