Pop-Up Window Dependent Fields

This feature allows you to designate a drop-down choice field as a decision field which, depending on what choice is selected by the user, displays a pop-up window with fields that are specific to that choice.    For example, a field called Error Message can be displayed in a pop-up window only if the user selects Software Error from a Problem Type field.

Before you begin:

• Before setting up the Pop-up Window Dependent Fields, you must first create the decision field and all of the fields that appear in the dependent pop-up windows. All fields for all dependencies must exist (create new fields on the Administration | Project | Field Maintenance page) before you can create dependencies.  In addition, a single drop-down field should be created to be the key decision field.
• If one of the “subset” fields appears for multiple dependencies but with different values in each instance of dependency, create one choice field containing all values for all dependencies.  For example, a field called Version number can be made containing all of the possible version numbers for Hardware, Software, and Network problems.  The different values for Version number can be assigned to the different key decision values of Hardware, Software, and Network.  This step is optional.

To designate the decision field:

1. Once the drop down field is created, select Administration | Project | Dependencies from the FootPrints Toolbar.
2. On the main Dependencies page, select Popup Window Containing Dependent Fields.  A new page is displayed with a drop-down menu.
3. From the drop-down menu, select a decision field from all of the available drop-down fields in the project and click GO.

Select a decision field for the pop-up window

4. To clear the contents of an already created decision field, select the checkbox next to Remove all configured pop-up dependencies and click GO.  The top half of the next page allows you to define the dependent fields.  If your decision field has three possible values, a choice box for each value is displayed, each choice box containing a list of all project fields.
5. Highlight the fields to include for each key value (use the CTRL key to highlight multiple fields).  Only select the fields for each choice that you want to appear in the pop-up window. Fields that are not selected continue to appear on the main Create Issue screen.

Configure field dependencies

The bottom section of this page allows you to define the behavior of these fields under special circumstances.  That is, the choice you make in the bottom section controls what happens when a user changes a choice in the decision field after already entering data into the dependent fields.

6. Select one of the following options:
7. When changing the selected choice of the decision field, retain none of the values previously entered into the original choice's pop-up window. (the default, recommended for most configurations)
8. When changing the selected choice of the decision field, retain the values previously entered into the common fields contained in the original choice's pop-up window and the current choice's pop-up window.
9. When changing the selected choice of decision field, retain the values previously entered into all of the fields contained in the original choice's pop-up window.
   
   
    

This next step is optional.  For additional drop-down fields found in the project (not including the main decision field), a series of choice boxes for each of your possible values is displayed in the bottom half of the page.  Continuing with the above example, for each of your three key values in the decision field there is a choice box for each choice field in the project.  If there are four choice fields defined (other than the decision field) in the project, there are twelve choice boxes (four for each of the three decision values). 

By default, all values are selected.  You can optionally use one or more of the fields displayed here to pick different values of the same choice field for the different values of the decision field.  Only de-select the values for a particular set of fields that you want to limit (use the CTRL key to highlight multiple fields).  Otherwise, do no de-select any values.

7. Select or de-select the values for those fields that you want to appear in the choice boxes, depending on the value the user chooses for the key field.   For example, if the key decision field is Problem type and the sub-field Version number is displayed for all three of the decision field values, different values of Version number can be associated with Hardware, Software, and Network.  For example, if version number contains six values,  97, 2000, 2.5, 8.7, 4.x, and 5.x, the following associations might be made:
8. Choice: Hardware, Field: Version number—select 2.5 and 8.7
9. Choice: Software, Field:  Version number—select 97 and 2000
10. Choice: Network, Field:  Version number—select 4.x and 5.x

All other values for Version number for each of the three choices above should be de-selected.  All other values for any other fields should remain selected.

Configure Field Dependencies, part2

8. After selecting the values that will appear for each of the choice fields, click “GO”.

Multiple decision fields can be created using the method above.

Now when you create an Issue, the Issue Information section contains the decision field.  When a value is selected in a decision field, a pop-up box is displayed, containing the additional dependent fields for that value.  Using our example, if Software is chosen, Version number is displayed with the only options being 97 and 2000.  In addition, any other fields associated with Software (chosen in the top section of the Dependencies screen) are displayed.

Different fields will appear in the pop-up window depending on the "Problem Type"