Specifying list items for combo boxes and list boxes

The List Item Properties dialog box allows you to specify the list items of a combo box or list box control.

Manually defined values. Allows you to explicitly specify each of the list items.

  • Identifier. A unique identifier for the list item.
  • Name. The name that appears in the list for this item. The name is a required field.
  • Default. For a combo box, specifies whether the list item is the default item displayed in the combo box. For a list box, specifies whether the list item is selected by default.
  • Syntax. Specifies the command syntax that is generated when the list item is selected.
  • You can specify any valid command syntax. For multi-line syntax or long syntax, click the ellipsis (...) button and enter your syntax in the Syntax Property dialog.
Note: You can add a new list item in the blank line at the bottom of the existing list. Entering any of the properties other than the identifier will generate a unique identifier, which you can keep or modify. You can delete a list item by clicking on the Identifier cell for the item and pressing delete.

Values based on the contents of a target list or field chooser control. Specifies that the list items are dynamically populated with values associated with the variables in a selected target list or field chooser control. Select an existing target list or field chooser control as the source of the list items, or enter the value of the Identifier property for a target list or field chooser control into the text area of the Target List or Field Chooser combo box. The latter approach allows you to enter the Identifier for a target list or field chooser control that you plan to add later.

  • Variable Names. Populate the list items with the names of the variables in the specified target list or field chooser control.
  • Value Labels. Populate the list items with the union of the value labels associated with the variables in the specified target list control. You can choose whether the command syntax generated by the associated combo box or list box control contains the selected value label or its associated value. The Value Labels option is not available for field choosers.
  • Custom Attribute. Populate the list items with the union of the attribute values associated with variables in the target list control that contain the specified custom attribute. The Custom Attribute option is not available for field choosers.
  • Syntax. Displays the Syntax property of the associated combo box or list box control, allowing you to make changes to the property. See the topic Combo Box for more information.