Select lists in DocuWare  – what you should know

In this article, you'll learn what types of select lists DocuWare offers, where they can be integrated and – most importantly – how they can simplify your daily work.  

Contents

• What are select lists used for?
• What types of select lists are available?
• How are select lists configured?

What are select lists used for?

Select lists are designed to support you when entering data. Instead of typing everything manually, you can select an entry directly from a predefined list or simply enter a few letters or numbers to choose the appropriate term from the list.

When entering search terms, i.e. filling index fields in the search dialog, the selection lists help you use only terms that actually exist. This prevents searches from returning no results.

When entering data, whether through DocuWare forms or during document indexing, select lists help prevent typing errors and ensure consistent data. For example, you can ensure that customer names are spelled consistently across the entire company. If your central customer data system is a CRM, you can create a select list that accesses the CRM and makes customer data available in DocuWare as fixed index terms.

Select lists are also available as input support in various fields within workflow tasks.

To quickly find the desired entry in a long select list, simply enter the first letter of the term. The list will automatically jump to all entries that begin with that letter. 

What types of select lists are available?  

 There are several types of select list designed for different use cases:  

• The standard select list is based on previous entries in an index field. It’s created automatically and integrated into the corresponding index field in search and store dialogs.
• Additional internal select lists can be based on data stored in the DocuWare system, such as users, roles, groups or substitution rules. For example, a list of users is helpful when forwarding a workflow task and specifying the appropriate colleague in a field.
• A fixed select list is created once in DocuWare or imported from an external source, a database or a simple text file, and then stored in DocuWare. Since it can only be modified manually by users with administrator rights, it’s ideal for terms that don’t change or change infrequently, such as cost centers.
• External select lists are also based on sources outside DocuWare. However, unlike fixed select lists, their contents are synchronized with the external source each time they are accessed. This ensures that the list is always up to date. This type is ideal if, as in the example above, you want to use your customers’ company names from a CRM within DocuWare.
• Fixed and external select lists can also be multi-column, allowing dependencies to be mapped. For example, if you have one index field for your company’s different branch locations and another for cost centers, a multi-column select list ensures that only the cost centers relevant to a selected branch can be chosen.

How are select lists configured?

Select lists are created in the DocuWare Configuration under the “Indexing Assistance” module. You can find detailed instructions here.

You can then assign the select lists to a search or store dialog. To do so, open the file cabinet configuration, select the desired dialog and edit the field properties for the relevant field.

For forms, assign the select lists within the Form configuration.