A prompt category is a setting that can group prompts of the same key. Prompt categories can be used on forms and in queries. Form fields can group prompts by category, or limit the options in the field based on the category. Queries can filter for field values based on the categories of their prompt values.

Create Prompts with Categories

A prompt can be given a category upon prompt creation, or an existing prompt can be added to a category to divide prompts of the same key into groups:

1. Click Database in the top navigation bar and select Prompts.

2. Create or select a prompt key.

3. Create or select an individual prompt.

4. Add a Category to the prompt as desired. Save the prompt once all necessary settings are entered.

   

Form Fields

Prompt categories are a great way to limit or group the prompts displayed on a form. For long lists of prompts, grouping by category can break up the list and make it easier to read. If you have certain prompt values that shouldn’t be selected on a particular form, limiting them by category can allow you to hide them.

Group by Category

If a field uses a prompt that has categories, the Group by Category setting will display on the form field:

When this setting is used, the form field options will display with the categories as section headers in the list:

Limit by Category

There may be cases where the options in a prompt list should be limited to a smaller subset on a specific form. Categories are a great way to do this, since they let you edit the list without needing to disconnect from system prompts.

For example, let’s say the business school wants to collect academic interest information on a specific form. Rather than displaying all possible academic interests, they just want to display the business and economics options. This can be done by checking Limit by category and selecting the relevant category:

On the form, this can appear to be a business-specific field. However, we’re still storing the data in the Academic Interests field. This allows customization without needing to create multiple separate fields.

💡 Tip

You can combine the Group by category and Limit by category options.

This allows you to narrow down the list of prompts, while still displaying category headers.

Query Exports & Filters

Export Prompt Category

If the category of a prompt should be exported in a query, take the following steps:

1. In a query, add an export for the field that is associated with the desired prompt categories (e.g. Academic Interests).

2. Edit the export for this field in the query.

3. Change the "Export Value" setting to Category.
   

4. Add any other desired exports or filters to the query.

The query will now display the category associated with the prompt value(s) of that field for each record in the query run.

Filter on a Single Prompt Category

1. Add a subquery filter.

2. Change the Aggregate setting to Comparison.

3. Add an export for the field you’re filtering on.

4. Double-click the export and change the Export Value to Category, then save.

5. Add a literal and set the value to the desired category name.

   

Filter on Multiple Prompt Categories

If you need to filter for multiple categories, using several separate comparison filters is inefficient. Instead, take the following steps:

1. Add a subquery filter. Leave the Aggregate setting as Exists.

2. Add a join to Field Values, then add a join to Lookup Prompt.

3. Add the Field Values - ID filter, and enter the ID of the relevant field.

4. Add the Lookup Prompt - Category filter, and choose the categories you want to filter for.

   

⚠️ Multiple fields

If you need to filter on categories in multiple fields, you should generally have a separate subquery filter for each field.