Reference categories

Reference categories are configuration entries that appear in the reference list with the questions associated with them. Use this screen when you need to review the category list or maintain a category and its questions.

The screen is part of the shared reference-list configuration area. Open the Reference list area from Configuration.

If you need to…	Go to
Review the categories and questions already listed	Find and review the reference-category list
Understand which fields appear when you open the form	Understand the fields and screen rules
Add or review a question entry	Add or review categories and questions
Resolve a validation or permission-related problem	When maintenance goes wrong
Continue with category question units	Reference category question units
Continue with serial-status configuration	Reference serial status
Review broader reference-list data	Reference list data

Before you start

Reference-list maintenance depends on the options your company has configured for this shared screen and on the permissions available to your account.

Prerequisites

Check	What to have ready
Access	Access to the configuration area and the reference-category route.
Editing	Permission that allows the edit control to appear for a row.
Subscription	A subscription state that includes the configuration surface.
Category information	The category to review and the category-question entries to maintain.

The list appears when the subscription includes it. New appears when creation is enabled. The edit and delete controls depend on your permissions.

The edit form opens only when the new/edit dialog is open and a selected item is available.

With access and category information ready, open the reference-category list before reviewing or creating an entry.

Prerequisites

You have the access and category information described in Before you start.

Steps

Open the Reference list area from Configuration.
Read the Name and Questions columns.
Select New when you need to open the creation dialog.
Select Export when you need to open the export operation.

Identify the Name and Questions columns and the New, Refresh, and Settings controls on the reference-category list.

Result: The reference-category list is on screen with the Name and Questions columns and the visible New, Refresh, and Settings controls. Use the list to identify which fields you need before opening the form.

Understand the fields and screen rules

The list identifies each entry by Name and Questions; the form uses Category and Category questions when those fields are included.

Field or column	Type or display	Required	Where it appears
Name	Visible list column	—	The list.
Questions	Visible list column	—	The list.
Category	Searchable select box	Yes	The new/edit form when the configured column is visible in the form.
Category questions	Repeated question entry	Yes	The new/edit form when the category-question resource is selected.
Question	Text box for a repeated category-question entry	Yes	The repeated-entry form for the category-question resource.

The list has no column headings or paging controls, and it does not provide filtering. The Category and Category questions fields do not appear as list columns; they are available in the form.

When…	The screen does this
The field is configured to appear in the form	Includes that field in the form.
The edit form is open and a selected item is available	Shows the configured form fields.
The category-question resource is selected	Uses the category-question select and repeated question controls.
The configured field is required	Shows the required field rule for that field.

The new-record view showed Category and Category questions with required markers and an OK button. Use these field rules before opening the maintenance dialog.

Add or review categories and questions

A category question is a question entry associated with a reference category. Use the dialog to review the category field and maintain its repeated question entries.

Prerequisites

You are on the reference-category list and know which category information you need to review.

Steps

Select New to open the new-record dialog.
Review the required Category field.
Review the required Category questions field.
Select Add more to add another category-question entry.
Select the remove icon beside a repeated entry to remove that entry.
Select OK to use the dialog's available confirmation control.

Review the required Category and Category questions controls and the Add more and OK controls in the dialog.

Result: The new-record dialog is on screen with Category, Category questions, Add more, and OK. If the available fields or actions differ, use the list-specific rules in the next section.

Handle reference-list variations

This screen is shared by several reference lists, so the fields and actions change with the list you open. Work from the labels and columns visible in the current list rather than assuming that another reference list uses the same form.

The shared screen presents different fields for different reference lists:

Reader need	The shared screen can show
Maintain category questions	Category and repeated question entries.
Maintain category question units	A category-question selection and unit entries.
Maintain rating types	Rating text and rating value controls.
Maintain currencies, banks, or bank accounts	The corresponding selection controls.
Maintain color markers	A color selection control.
Maintain survey questions or models	The corresponding survey selections.
Maintain cost and margin items or product withdrawal strategies	The corresponding configuration selections.

The list and form also depend on subscription access, whether New is available, edit and delete permissions, and the columns configured for the list.

When maintenance goes wrong

Use the message text shown by the form or export dialog to choose the corrective action. The following table names the message first and then the action to take.

Message	What to do
`This Field Is Required`	Complete the required field before continuing.
`Just '_' '-' And '.' Characters Accepted`	Remove characters outside the accepted set from the affected text value.
`Forbidden characters detected. Please remove them and try again.`	Remove the forbidden characters and try again.
`{{col.caption}} is required`	Complete the text field identified by the displayed caption.
`Required`	Complete the repeated question field.
`Cancel`	Use the dialog's Cancel action to close the export modal.
`Export`	Use the export dialog's Export action to start the export operation.

The delete menu includes the confirmation text Are you sure you want to delete this item? and a Delete action when the delete permission allows that menu to appear.

Result: You have the exact messages and the corrective action associated with each message that the form and dialogs provide.

After maintaining reference categories

After reviewing categories, continue in the shared reference-list configuration area when your work concerns related reference data.

If you need to…	Go to
Maintain category questions and units	Reference category question units
Maintain serial statuses	Reference serial status
Review broader reference-list data	Reference list data