Print      Open PDF Version of Online Help


Previous Topic

Next Topic

Changing Picklist Values

Some fields give users a drop-down list of predefined values from which they must choose. This list of values is called a picklist. For example, the values in the Area field picklist for service requests might be Product, Installation, Maintenance, and Training.

You can add, edit, and reorder values to the picklists for fields. Picklists must contain at least one value.

The system does not allow you to change picklist values used for forecasting and report metrics. However, it does allow you to change other picklist values used as the basis for standard lists that appear in other areas of the application. For those standard lists, the application still includes the records meeting the criteria, regardless of the picklist values you renamed. For more information, see About Fields, Picklists, and Metrics.

CAUTION: As a best practice, do not rename the existing picklist values. Instead, disable the old picklist value and create a new one.

Before you begin. To perform this procedure, your role must include the Customize Application privilege.

To change picklists

  1. In the upper right corner of any page, click the Admin global link.
  2. Click the Application Customization link.
  3. In the Record Type Setup section, click the link for the required record type.
  4. In the Field Management section, click the required Field Setup link.
  5. The Fields page appears, showing the fields for that record type.
  6. Click the Edit Picklist link for the field whose values you want to customize.
  7. In the Edit Picklist window:
    • To change an existing value, enter the new value in the Picklist Values field, or disable the old value and create a new value.

      NOTE: If you want this updated name to appear in the picklists for other activated languages, select the Mark for Translation check box. In the other languages, this updated name appears in blue text with brackets until you manually enter the translated versions. This helps you track what terms need to be translated.
      If you do not select Mark for Translation, the other picklist values are unaffected by the change you made here.

    • To add a new value, enter the information in the row that appears at the bottom of the list.

      To add further new values, click Save & New.

      New picklist values you add automatically appear in blue text and brackets in the other activated languages (regardless of the setting of the Mark for Translation check box).

    • To delete a value, select the Disabled check box. To hide or show disabled values, click Hide Disabled and Show Disabled respectively.

      CAUTION: When you disable values, you also hide the translated versions in other languages.

    • To arrange the order in which the picklist values appear, change the numbers in the Order column.

      TIP:  Consider entering numbers with gaps between them, such as 10, 20, 30, and so on. This allows you to add new values in the middle of the picklist more easily, without reordering the entire list.

    • To arrange the picklist values in alphabetical order, click the Save & Order Alphabetically button.
  8. In the Edit Picklist window, click Save & Close.
  9. To manually enter the translated equivalent of the new picklist value:
    1. On the Fields page, select the language from the Translation Language drop-down list.
    2. Click the appropriate Edit Picklist link.
    3. Enter the translated equivalent and click Save.

      NOTE: To help you identify the picklist value when you are editing, the application displays the internal ID and the language-specific default value. If you edit the wrong picklist value, the picklist becomes out of sync across languages.


Published 05/11/2007