When And Why to Use Chained Selects

Overview

The Chained Selects Add-On provides multi-level, dependent fields called cascading selects. Each selected choice is filtered by the value chosen in the preceding level, allowing you to capture structured data without exposing users to irrelevant options.

What it does

The Chained Selects Field shows a series of dropdowns, e.g., Make → Model → Year, where each dropdown only lists options that fit the choice made in the one before it.

You define the relationships in a CSV file, and the add-on uses that format to display the correct choices at each step.

When to use it

When a dataset is hierarchical or relational, it would otherwise require many static fields and conditional logic rules.

When you must prevent invalid combinations and standardize form submissions for downstream processing, reporting, or integrations.

When the option space is ample and it should be progressively narrowed to keep forms performant and usable.

How it works

  1. Prepare data in a spreadsheet with one column per level, left-to-right in the intended selection order.
  2. Ensure headers exist for each column (e.g., Make, Model, Year).
  3. Export as CSV and upload it to a Chained Selects field in the form editor.

Typical examples

  • Locations: Country → State/Province → City
  • Products / Support: Category → Sub-category → Product → Version
  • Automotive: Make → Model → TYear
  • Education: Faculty → Program → Course → Module

Data notes

  • Use a clean, headered CSV (UTF-8). The column order defines the selection order.
  • Keep values consistent (casing/whitespace) to avoid duplicates or “orphaned” branches.
  • Large datasets are supported via CSV, and developers can also populate choices dynamically using the Chained Selects Add-On filters.

CSV Format

This CSV defines a three-level chained select. Selecting 2015 filters the Make field to Acura, Alfa Romeo, or Aston Martin. Choosing Acura then limits the Model field to ILX, MDX, RDX, RLX, or TLX. Each column represents a select field in the form.

Download a CSV example.

Screenshot of the example CSV.

Screenshot of the example CSV.

Screenshot of the form with the Chained Select.

Image showing Chained Select in the form


Refer to Creating Chained Selects article for step by step setup, CSV schema requirements, and usage examples.