{"id":2979845,"date":"2026-08-24T10:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=2979845"},"modified":"2026-08-24T10:07:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T17:07:39","slug":"build-smarter-forms-in-arcgis-field-maps-with-multiple-choice-and-conditional-visibility","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/field-maps\/field-mobility\/build-smarter-forms-in-arcgis-field-maps-with-multiple-choice-and-conditional-visibility","title":{"rendered":"Build smarter forms in ArcGIS Field Maps with multiple choice and conditional visibility"},"author":21681,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[23261],"tags":[758091,781217,39831,703241,781165],"industry":[],"product":[679821],"class_list":["post-2979845","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-field-mobility","tag-conditional-visibility","tag-damage-assessment","tag-data-collection","tag-field-maps","tag-multiple-choice","product-field-maps"],"acf":{"related_articles":"","authors":[{"ID":21681,"user_firstname":"Liz","user_lastname":"Armstrong","nickname":"Liz Armstrong","user_nicename":"larmstrong","display_name":"Liz Armstrong","user_email":"larmstrong@esri.com","user_url":"","user_registered":"2020-04-01 22:13:20","user_description":"Liz Armstrong is a Product Manager on the Field Apps team. She has a broad background in business and experience design. She is passionate about solving problems and making products that delight customers and users.","user_avatar":""}],"short_description":"Build cleaner, more intuitive data collection experiences with multiple choice and conditional visibility in Field Maps.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Collecting data in the field often means capturing information that changes from one asset, incident, or observation to the next. In many workflows, several conditions can apply at the same time.<\/p>\n

If you were to design a data collection form for ArcGIS Field Maps with a separate field for every possible condition, the form could get very long, and a long form is slow to work through in the field.<\/p>\n

The multiple choice form element provides a cleaner, more user-friendly approach to record multiple conditions at once rather than using a series of individual questions. Paired with conditional visibility, the form becomes even smarter: any follow-up questions appear only when they are actually relevant.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Ask only what\u2019s relevant<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s consider the use case of a storm damage assessment for a residential home. A single inspection might need to capture the condition of the roof, siding, windows, gutters, and water intrusion. Any one of those could apply, all of them could, or none of them could, depending on what the inspector finds on site.<\/p>\n

With multiple choice, the inspector captures all applicable conditions in a single pass. And because every selection is stored together in one text field, also known as a string field, with values separated by commas, you maintain a single field instead of one for every possible condition.<\/p>\n

Conditional visibility can then tailor the form to each response. Using a simple Arcade expression, you can show or hide fields, or an entire group of fields, based on what the worker selects. When a specific condition is reported, the relevant follow-up questions appear. When it isn’t, they stay hidden. The result is a shorter, more focused form that speeds up data capture and is easier to use.<\/p>\n

You can see this in action in the example below.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Example: Build a conditional form from multiple choice answers<\/h2>\n

This example walks through building a section of a storm damage assessment form, using a multiple choice form element and conditional visibility to show follow-up questions only when they apply.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Add a multiple choice question to your form<\/h3>\n

Multiple choice questions can be added to your form in Field Maps Designer or the Form Builder in Map Viewer. In either place, you define how the element appears to users and configure the options they can select from.<\/p>\n

Start by adding a multiple choice question that captures the types of storm damage the home may have sustained.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. On the Form<\/strong> tab in Field Maps Designer<\/strong>, drag the multiple choice form element onto the canvas of your layer.<\/p>\n

2. In the Display<\/strong> name, enter your question: \u201cWhat damage was observed?\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Click Create choices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4. In the choices window, add the following options:<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

\u2022 Roof damage
\n\u2022 Flooding
\n\u2022 Structural damage
\n\u2022 Broken windows
\n\u2022 Fallen tree impact
\n\u2022 Exterior damage
\n\u2022 Utility damage<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

5. Check the box beside Include Other<\/strong><\/p>\n

Including an Other<\/strong> option is a small addition that makes a real difference in the field. No matter how carefully you plan your choice list, it\u2019s likely that eventually your mobile workers will run into something your pre-defined list doesn’t cover. The Other<\/strong> option lets them record that condition on the spot instead of skipping it or forcing it into a category that doesn’t quite fit. You still capture a complete record with the same question, and reviewing what workers enter over time can surface new choices worth adding to your list.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":2979872,"id":2979872,"title":"AddMultiplechoice","filename":"AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","filesize":1584542,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/field-maps\/field-mobility\/build-smarter-forms-in-arcgis-field-maps-with-multiple-choice-and-conditional-visibility\/addmultiplechoice-blog1-1b-2","alt":"","author":"21681","description":"","caption":"Add multiple choice","name":"addmultiplechoice-blog1-1b-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":2979845,"date":"2026-08-10 23:43:05","modified":"2026-08-10 23:43:23","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/gif","type":"image","subtype":"gif","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":895,"height":540,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1-213x200.gif","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","medium-width":433,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":463,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","large-width":895,"large-height":540,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","1536x1536-width":895,"1536x1536-height":540,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","2048x2048-width":895,"2048x2048-height":540,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1-771x465.gif","card_image-width":771,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AddMultiplechoice-Blog1-1b-1.gif","wide_image-width":895,"wide_image-height":540}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Option: Repurpose an existing field for multiple choice<\/h3>\n

When you have an existing field on your form that you’d like to use for your multiple choice form element, you can convert it in Field Maps Designer rather than adding a new field. Converting the field keeps the data already stored intact, and you can reuse those existing values to build your choice list. This only works on string (text) fields, not numeric fields.<\/p>\n

If you want to convert a field that uses a coded value domain, there are some things to consider. You must remove the coded value domain before you can change the field to multiple choice. A coded value domain lives at the field level and enforces its pre-defined options everywhere the layer is used. Once you remove it and convert the field to multiple choice, those predefined options are manage in the form instead. Just be aware that you\u2019re trading a schema-level list for a form-level one. So, in a client that doesn\u2019t support the form spec, the field will show as plain text with no enforced list.<\/p>\n

Steps to convert a field with a coded value domain into a multiple choice field:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open the field properties panel in Field Maps Designer.<\/li>\n
  2. Delete the choices currently attached to the field. This removes the domain-based choice list, but it does not delete the field or its existing data.<\/li>\n
  3. With the domain list removed, change the question type to multiple choice. This works because the field is a string field.<\/li>\n
  4. Click Create choices<\/strong> to define the options workers will select from. You can add choices manually, import them from a CSV file, or use the database icon to pull values from existing records.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The database option is only useful when your layer already contains data. It scans the field for values that have previously been stored and rebuilds the choice list from them.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

    Add follow-up questions based on multiple choice selections<\/h3>\n

    When a mobile worker selects an option in your multiple choice question, you may want to gather more about their findings through some follow-up questions.<\/p>\n

    To continue with our storm damage assessment example, create a new group in your form called Roof damage details, and add a few follow-up questions inside it, like the ones below:<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \u201cWhat type of roof damage was observed?\u201d (multiple choice)<\/p>\n