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Text Concatenation Fields

Amrutha
Updated

Text Concatenation fields can be used to display a text value on a record that is the combination of other strings for that record and/or any directly linked record.

How to Create a Text Concatenation

  1. Navigate to the Step Builder for the workflow where you want to create the Text Concatenation field.
  2. Look for the "New Field" option under the "Workflow Fields" left side bar.
  3. Select "Text Concatenation" from the available new field options.

This will allow you to create the new field within your current workflow. 

Once you've created your Text Concatenation field, here's how to define what text to combine and how to present it:

  1. Concatenation Expression: This is where you build the final text string.

    • Use %f as a placeholder for each text field you want to include.
    • Separate placeholders with the text you want between them (e.g., a dash).
    • Example: If you want to combine two text fields "First Name" and "Last Name" with a space, enter: %f %f.
    • Then, select the "First Name" and "Last Name" fields from the dropdown menus below the expression.

  2. Field Input Options: This lets you control which field values are used in the concatenation

    • Operation (only appears for values from linked workflows): Choose which field value to use if there are multiple records linked to the user's current record.
    • Step-Specific Values: Limit the text to fields from a specific step in your workflow (e.g., only show data from a "repository step").

  3. Blank Field Handling: Decide how to handle missing values:

    • Display N/A for Entire Expression: Show "N/A" if any of the included fields are empty.
    • Display N/A for Empty Inputs Only: Only show "N/A" if a specific placeholder (%f) has no value. 
    • ***Display Empty for Entire Expression: Show "-" if any of the fields are empty.
    • ***Don't Display Empty Inputs: Only show filled inputs, passing empty values as non-existent.

  4. Multiple Value Joining Strategy: This applies if you're combining fields that can have multiple values (e.g., multi-select fields, linked records with multiple values). Choose how to separate these values:

    • Use a comma with a space is a common option.

Save your Text Concatenation field, and then add it to your forms and reports. 

***NOTE: These additional blank field handling options will come with general release.

 

Common Use Cases

Primary Field for Linked Records:

Text Concatenations are a powerful tool for building Primary Fields for your Workflow. They allow you to combine information from different fields that describe your current record.

Here's a real-world example:

  • Imagine you have a workflow for managing risks.
  • You capture the Risk Name in a text field.
  • You also have a separate field (e.g., a dropdown menu) to select the Department that owns that risk.

By using Text Concatenation, you can combine these two fields. This lets you create a more informative Primary Field for your workflow records. For instance, instead of just showing the Risk Name, you could display "Risk Name owned by Department".

This makes it easier to identify specific risks within your workflow.

 

Displaying Information from Linked Workflows with Text Concatenation:

Text Concatenation can be a handy tool to show information from workflows linked to your current workflow, without needing a separate Linked Workflow Section. This can be useful when you only need to display specific data from the linked workflow.

Here's an example:

  • Imagine you have a workflow for assessing vendors called "Vendor Assessments."
  • You store vendor details (like name and primary contact) in a parent "Vendors" workflow.
  • In the "Vendor Assessment" workflow, you want to display the vendor's name and primary contact information.

Using Text Concatenation, you can create two separate fields within "Vendor Assessments"

  • One Text Concatenation field would reference the "Vendor Name" field from the linked "Vendor" workflow.
  • Another Text Concatenation field would reference the "Vendor Primary Contact" field.

This approach avoids the need for a whole Linked Workflow Section, saving space and simplifying your main workflow.

You can use Text Concatenations as an input to other Text Concatenations to carry information across a chain of several linked workflows.

 

Important Note: While Text Concatenation can display information, it won't create a clickable link back to the original record in the linked workflow. If you need users to access the linked record directly, you'll still require a Linked Workflow Section.

 

Using System Fields in Text Concatenations

The following System Fields can be used as inputs to Text Concatenation fields:

  • Record Name
  • Record ID
  • Sequence Number

Text Concatenation Fields which use System Fields as inputs are not currently supported for conditional form logic or public forms.

 

Text Concatenation Field Limitations

Text Concatenation Fields cannot be used for the following uses. If you have a use case requiring additional functionalities, please upvote the appropriate Risk Cloud feature requests (FR).

 

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