TMGR: Removing Custom Choice Replaces Entries with Default (155547)

MORE INFORMATION

You can view the properties of an existing custom field as follows:

1. On the Format menu, click Column, and in the Format Column dialog box, click Custom Fields.
2. In the Custom Fields dialog box, select the desired field from the list, and click Properties.

In the Custom Field Properties dialog box, the Type property specifies the field type, such as Currency, Duration, and so on. You can specify a default choice for all of the types, except for the OLE Object type. For many of the custom field types, you can specify a restricted list of choices by selecting the "Define choices for this field" option and entering the choices in the Type Choices list, one choice per line. A valid list must have at least one choice, and all choices must be the same type as the selected field Type.

When you edit the properties of an existing custom field, if you remove the default choice from the Type Choices list, and if the new list is still valid, then the default choice automatically changes to the first item in the new list.

If you remove any value from the Type Choices list for an existing custom field, and if the new list is still valid, then clicking OK displays the following message: The following example illustrates the result of removing choices from the Type Choices list.

A custom number field called "My Number Field" with default choice 1 and a Type Choices list of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is inserted into a task table. The current entries in the table are shown below:

     Task Name        My Number Field
     ---------        ---------------
     TaskA            3
     TaskB            5
				

The value 5 is then removed from the Type Choices list, automatically changing the entry for TaskB to 1 (the default choice):

     Task Name        My Number Field
     ---------        --------------
     TaskA            3
     TaskB            1
				

The value 1 is then removed from the Type Choices list, automatically changing the default choice to 2, and changing the entry for TaskB to 2 (the new default choice):

   Task Name        Number Field 1
   ---------        --------------
   TaskA            3
   TaskB            2
				

Additional Tips for Editing Type Choices

When editing an existing Type Choices list, be sure there are no "new-line" characters in the blank rows below the list; otherwise, clicking OK may display a message about an invalid entry. To test for extra new-line characters, click in the Type Choices list and press CTRL+END; if the pointer moves to a blank row below the list, remove the extra characters by pressing BACKSPACE repeatedly until the pointer is at the end of the last nonblank choice.

To redefine a field so that it no longer uses a Type Choices list, click to clear the "Define choices for this field" option. If this option is left selected, and if all the choices are removed from the Type Choices list, clicking OK displays an error message explaining that you must enter at least one choice.