Contents

• Overview
• What is a Lookup Field?
• How to Add the Lookup Field to a Form
  • Set up the Lookup Field Settings
    • Step 1: Choose a List
    • Step 2: Set Up Basic Settings
    • Step 3 (Optional): Filter items
    • Step 4 (Optional): Display metadata
    • Step 5 (Optional): Advance Filter
    • Step 6: Save Changes
• Related Articles

Overview

This guide shows Program Admins how to add a Lookup Field to any form in Next and set up its settings.
 

What is a Lookup Field?

A Lookup Field is a form field that lets people search through and select from a list of options. Instead of scrolling through a long dropdown, people type a few characters and matching options appear automatically.

• For example, if your organization works with schools across the state, you could add a Lookup field to your application form that lets applicants search for and select their school district from your full list.

Lookup fields pull their options from a global lookup list — a saved set of options managed at the organization level. Any changes made to the list are automatically reflected wherever the field is used. 

📌Note: Only Organization Owners and Client Admins can create and manage lookup lists at the organization level. For more information, see ➡️Create & Manage Global Lookup Lists.

• Which forms can a Lookup Field be added to: 
   
  • Profile Forms 
  • Intake Forms 
  • Award Agreement Templates 
  • Report Forms
  • Custom Feedback Forms
    📌Note: The lookup field is not available on Eligibility Forms or Request Forms.
     
• Who can add a Lookup Field to a form:
   
  • Organization Owners and Client Admins: At the organization level (Profile Forms) and the program/cycle level (Intake Forms, Award Agreements, Report Forms, Feedback Forms).
     
  • Program Owners and Program Managers: At the program/cycle level (Intake Forms, Award Agreements, Report Forms, Feedback Forms).

Example: 


 

How to Add the Lookup Field to a Form 

The Lookup Field is located in the Advanced Fields section within the Add Fields panel on the form builder. The example below shows an Intake Form, but the masked field can be added to other forms using the same steps. 

1. In the Add Fields panel, scroll down to the Advanced Field section. Click the plus symbol next to Masked Field.
   
   🔍Need help getting to the Add Fields panel? See ➡️Add a Form Field. 
   
   
2. To close the Add Fields panel, click the X symbol   or Close in the bottom-right corner.

3. The Lookup Field appears in your form. Click the gear icon to set up the field’s settings. 
   
   

Set up the Lookup Field Settings

Step 1: Choose a List 

Under “Choose list for lookup field options,” select the lookup list you want to attach to this field. The dropdown includes:

• Organization: Lookup lists created by your organization. This section only appears if your organization has created at least one list.
   
• Platform: Built-in lists available to all organizations
  
  

Step 2: Set Up Basic Settings 

In the Lookup Field settings panel, you can: 

• Allow multiple selections: Select Yes if you want people to be able to select more than one option from the list. 
   
• Mark as Required: Select Yes to make this field required before the form can be submitted. 
   
• Hide field: Select Yes to hide this field from people filling out the form. 
   
• Specify the width of the lookup field box: Choose how wide the field appears on the form. 
   
• Placeholder text: Optional. The text shown in the search box before someone starts typing. For example, "Search school districts..."
   
• Alias (at the bottom of the panel): Optional. A unique internal name for the field used by the system. People filling out the form never see this.
   

Step 3 (Optional): Filter items 

➜ If your list has no extra details (metadata) stored, this section will show "No options" and can be ignored.

➜ If your lookup list includes extra details for each item (metadata),  you can use this setting to limit which items appear in the dropdown.

• Under Filter items, select a Column Name and Value to filter by. The field will only show items that match.
  • For example, if your list includes schools from multiple states and you select state IS EQUAL TO Montana, only schools in Montana will appear in the dropdown. 
     

Step 4 (Optional): Display metadata

If your lookup list includes extra details for each item (metadata), you can show those details beneath each option in search results. 

• For example, if your list includes a county for each school district, search results might look like this:
  • Missoula County Public Schools
    Missoula

• Display metadata: Select which details you want to show beneath each option in search results.
   
• Format metadata: Optional. Controls exactly what appears beneath each option. This field is automatically filled in when you select from the Display metadata dropdown. You can edit it to customize the format — for example, adding punctuation or spaces between content.
  
  💡Tip: Review the “Preview of one value with metadata” section beneath the formatting box to see how your item will appear in the form. 

Step 5 (Optional): Advance Filter 

Click Advance Filter to expand additional settings:

• Set a minimum type-ahead characters: The number of characters someone must type before results start appearing. Defaults to 3. Use the slider to adjust.
   
• Set a search results limit: The maximum number of options displayed in search results at once. Defaults to 10. Use the slider to adjust.

Step 6: Save Changes 

When you’re finished editing the settings, click Done in the bottom-right corner of the panel. 

Related Articles

➡️Create & Manage Global Lookup Lists
➡️Understanding Form Field Types
➡️Add a Form Field
➡️Customize Form Fields










 

What did you think of this article? Please leave a comment below! 
Your feedback helps us improve the experience for everyone.