Chart a report by a multi-select custom field

Last update: April 2, 2025

CREATED FOR:

  • User

Rather than building a chart using a multi-select custom field, we recommend that you create separate fields for each option of a multi-select custom field.

Examples of multi-select custom fields are:

  • Checkboxes
  • Multi-select dropdown menus

For information about using text mode, see the article Text Mode overview.

However, if it’s not possible to have separate fields for each option of a multi-select field, you can chart a report by a multi-select custom field by using calculated custom fields to group the choices from the multi-select field first. After that, you can chart the report by the calculated fields.

NOTE
Items that have any of the choices selected are counted only one time.
For example, if you have a Checkbox custom field with Choice 1 and Choice 2 as options, and you attach the form to tasks, the tasks that have both Choice 1 and Choice 2 display in a separate chart element than the tasks that have only Choice 1 or Choice 2 selected.
Tasks that have Choice 1 selected do not display in the same chart element as the tasks which have the Choice 1 and Choice 2 selected.

Access requirements

Expand to view access requirements for the functionality in this article.

You must have the following access to perform the steps in this article:

Adobe Workfront planAny
Adobe Workfront license*

New:

  • Contributor to modify a filter

  • Standard to modify a report

Current:

  • Request to modify a filter

  • Plan to modify a report

Access level configurations

Edit access to Reports, Dashboards, Calendars to modify a report

Edit access to Filters, Views, Groupings to modify a filter

Object permissionsManage permissions to a report

*For information, see Access requirements in Workfront documentation.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you must create a calculated custom field that shows the values selected from the multi-select custom field. For information, see the Build a calculated custom field that references a multi-select custom field section in this article.

Chart a report by multi-select Custom Fields

You cannot build a chart in a report by referencing a multi-select custom field. Instead, you can create a calculated field that records the values of the multi-select custom field on a given object and group by the calculated field.

Build a calculated custom field that references a multi-select custom field

To build a calculated field that references a multi-select custom field, you must have the following prerequisites:

  • A multi-select custom field in a custom form.
    For information about building custom forms and adding custom fields to them, see the article Create a custom form.

  • A custom form with the multi-select custom field attached to objects.

  • Values for the multi-select custom field for each object.

To build the calculated custom field that references the multi-select custom field:

  1. Create a custom form, or edit an existing one.

    For information about creating custom forms, see Create a custom form.

  2. Select the object or objects that you plan to use with the custom form.

  3. Click Add a Field, then Calculated to add the multi-select custom field to the form.

  4. In the Label box, name the new calculated field to indicate that it references the multi-select custom field.

    For example: “Calculated Multi select Field.”

  5. In the Calculation box, enter the following code:

    {DE:Multi-select Custom Field}

    This adds the choices selected in the multi-select custom field to the calculated custom field. For example, if the form is attached to tasks and Choice 1 is selected from the multi-select custom field, the calculated custom field displays the value “Choice 1.” If Choice 1 and Choice 2 are selected for a different task, the calculated custom field displays the value “Choice 1, Choice 2”.

  6. Replace “Multi-select Custom Field” with the actual name of your multi-select custom field, as it appears in Workfront.

    Calculated multi select custom field

  7. (Optional) If the multi-select custom field is already on this form and if this form is already attached to objects, enable the Apply to existing calculations option.

    This ensures that the new calculated field is automatically populated with the value from the multi-select custom field as it is added to the forms already attached to the objects.

  8. Click Apply.

  9. Click Save and Close.

    The calculated custom field is added to the custom form and if the form is currently attached to objects, the field is populated with information from the multi-select custom field.