Help needed with choice filter

[RaffyM]

1. What is the problem? Be very detailed.
Hello. I want to use multiple criteria for assembling a select_one_external list similar to the attached screenshot of csv form. The screenshot is part of a much bigger csv and is used in other sections of the form.

As an example, the skectch bellow is the select_one_external list I want to assemble based on the following 3 options. G, TRN, All

I have the following variables, and this is verified by using a note question.
calculate question ${code} with a value of TRN
calculate question ${code_generic} with a value of G
hidden question ${code_all} with a default value of All

then i tried various variations of the filter function
option = ${code} and ${code_generic} and ${code_all}
option = ${code} and option=${code_generic} and option={code_all}
option = concat(${code}, ', ', ${code_generic}, ', All')

I cannot assemble the list I wanted.

Any help would be awesome. Thanks
2. What app or server are you using and on what device and operating system? Include version numbers.

3. What you have you tried to fix the problem?

4. What steps can we take to reproduce the problem?

5. Anything else we should know or have? If you have a test form or screenshots or logs, attach below.

[mathieubossaert]

Hi @RaffyM,

maybe this recent discussion wil help you as it seems to be the same need applied to an other context :

How to omit some choices depending on a previous select_one response

1. What is the problem? Be very detailed. I can't figure out how to display only a subset of choices for a question restricted by a previous select_one response. Example: Q1. Choose one of 3 restaurants (A,B,C) Q2. What is your favourite dish in selected restaurant above? Now restaurants A & B each offer only 3 dishes (d1, d2, d3) but restaurant C offers two more (d4,d5). If A or B is selected in Q1 how do I display only choices d1 to d3, OR if C is selected, all five dishes? 2. What app or…

[RaffyM]

I am attaching a small part of my form, the choices in the external_choices sheet are actual choices in my form.

example form.xlsx (10.9 KB)

i have 3 variables with assigned value
${gear_code} -> TRN
${gear_code_generic} -> G
${gear_all) -> All

My problem is I have a select_one_external question. The choices in this question must rows whose values in the option column match any of the 3 variables. The result I want to see is something similar to:

The first 4 items match the All option
The next 4 items match the G option
The last 2 items match the TRN option

The help I need is how to construct the choice_filter using the 3 mentioned variables so that I can assemble a select_one similar to the example shown.

Here are some of my attempts.
option=${gear_code} and ${gear_code_generic} and ${gear_all} - don't work
option = ${gear_code} and option=${gear_code_generic} and option=${gear_all} - don't work
option = concat(${gear_code}, ', ', ${gear_code_generic}, ', ', ${gear_all}) - dont work

The ones below works, partially, but the form constructed is incomplete.
option = ${gear_code}
option = ${gear_code_generic}
option=${gear_all}

Thanks again to the community

[RaffyM]

Hi. I replied to my own question and perhaps made my request clearer. Do you know how to write the choice_filter so that I can create the widget that I need?

Thanks

[mathieubossaert]

I'll take some more time at the end of the days but I think your logical test can't work because because you ask "option" to match three different values with the AND operator as if you were asking for

x = 1 AND x = 2 AND x = 3 

So you should try

option = ${gear_code} OR option = ${gear_code_generic} OR option = ${gear_all}

[RaffyM]

I tried your example using the attached xlsform that I sent and it does not return any items. I hope that what I need is supported by ODK because if it were not, the alternative that I can think of would mean a drastic increase in the number of rows in the external_choices csv file.

Thanks.

[mathieubossaert]

HI @RaffyM,
Can you share your form with the csv file, or a part of it ?

[RaffyM]

Thanks for looking at this. Please look at this simplified version of the xlsform. The values of the 3 variables, ${gear_code}, ${gear_code_generic}, and ${gear_all} are all assigned using a hidden question and set using the default column.

example form.xlsx (11.8 KB)

For the choice_filter, if i use option=${gear_code} it will work but the resulting form is incomplete. The same incomplete results also if I use option=${gear_code_generic} or if I use option=${gear_all}.

But when I use
option = ${gear_code} OR option = ${gear_code_generic} OR option = ${gear_all} I get an empty result.

Thanks again.

[RaffyM]

Hi @mathieubossaert, I just replied. Sorry, I had to research how to link your name using @username

[mathieubossaert]

I'm sorry but I can't get it work. I do not understand why logical tests are giving a wrong lists with external data.
I can get it work using choices sheet :
raffyM_filter_3.xlsx (9.3 KB)
But not with external choices :
raffyM_filter_2.xlsx (10.9 KB)

[mathieubossaert]

I had to change you T category to TTT to avoid having T matching TRN.

[RaffyM]

Thanks @mathieubossaert. I feel that it is a requirement that the choices should be in an external_list so that when effort_spec is modified, we only need to update the itemsets.csv and not the form. I already have an alternative in mind, one that does not use inheritance. It will make the the number of rows belonging to effort_spec much longer though.

Do you think what I wanted to happen is unsupported in the current version of ODK?

[mathieubossaert]

@RaffyM

so that when effort_spec is modified, we only need to update the itemsets.csv and not the form

Finally it is quite the same if you want to update it on the server.