Frequently asked questions about List Management

List Management is covered in a few articles, this article is designed to answer some frequently asked questions and is set up to help troubleshoot potential issues.

Table of Contents

List Related Articles

This article is dedicated to some frequently asked questions and troubleshooting concerns.  For more detailed information on Lists, check out these articles

Understanding the two types of Lists

Discusses the difference between Transactions and Dimension Lists

Using Lists to define the structure of your model

Shows examples of Lists and how they are used in Metrics

Move List to Another Application 

Discusses how to move a List from one Application to another Application better suited to maintain that List

How to Substitute a List with another List 

Substitute allows you to change your model by replacing one Dimension List with another one within the Application

Adding items to a List from a Board 

• Explains the configuration options available when configuring List widgets
• Covers how to add items through a form on a Board 

Clear Items prior to import in Transactions Lists

• Explains advanced import options on Transactions Lists used to delete items
• Describes full List and limited scope deletions

How to import data manually into Lists

Covers the process of importing a CSV file into a List.

Setting up properties in Lists

• Explains properties including when and how to use them 
• Covers Group properties that are used to establish hierarchies 

Frequently asked questions related to Lists

How can I tell if a Widget on a Board is a List?

Lists can be published to a Board and appear to be similar to a Grid, which can be populated by a Metric or a Table.  To identify if you are interacting with a List, hover over the Widget on a Board and select the expand icon.  You’ll see an icon in the top left that indicates the block type In the expanded view.

A Green icon is used for Transactions Lists, Blue is used for Dimension Lists, Purple indicates a Metric, and Red is used for Tables.

What permissions are needed for Lists?

There are permissions such as “Display Application” that are necessary to access applications. Depending on the purpose of the Role, you will need other permissions. The following table covers the permissions needed to access a List:

How can I set up Member to only be able to add items to certain lists?

When setting up a Member with a Role, they must have the Add List Items to be able to add new items to a list.  By default, this setting is set up for All Lists.  If you want a Member to be able to add items to only one list, you can create a specific role with the Add Items permission set to that list.  

How can I manually add an item to a List?

1. Type cmd/ctrl + K to open the command palette.
2. Enter the name of the List and press enter to navigate to the List.
3. Click the “Add Item” button in the top left.
4. Enter the name of the item and fill out any associated properties. 

How can I add an item to a List from a Board?

If a List is published on a Board and you have the “Add List Items” permission activated for that List, you can follow the steps below.

1. Hover your mouse over the List, if an “Add item” button appears, click the button.
2. Right-click near where you would like the item to go, and click “Add item above” or “Add item below” 
3. If Forms are active, fill out the form or type in the name of the item.

Why can’t I add a new item to a List?

To add an item to a List, you must have the “Add List Items” permission activated for that specific List or for All Lists.  

1. Type cmd/ctrl + K to open the command palette.
2. Enter the name of the List and press enter

Why can’t I see the Items I just imported? 

To be able to import into a list and add new items, you must have the Add List items

permission.  If you do not have that permission, the import will be successful but no new items will be added.

Can I hide items?

Yes, there are three options depending on your definition of hide. 

• If you want to set up a security configuration, use Access rights.  Access rights  configurations can hide items, items’ data, and or Items’ from certain Members by setting it to No Read/ No Write. 
• You can also use a filter to hide an item either temporarily or from a specific view.  This should not be used for security but more for increasing the appeal of a view.
• Finally, you can right click on an item within a grid and select “Hide item”, which is a shortcut to apply a filter. 

What happens if I delete an item?  

You must have the “Remove List items” permission to delete an item in a List.  Before you delete a List item, you should be aware of the risks.

1. Any input data related to that item will be lost. This includes both when it is used as structure in a Metric and when used as a selection in a Metric that has a data type of that Dimension. 
2. Any formula with a direct reference to that List item will now generate an error.
3. Data that references that item in a reoccurring Import will fail.
4. If List was used when establishing Access Rights, it could impact any configurations on that item.

Where can I see the Blocks in which an item is used?  

1. Type cmd/ctrl + K to open the command palette.
2. Enter the name of the List and press enter.
3. Click on the cog wheel to open Block Settings.
4. Click on “Library & usages”.  You will see a list of all the blocks in which the item is used.