CheckBox refresh variable

The name of the variable. This name identifies the variable row in the data source, and is also used as the variable display name to users if a separate display name is not defined in the [DisplayName] column.

The name should not contain any non-alphanumeric characters such as question marks or periods. If you want the variable name that displays to users to include non-alphanumeric characters, use the display name.

The name cannot be dynamic; it must remain static because it is used to identify the variable. If you are configuring a dependent variable and you need the name to change based on the selection of the parent variable, then you must make the display name dynamic instead of the name.

Optional. The display name of the variable. If defined, the display name will be used instead of the name when the variable displays to users in the refresh dialog or filter panel.

For example, you might want to define the variable name as "Acct" but use a display name of "Account" or "Select an account".

Specifies the variable type. Enter CheckBox to allow the user to enable or disable a check box.

Specifies whether the variable is enabled (True/False).

• If True, then the variable will be included in the refresh dialog or filter panel.
• If blank or False, then the variable will not be included in the refresh dialog or filter panel. This evaluation is determined when the dialog or panel is opened. If the variable is flagged as dependent using the [DependsOn] column, then the evaluation will be performed again after a value has been selected for the parent variable.

The user's selected value for the variable will be placed in this cell. For CheckBox variables, this means either True (checked) or False (unchecked).

When setting up the file to use the variable value, point your formulas to this cell.

For CheckBox variables, this property simply determines whether a value is always written back to the [SelectedValue] field, even if the user does not interact with the check box. If True, then a value is always written back.

If this property is blank or False, then the current state of the check box will not be written to the [SelectedValue] field if the user does not change the state of the check box.

For example, if the selected value of the check box starts out as blank, then the variable will display to the user as unchecked. If the user leaves the variable unchecked, then the selected value will remain blank if the variable is not required. However, if the variable is required, then the selected value will be set to False.

It is recommended to enable this property for CheckBox variables so that the check box always has an explicit True or False value, so that you do not have to handle the blank case. Additionally (or alternatively), you can populate the selected value with True or False so that the variable does not start out as blank.

Configuring a CheckBox variable as required does not mean that the user must interact with the check box in order to refresh data. The check box only has two available states, and the current state may be the desired state. For this reason, required CheckBox variables do not display with the red "required" formatting in the Web Client.

Optional. Specifies that the variable is dependent on another variable.

To make a variable dependent on another variable, enter the name of the "parent" variable. A variable should be flagged as dependent if the parent variable must be completed before the user can enter a value for the dependent variable.

Dependent variables can be updated dynamically in response to the selected value for the parent variable. For more information, see Using dependent refresh variables.

Optional. Specifies a default value to be copied to the [SelectedValue] field on open. When the user opens the document and uses the refresh variables, the value specified here will be the initial selected value. This allows you to define a default value without needing to place the value directly in the [SelectedValue] field, where it could get overwritten by user selection and inadvertently saved.

NOTE: If you need to use a formula to determine the default value, the formula may not get calculated before the value is copied to the [SelectedValue] field. In this case you must still define the value in the [SelectedValue] field directly.

The default value is copied regardless of whether the variable is currently enabled or not. This allows you to set a default value for dependent variables that may not be initially visible, but will be visible based on the parent variable selection.

The default value must be valid in the context of the variable type and configuration. If the default value is not a value that could be entered or selected for the variable, validation errors or refresh errors may occur.

For CheckBox variables, it is often useful to assign the variable a default value of True or False so that you do not need to handle the blank case in any formulas.

Optional. Specifies whether the selected value is cleared when the file is saved (True/False).

• If True, then the selected value is cleared when the file is saved. You should set this to True if you want to ensure that the variable always starts off with no value after saving.

• If blank or False, then the selected value is left as is when the file is saved. You should set this to False if you want to be able to set a "default value" for the variable, or if you want the last-selected value to be retained after saving the file.

Optional. Specifies whether the selected value is cleared when the file is opened (True/False).

• If True, then the selected value is cleared when the file is opened. You should set this to True if you want the variable to start with no value when the file is opened.

• If blank or False, then the selected value is not cleared when the file is opened. You should set this to False if you want the last-saved value to be retained when opening the file.

If you enable this option and also define a default value using [DefaultValueonOpen], then the current selected value is first cleared, then the default value is copied to the [SelectedValue] field.

Optional. Defines a group name under which the variable will display. This option only applies to refresh variables used with Axiom forms; it will be ignored when using refresh variables with spreadsheet files in the Desktop Client.

If a group name is specified, then the variable will be displayed within an expandable / collapsible grouping in the Web Client filter panel (or when the form is viewed as a web tab within the Desktop Client). For more information, see Defining refresh variables for Axiom forms.