IBM Content Navigator, Version 2.0.3 Supports: CMIS for Content Manager

Creating choice lists

IBM® CMIS supports different ways to create a choice list. You can use the Content Manager EE native database choice list, or you can configure the choiceList parameter, or you can automatically generate choice lists for integer ranges by configuring the choiceListForIntegerRange parameter.

About this task

Choice lists provide users with the ability to select from a limited list of valid property values. Choice lists are typically displayed as drop-down lists, however, their actual representation depends on client applications. The primary purpose of a choice list is to control the input of data so that users select only from valid values to avoid data entry mistakes and typographical errors. Choice lists also help in producing accurate search results by ensuring data accuracy and consistency of values.

Hard choice lists require the user to pick only from the list of valid choices that are available in the list. Hard choice lists are supported by IBM CMIS for Content Manager. Soft choice lists provide a list of choices but also enables the user to enter a value that is not on the list, and the value is not validated. Soft choice lists are not supported by IBM CMIS for Content Manager

Remember: Although Content Manager EE supports up to two levels of choice lists that expand as you select a value, IBM CMIS supports only a single level of values. To group multiple levels of values, you must flatten the values into a single level list.

Procedure

To create a choice list:

Choose one of the following options:

Option	Procedure
Content Manager EE internal item type	To use Content Manager EE native choice lists through a foreign key that refers to an internal item type attribute, see Content Manager EE internal item type.
Content Manager EE external table	To use Content Manager EE native choice lists through a foreign key that refers to an external table in the same database schema as item type tables, see Content Manager EE external table.
Choice lists for custom properties	To define choice list values by using the choiceList parameter in the cmpathservice.properties file, see Choice lists for custom properties.
Choice lists for small integer ranges	To enable integer choice lists within a specified range to be automatically generated by using the choiceListForIntegerRange parameter in the cmpathservice.properties, see Choice lists for small integer ranges.