Dependent answers is a feature on Folio Templates that enables you to have the answers you can select on a single select, multi select or hierarchy field dependent on an answer selected on another single, multi-select or a hierarchy field.
Dependent Answer Rules
- Single Select, Multi Select and Hierarchy fields can have dependent answers.
- Dependant answers can be setup on a table; however, the parent field must be outside of the table. The answers will be the same for all rows in the table for the field
- The built in Business Unit field can have dependent answers.
- Lookup fields cannot have dependent answers.
- Fields with dependent answers must always be below the field that created the dependency.
- When you set a field's answers as dependent, the field is automatically marked as dependent too
Setting up dependent answers
To set up dependent answers, go to the field whose answers you would like to set up dependencies for and click on the Dependent button next to the field name. For this example, we’re going to re-create the setup in the example above, so there will be a field called Which State did this occur in which will have answer dependencies on the Which office did it occur in field, controlling which offices can be selected by the state they've selected.
You will then see the dependency modal, to setup the Answer Dependency click on the ‘Set Answer Dependencies’ icon next to the field
You will then be taken to the Answer Dependency modal, which has the list of answers of the field which you want to make dependent in the first column and the answers on the field as the column headers.
So, in our example the first column has the cities as rows (These are all the answers on the Which office did it occur in field), while the column headers are the states (These are all the answers on the Which State did this occur in field)
This screen then allows you to set up answer's dependencies for both the field answers, So with our example if I want Sydney and Western Sydney to appear on New South Wales you tick those boxes in the New South Wales column.
You can also search for answers using the search boxes on top of the list
Once you are done click Update to update the answer dependencies. Now on a Folio record the answers available on the field “Which office did it occur in” will be dependent on the field “Which State did this occur in”
View Dependency
Dependent fields/answers:
On the Fields tab, you will see the Dependent icon on all dependent fields. Hover on the Dependent icon to see the field and answer/s the field is dependent on. For example, in the screenshot below the field ‘Australia - City’ answers are dependent on the answers of the field ‘Australia - State’
From here you can click on the Field to open the Dependency modal for that field, or you can click on an answer to be taken to the answer dependencies for that answer filtered to that answer. So in my example if i click on New South Wales the answer dependencies modal opens filtered to that answer.
Visibility of dependent fields with dependent answers
Folio allows you to set the visibility of dependent fields. However, one or more of the parent fields must be visible for dependent fields to be visible. If all the parent fields are hidden in a stage, the dependent fields will also be hidden.
Unselecting an Answer that has dependent answers?
Sometimes a user may unselect or change an answer that had dependent fields & answers associated with it. When the new answer is saved any information that was in the previous answer's dependent fields will be removed. (For example: if you selected NSW as a state and then selected Sydney as city, but then changed the state to ACT, the value Sydney will be removed from the city field because it is not dependent on the answer ACT).