Question

Blank Defaults

  • 13 December 2022
  • 9 replies
  • 186 views
askey-s
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We’re new to the use of the Service Catalogue so are still finding our feet with it all so apologies for the newbie question.

When creating an offering you have to specify a default item and category value, even though the actual values can be part of a list.  We’re finding that, in a few instances, staff are just accepting the default values when filling in the form and not actively selecting the required value.

Is there a way to have the offering form display a blank value in those fields so that it prompts (forces?) a value to be selected?

Thanks

9 replies

S
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We haven’t found one, but we have created an item and category called ‘Please Select….’ to use as the default. This gives the end user a visual prompt to change it.

 

This doesn't stop the end use submitting without a valid selection. However, it does give the analyst a clear indication that no value has been selected AND us service reporting on how many are doing it.

Example from one of our test forms

 

askey-s
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Thank you for confirming this.  We’d got the same idea.

C
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Within the Dafult Value Expression on the Item A field add a double quotes as below, this then remove a default value in the assystNET form so the user should then try and select from your list.

This however does allow for nothing to be selected and the form submitted still, but it will stop the end-user from just selecting the default value out of habbit.

 

Robert Wood
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Hi guys, 

Just to add a little more information here, we’ve seen customers have similar issues in the past and we are currently investigating the possibility of adding placeholder text to fields that allow an admin to add text to a field by default but not consider it a value when the form is saved, thus forcing your users to select an appropriate value. Very similar to the “please select..” method you’ve mentioned above Steve but a proper way to allow you to do this.

Cheers,
Robert

askey-s
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Hi Robert

Thank you for this.  It would be very useful.

M
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Hi guys, 

Just to add a little more information here, we’ve seen customers have similar issues in the past and we are currently investigating the possibility of adding placeholder text to fields that allow an admin to add text to a field by default but not consider it a value when the form is saved, thus forcing your users to select an appropriate value. Very similar to the “please select..” method you’ve mentioned above Steve but a proper way to allow you to do this.

Cheers,
Robert

Hi Robert,

Do you know if someone formally entered this as an idea that we can track/upvote etc?

Thanks,

Mitch

Robert Wood
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Hi Mitch, 

Just had a quick look and we do not! It’s a suggestion we’ve had internally so there’s no matching idea for it at the moment. Please feel free to raise an idea and I'll link it up to the story we have internally - it would be good to see the number of customers interested in the functionality to allow us to gauge it’s value.

Cheers,
Robert

D
Rank

I used the double-quotes (“”) in the Default Value Expression property in the ITEM A field and for some reason it does not blank out the value when I view the form in assystNet.  

It works fine (blanks out the ITEM A field) when I view the Service Offering in assystWeb, but not in assystNet.

I used notepad to create the expression.  I tried changing browsers (Edge and Chrome) and browser setting but no luck.  

Any ideas?

jyork
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Userlevel 2
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We just use an Item called “To Be Qualified” and set that item to not be Cause item for any ticket types, that way the ticket cannot be resolved/closed with that Item, forcing the actioning user to choose an Item and Category. All of our metrics are based on the Cause Item and Category, as if done correctly, this should be the item/category for the root cause of the issue. 

 

 

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