Creating a picklist

You can create a picklist to lets users select values from a predefined list – for example, a list of priorities; which can be High, Low, or Medium. To do this, first create a custom picklist type and then a value of that type. You can then save the option selected by the user from the picklist to a new value. A page is a good way to show users the picklist.

  1. Select Types from the sidebar, and click New Type.

    This opens the screen where you will enter details for the new type.
  2. In the Name field, type Sample Picklist.
  3. Click New Property.

    This opens the screen where you will configure the properties of the picklist.
  4. Type Label in the Name field and select String from the What kind of Property is This? option.
  5. Click Apply Property.
  6. Click Save Type to save the picklist type.
  7. Now that you have a custom type, we can create values of that type. You will now create a value containing the list of priorities. This value will be of the type Sample Picklist. Click Values.

    This opens the Values tab.
  8. Click New Value.
  9. Copy-paste Picklist: Priorities in the Name field.
  10. Select List from the What kind of Value is This? option.
  11. Click Select a Type.
  12. Type Sample in the search bar and select Sample Picklist.
  13. Click the + icon to add data to the value. You will populate the list in the value now.
  14. Type High in the Label field and click the + icon again.
  15. Type Medium in the Label field and click the + icon again.
  16. Type Low in the Label field.
  17. Click Save Value.

    This saves a value Picklist: Priorities of type Sample Picklist in your tenant.
 Seeing the picklist in action

 You will create a page that will use show the user the picklist data, and save the priority selected by the user.

  1. Click Pages.
  2. Click New Page Layout.
  3. Drag a Combobox from the sidebar to the Main Container.

    This opens the Page Component configuration panel on the right.
  4. Type Priority in the Name and Label fields.
  5. Click Select a Type under the Data Source options.
  6. Enter Sample in the search bar and select Sample Picklist.
  7. Check the Get the data from a List Value option.
  8. Click Select or create a new Value under The Value that holds the data.
  9. Select Picklist: Priorities.
  10. Uncheck the Save the whole selection option.
  11. Click Select or Create a new Value under Save the selection made by the user to.
  12. Click Create a new Value.
  13. Enter Case in the Name field.
  14. The What kind of Value is this? field should say Object.
  15. The What Type of Value is this? field should say Sample Picklist.
  16. Click Save.
  17. Click Add Column under Data Presentation.
  18. Select Label for The Property to use for this Column.
  19. Click Save Component.
  20. Click the Save icon on the right-hand-side navigation to save the page layout.

Let’s see the picklist in action now. Click the Preview icon to pull up the page preview.

You can see the drop-down menu. The priorities High, Medium, Low will be populated during runtime when you run the flow that uses the page.

If you need to take a closer look, click on the images to enlarge them. Have a question? Click the Help button on the bottom right-hand corner of this page to ask.

Check out the glossary for a definition of terms and key concepts that appear in the Boomi Flow website, Drawing Tool, technical documentation, blogs, and marketing communications.