Updated: March 17, 2021

Selection Controls – Overview

Intro

This article offers guidance on when to use the following selection controls:

Choosing the Right Control

To find the most suitable control for your use case, check out the tables below for each selection type:

For each selection type, you can then determine the best selection control based on how an item is identified and the number of items in the selection list.

Single Selection

Size of selection list:
2 to 12 items

13 to 200 items

200 to 1000 items

More than 1000 items
Item identifiable by:
Item label alone
Select Combo box
with validator that prohibits custom values
Input field + select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
2 text attributes
Combo box
with validator that prohibits custom values
Combo box
with validator that prohibits custom values
Input field + select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
Several attributes (including images)
Input field + select dialog Input field + select dialog Input field + select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
2 fields
Input field + table select dialog Input field + table select dialog Input field + table select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
More than 2 fields
Input field + value help dialog (items) Input field + value help dialog (items) Input field + value help dialog (items) Input field + value help dialog (items)

Multi-Selection

Size of selection list:
2 to 12 items

13 to 200 items

200 to 1000 items

More than 1000 items
Item identifiable by:
Item label alone
Multi-combo box Multi-combo box Multi-input field + select dialog Multi-input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
2 text attributes
Multi-input field + select dialog Multi-input field + select dialog Multi-input field + select dialog Multi-input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
Several attributes (including images)
Multi-input field + select dialog Multi-input field + select dialog Multi-input field + select dialog Multi-input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
2 fields
Multi-input field + table select dialog Multi-input field + table select dialog Multi-input field + table select dialog Multi-input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
More than 2 fields
Multi-input field + value help dialog (items) Multi-input field + value help dialog (items) Multi-input field + value help dialog (items) Multi-input field + value help dialog (items)

Single-Selection or Custom Value

Size of selection list:
2 to 12 items

13 to 200 items

200 to 1000 items

More than 1000 items
Item identifiable by:
Item label alone
Combo box Combo box Input field + select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
2 text attributes
Combo box Combo box Input field + select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
Several attributes (including images)
Input field + select dialog Input field + select dialog Input field + select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
2 fields
Input field + table select dialog Input field + table select dialog Input field + table select dialog Input field + value help dialog (items)
Item identifiable by:
More than 2 fields
Input field + value help dialog (items) Input field + value help dialog (items) Input field + value help dialog (items) Input field + value help dialog (items)
Information
Currently, it is not possible to add custom items with more than one attribute.

Multi-Selection or Conditions

For this scenario, always use:

Multi-input field + value help dialog (items, conditions)

This is independent of the way an item is identified or the size of the selection list.

Resources

Want to dive deeper? Follow the links below to find out more about related controls, the SAPUI5 implementation, and the visual design.

Elements and Controls

Implementation