jDropdown()
Estimated reading time: 3 minutesFunction Summary
The jDropdown formula helps developers simplify the use of parameters in a data pull or save. It can reduce the rows of data in a report, speeding the report process, sparing server resources, and pulling data more efficiently.
Function Arguments
| Argument Name | Description | Default | Optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataPortal | This is the name of the Interject Data Portal which has been set up to connect to the data | NO | |
| Parameters | Select cells to be used as parameters for the Data Portal. Use Interject’s Param() function to specificy the cells used | NO | |
| MultiSelect | Specify if the dropdown allows for multiple options to be selected | FALSE | NO |
| Target Cell | Specify the Cell location of where the selected options will be set | NO | |
| Value Column Name | Specify which column to use as the value. The value will be copied to the Target Cell | NO | |
| Display Column Name | Specify which column to use as the display text for the options in the dropdown window. | Value Column Name | YES |
| Delimiter | Specify the delimiter to use when MultiSelect is TRUE | ”, “ | YES |
| Instruction Text | Specify the help text to display to a user in the dropdown window | YES |
Excel Formula Bar Example
=jDropdown(jDataPortal("NorthwindCustomersDropdown",1),,FALSE,C17,"CompanyName","DisplayText",,"Select a Customer")
The simplified version of this example is sourced from Lab Create: Parameter Dropdowns.
Example Function Composition
| Argument Name | Example Mapping | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Function Name | =jDropdown() | This is the excel function name used to call the function. |
| DataPortal | jDataPortal(“NorthwindCustomersDropdown”,1) | Using the jDataPortal() function, select the first result in dataportal “NorthwindCustomersDropdown” |
| Parameters | ”” | No Parameters are used. |
| MultiSelect | FALSE | Only one option is selectable at a time. |
| Target Cell | C17 | The cell that will recieve the resulting value. |
| Value Column Name | “CompanyName” | The value of this column will be returned to the Target Cell. |
| Display Column Name | “DisplayText” | When selecting a customer, options will be displayed as this column value. |
| Delimiter | ”” | The default delimiter of a “, “ is used . |
| Instruction Text | “Select a Customer” | Some guidance as to what the user needs to do. |