Choice as buttons

What it is

The same choice column that normally opens a dropdown, drawn as a row of buttons. Every option is visible at once and the selected one is highlighted. Selecting another option switches the value without opening a list.

The data does not change. The column still stores one option value, and views, charts, filters and business rules treat it like any other Choice column.

When to use it

Use it for short lists (two to five options) that people change often, such as a lifecycle or a priority, where seeing all options saves a click and a scroll.

Keep the dropdown for long lists, for options with long labels, and for forms that are already crowded. If people may pick more than one value, you want Choices (multi-select) instead.

Licensing and configuration

No extra licence. In the form designer, select the choice column, choose + Component and pick the option set button component, then select the clients (web, tablet, phone) where it should show. Save and publish the form. The choice column and its options are defined on the table as usual.

Pitfalls

• The buttons do not wrap well. With many options or long labels the row gets wider than the column, so test the form at narrow widths and on phones.
• Option colours defined on the choice are for charts and views. Do not expect them to colour the buttons.
• A required choice with no default shows no selected button, which can look like a display fault. Set a default value on the column if one option is the usual answer.
• Hidden or retired options are not shown, so a record that already holds one can look unselected.

Try it in the demo

1. Open the first accelerator and look at the Lifecycle column in the Controls tab.
2. Select a different button and note the "- Unsaved" status after the record name.
3. Compare it with the Choice field above it, which holds a dropdown for the same kind of data.
4. Press Ctrl+S to save.