Drop-down Lists and Values in Jackrabbit

Objective

Understand what drop-down lists and values are, why they're used, and how they're managed in Jackrabbit.

Solution

Drop-down lists help organize and standardize information throughout Jackrabbit. Instead of entering free-form text, users select from a predefined list of values, making data more consistent and easier to search, filter, and report on.

A drop-down list defines the choices that are available for a field in Jackrabbit. Each available choice is called a drop-down value.

For example:

Family Source is the field name.
The drop-down list contains the available choices.
Facebook, Friend, and Google Search are the drop-down values.

Wherever that field appears in Jackrabbit, the same list of values is available. This keeps information consistent throughout your database and improves reporting and filtering.

Drop-down lists help you:

search and filter records more efficiently.
generate accurate reports.
maintain consistent data entry across your organization.

Customize drop-down lists

Many drop-down lists can be customized. Depending on the list, you may be able to:

add new values.
edit existing values.
hide values you no longer use.
change the display order.

Some drop-down lists contain system values that are required by Jackrabbit and can't be modified.

Manage drop-down lists

To manage a customizable drop-down list:

Go to the Gear icon > Settings > General > Drop-down Lists.
From the left menu, select the drop-down list you want to manage.

The available options depend on the selected drop-down list.

⚠️ Caution: Editing or deleting a drop-down value that has already been assigned to records can affect historical data, searches, and reporting.

When you edit or delete a drop-down value that has already been assigned to records, Jackrabbit does not update the historical records that use that value.

For example, if you rename a class category from Preschool to Preschool Fun, existing classes that were assigned Preschool continue to reference the original value. As a result:

the original value is no longer available to select from the drop-down list.
searches and reports using the new value will not find records assigned the original value.
searches and reports using the original value are no longer possible because that value is no longer available as a filter.

Deleting a drop-down value has a similar effect. Historical records continue to reference the deleted value, but because it is no longer available in the drop-down list, it cannot be selected when filtering or reporting.

Best Practice

Rather than editing or deleting a drop-down value that has already been used, consider:

creating a new value if you need different wording.
hiding the existing value (where available) if you no longer want it used.

These options preserve historical records for searching and reporting while preventing outdated values from being used going forward.