Weekly update – 6 December 2024

[ryan]

This week I got wrapped up in unexpected client work, but it did lead to development of a new Inputfield module, which I think I’ll be using a lot, and hoping some others might find it useful too. 

It’s called Small Select Multiple, and the purpose of it is to provide a multi-selection input that is as simple as a single-selection input, and that didn't introduce new UI elements, sticking just to native browser controls. 

It came about because a client has a large front-end form that has a lot of multi-selection inputs, which we handled with checkboxes. It started to become too much for users, so we tried changing to AsmSelect. That helped a lot, but it still became overwhelming once a lot of options were selected. We needed something that looked simple from the start, and stayed simple even after a lot of selections had been made. The Small Select Multiple input seems to do the trick.

You can use this input type with Options fields or Page fields, or anywhere else you might us ProcessWire’s SelectMultiple, Checkboxes, or AsmSelect input types. Like the other Inputfield types, it’s not always going to be the right fit, and has it’s own unique set of benefits and drawbacks, but for the times where it suits the need, I hope you find it useful. 

Rather than writing more about it, I’ll link you to the module page for it. There’s more details and screenshots there. While you are in the modules directory, see the 3 other new modules posted this week too, they look great. Core updates coming next week. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.

[adrian]

Hey @ryan - sounds like a potentially useful input for certain needs. I am wondering what you think about the option of the closed label being something like "3 of 50" or "3/50" because I think in some cases it's important to know if all are selected vs a limited selection.

[ryan]

@adrian Good idea, I will add that option.