Drop Down Lists

Drop down lists are a common feature found throughout the system. We designed our own drop down boxes to hopefully make data entry a little easier for users.

All of choices that appear in the drop lists can be managed from the Master Lists screen.

Drop down lists are fields on a screen that contain a single line of text with a button to the right like the one shown below.

To move through the fields on a screen, a user can use the TAB key to move to the next logical field or the SHIFT+TAB key to move backwards through the fields. When tabbing into a drop down box, the drop down list will not automatically appear. Once a user starts to type an entry into the box, the list will appear and locate the closest match automatically as pictured below. Alternatively, the button to the right of the box can also be clicked to access the drop down list (circled in the picture). Users can NOT enter a description into a dorp down box field unless it is in the list. This provides data integrity for reportting purposes. Items can be added to the list "on the fly" as described below.

If the item you are searching for in the list is highlighted, simply hit the ENTER or TAB key to accept the choice. The drop down list will disappear and the cursor will move to the next logical field. An item can also be chosen by clicking directly on the row in the drop down list.

 

Adding Items to the Lists

To add a new item to the drop down list, right-click on the button beside the drop down box and select "Add New Description / Choice" by left clicking on it.

A window will appear like the one below to add the new description. In some cases only one field will be required, in others, such as adding a new physician, there will be more than one field required.

After entering the new choice for the drop down list, click the Save button. The item will now appear in the drop down list for all users to choose.

 

When entering a field that already has a selection made, the drop down list will appear automatically. If you want to clear the choice that was made, click in the drop down box again and delete the text in the box. To delete the text, use the backspace or delete key or simply click and drag to highlight the entire selection and hit the DELETE key on the keyboard.