Configuring dependent fields

You can configure a field so that its behavior - Visible, Editable, or Required - is dependent upon some value selected by a user in another field or set of fields.

A dependent field can have multiple behaviors and controlling fields. When you add a dependent field, configure the field and a behavior. Then, select the field and value that control the behavior.

If you want a dependent field to have multiple behaviors, such as Required and Visible, configure the field separately for each behavior.

Attention: If you configure a field to be required, it is still required even if it is not visible. This ability is for cases where the hidden field is updated by a separate activity, but the field is still required.

If you have multiple controlling fields for a specific behavior, you configure what conditions must be met before the behavior of the dependent field is triggered. The conditions are identified in the following list:

  • Dependent fields cannot include System Fields.
  • Controller fields must be enumerated string lists (single or multi-selectable) or Actor fields (User Selector, Group Selector, User/Group Selector, Multi User Selector, Multi Group Selector, or Multi User/Group Selector). If you configure a controller field with multiple values that are combined with an AND, all controller values or criteria must match. If you configure a controller field with multiple values that are combined with an OR, only one of the controller values or criteria must match. When the values or criteria match, the dependent field behavior is triggered.
  • Computed fields and report fragment fields can have only a behavior of Visible.
Important: If a field level security rule is applied to the controlling field, field dependencies that use the controlling field can no longer function as expected. The security restrictions that are built into the field level security rule apply to actions throughout the system and, therefore, prevent the field dependency from being evaluated. For more information, see Field level security.

In the UI:

  • Dependent field behavior is applied in Grid Views, Task Views, Creation Views, and Quick Views.
  • In Grid Views, if a dependent field column is shown, the column values adhere to the field dependency behavior.

Example

You want to know who performs a control activity if a user selects No to the question Does the Control Owner perform the Control?.

You could configure the behavior of the field Does the Control Owner perform the Control? to be dynamic so that the field is both visible and required only if the user selects No to the question Does the Control Owner perform the Control?. If the user selects Yes, then this field would remain hidden from the user.

The Does the Control Owner perform the Control? field is considered the dependent field as the behaviors of this field (Required and Visible) depend on the value (No) selected in the controller field, Does the Control Owner perform the Control?.