Changing a Data Input Type

Sometimes you may find the data input type used in an interactive Post or Page is not the right one. You may find the data is not coming in the right format, or you need to do a lot of further editing for it to be useful.

Why?

Four common scenarios for changing a data input type are:

• You need a bigger (or smaller) box for users to write in:
  

  Text (single line)

  Long Text (up to 16,384 characters)

• You want users to choose only one option or select multiple options:
  

  Radio buttons (select one option)

  Checkboxes (select one or more)

• You want users to choose one option from a list or one option from a dropdown menu:
  

  Radio buttons (select one option)

  Dropdown (select one option)

• You need to get a number value rather than text (Text vs Numeric)
  

  Text (write out an answer)

  Numeric (enter a number)

• You need to transform a user's answer choice into a simpler value that you can use in a spreadsheet:
  

How to change a Data Input Type

Let's use the last scenario where we originally had a Text type data input asking which floor the user is on. This information will always be a number, so we would be better served using a numeric data input type instead.

💡 See also: How to: Choosing a data input type

To change the input type:

Edit the Page or Post

1. Navigate to the interactive Page or Post you want to change. It would be found in the Content or Page Center.
2. Click on the Edit button:
   
3. Go to the Editor step
   

Data Tab

1. You are now in the Appearance tab. Go to the Data tab:
   
2. Here we can add new data input fields or edit an existing data input field using the edit (pencil) icon.
   

Data Input Type

1. We can now change the Data Input Type from Text to Number:
   
2. We can also select from other types of numeric inputs, such as Choose a number from a slider:
   
   or Choose a number using buttons:
   

Data Input Options

The Name field remains the same, but now there are more options where you can specify further the type of information you require.

For example, in our scenario, if the building has 55 floors, we do not want any values higher than that and we can use the Minimum and Maximum Amount Values to control for that:

Create

Once the new data type has been configured the way you want it, click on Create:


💡 Note the message indicating the data input needs to be added to the layout:

Add to the Layout

Return to the Appearance tab:

The Data Input will appear as a new custom content block under the Inputs section.

Drag and drop (or double click) the custom data input into the Layout:

Save and Publish

Click on Save, Next, and Publish to make the changes to the data input field available to your workplace members. 

If you have any questions about Data Input Types or editing content, contact the Help Desk at support@joinlane.com and we will be happy to help.