Choice Inputs
Choice inputs let users select from a defined list of options.
Ekphrastic provides three choice-based Input components:
Radio Button Input
Select one option with the available choices always visible
Dropdown Input
Select one option from a compact menu
Multi Select Input
Select one or more options
The best component depends on how many choices you need to present and whether the user should be able to select one or multiple options.
Radio Button Input
Use a Radio Button Input when the user should select one option from a relatively small set of choices.
Because the choices remain visible, Radio Buttons work well when you want users to see and compare the available options immediately.
For example:
implementation approach;
customer segment;
contract type;
deployment option.
Dropdown Input
Use a Dropdown Input when the user should select one option but displaying every choice at once would take up unnecessary space.
Dropdowns are particularly useful for longer lists or where the available options do not need to remain permanently visible.
Multi Select Input
Use a Multi Select Input when the user can select more than one option.
Unlike Radio Button and Dropdown Inputs, multiple choices can contribute to the value of the Input at the same time.
Multi Select Values in Calculations
Each Multi Select choice has a numeric value.
When a Multi Select Input is referenced by a Formula, Ekphrastic uses the sum of the numeric values of all currently selected choices.
For example, if the selected choices have values of:
10205
the value available to the Formula is:
35
If no choices are selected, the value is:
0
This allows a Multi Select Input to represent the combined value of several selected options within a calculation.
Configuring Choice Inputs
To create a choice Input:
Under Inputs, choose Radio Button Input, Dropdown Input, or Multi Select Input.
Enter the Display Label and optional detail text.
Add the choices you want the user to select from.
Complete the text and value required for each choice.
Configure default selections where required.
Configure presentation and behaviour such as icons, tooltips, colours and Visibility Condition.
Click Save.
Choice Text and Values
Each choice contains information presented to the user together with a value that can be used by the model.
When creating choices, use labels that clearly communicate what each option represents.
The numeric values should reflect how the selection is intended to participate in calculations.
This is particularly important for Multi Select Inputs because the values of all selected choices are added together when the Input is referenced by a Formula.
Default Choices
Choice Inputs can be configured with default selections.
For Multi Select, the configuration area is labelled:
List Component Choices (Select Single Default Choice)
Despite this wording, multiple default choices can be selected for a Multi Select Input.
Review the defaults carefully so that the initial state of the Input represents the behaviour you want users to see when they first open the model.
Incomplete Choice Fields
If required information is missing from one or more choices, you may see:
Please fill all list field.
Review the configured choices and make sure the required text and values have been completed before saving the Input.
Changing Between Radio Button and Dropdown
An existing Radio Button Input can be changed to a Dropdown Input, and an existing Dropdown can be changed to a Radio Button.
When editing the component, use:
Swap component type
The existing choices are retained when changing between these two component types.
Multi Select Input does not belong to this conversion group and cannot be swapped directly to Radio Button or Dropdown.
Choosing the Right Component
Use Radio Button Input when:
only one option can be selected;
there are relatively few choices;
seeing all choices at once is useful.
Use Dropdown Input when:
only one option can be selected;
the list is longer;
a more compact interface is preferable.
Use Multi Select Input when:
multiple options can be selected;
more than one choice can apply at the same time;
the combined numeric value of the selected choices can be useful in calculations.
Tips
Keep option labels clear and distinct.
Give each choice an appropriate numeric value when it will participate in calculations.
Use Radio Buttons when comparing a small number of visible options.
Use Dropdowns to keep longer single-choice lists compact.
Remember that Multi Select values are added together when used in a Formula.
Review default selections before saving the component.
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