Can create a drop down option within a dropdown?

I have a large dropdown list on my form. I need to create categories and have a separate dropdown depending on which categories is selected. Can this be done?

Hi Jimmy,

Thanks for reaching out to Jotform Support. You can use the Dynamic Dropdowns Widget, where the dropdown menu changes based on the previous answer. Let me show you how to add it to your form:

1. In Form Builder, click on the Add Element button.

2. Go to Widgets, then search for Dynamic Dropdowns, then drag it to your form.

You can also check our guide on How to Configure the Dynamic Dropdowns Widget.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Thank you. That is helpful.

I started to create options. If I click off of it and go back to it, I do not see an option to edit the dropdowns.
How do I edit it?

Hi Jimmy,

You can add and edit the values inside the Dynamic Dropdown widget. Here's how to do it:

1. In Form Builder, click on the Add Element on the left side of the page.
2. Click on the Widgets tab.
3. Add a Dynamic Dropdown widget to your form.
4. Click on the wand icon to open the Widget Settings window.
5. Edit the values based on your preference in the Values text area.
6. Click on the Update button.

We also have a guide about How to Configure the Dynamic Dropdowns Widget that you can check out.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

ok great, Thank you.

Is there a way to get the search feature to pull up categories that are in the sub drop down options?

Hi Jimmy,

I’ll need a bit of time to look into this. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

In the meantime, let us know if you need any other help.

Hi Jimmy,

Unfortunately, Dynamic Dropdowns Widget does not have a built-in search function that can pull up sub-options. The search function in Jotform is limited to standard dropdown fields but does not extend to nested sub-options within the Dynamic Dropdowns Widget.

Just to clarify, how do you want users to interact with the dropdown? Should they be able to search across all categories and sub-options, or should they first select a category before searching within that category?

After we hear back from you, we’ll have a better idea of what’s going on and how to help.

the way I have it set up is that a user will select a categories and and then search within that category (if it has one).

For example if a user searches for chiropractor, it will not pull it up since it is under Medical. They may not think to search for medical. I need to make it simple as it can be for the user to find their category.

Hi Jimmy,

Unfortunately, the Dynamic Dropdowns Widget does not support searching across sub-options. The search function in Jotform's standard Dropdown field allows users to type and filter options, but it does not extend to the nested selections within the Dynamic Dropdowns Widget.

As a workaround, you might consider using separate searchable dropdown fields instead of a nested structure. For example, you can use conditional logic to show a standard searchable dropdown for sub-options once the user selects a main category. This way, users can still search within each category while keeping the form organized.

Let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with. 

Can you give me an example of conditional logic please.

Hi Jimmy,

I’ll need a bit of time to look into this. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

In the meantime, let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you.

Hi Jimmy,

You can get the category of specific sub-options by setting its Calculation values. Let me show you how:

1. In your Form Builder, click the Add Element on the left side of your page.
2. In the Basic tab, add a Short Text element to your form and name it Category.
3. Select your Dropdown element and click the Gear icon.
4. In the Dropdown Properties, go to the Options tab and toggle the Calculation Values as On.
5. In the Calculation Values, set the Category for each option.

Now, let's add a condition to get the category of the selected option:

1. In your Form Builder, click on the Settings tab in the orange navigation bar at the top of the page.
2. Click on the Conditions tab on the left side of the page, and click the Add Condition button.
3. Select the Update/Calculate Field in the list.
4. Set the condition like you see below and click Save.

That's it. Test your form, and you'll see that the category is populated based on the selected option. Check out the screencast below:

Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Hi Jimmy,

You can remove the space behind the industries so the sub-industries will appear directly in the Dynamic Dropdown widget, making it easier for people to search and find their industry. Let me show you how:

1. In Form Builder, click on the Dynamic Dropdown widget and click on the Wand icon next to it.
2. In the menu on the right, in the Values section, delete the spaces before the sub-industries.

When you remove the space before the sub-industries, they will appear as soon as people search for their industry. Check out the screencast below to see how it works:

Alternatively, you can add the industries as Single Choice options, allowing people to see them without opening the dropdown. By enabling the Other option, they can write their own industry if it's not available in the options. It's easy to do. Let me show you how:

1. In Form Builder, click on the Add Element menu on the top left side of the page.
2. Drag and drop a Single Choice element to your form and click on the Gear icon.
3. Then, click on the Options tab, and copy and paste your industries options to the Options section.
4. Now, toggle On the Display Other Option and Spread to Columns features and set columns to 4.

Now, people can choose their industry from the Single Choice field, and if it's not listed, they can select Other and enter their own industry. Check out the screencast to see an example of it:

Give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Thank you for this information. I got to step 4 and I do not see " Calculation Values"

Hi Jimmy,

You can locate the Calculation Values in the Dropdown Properties window. Here's how to do it:

1. In Form Builder, click on the gear icon to open the Dropdown Properties window.
2. In the Dropdown Properties window, click on the Options tab.
3. Turn on the Calculation Values option.

After this, you can follow the workaround in my previous reply.

Let us know if there’s anything else we can help you with. 

Yes, I see that but if you look at my screen shot, I do not have the "options" tab

Hi Jimmy,

Based on your screenshot, you clicked the Dynamic Dropdowns widget. Check out the screenshot below:

I'm referring to the dropdown element named What industry seat are you applying for. Check out the screenshot below:

Let us know if there’s anything else we can do for you.