In this article, we will help you understand Configuring Lookup Fields with Lists 2.0.
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Overview
The Lists 2.0 menu is aimed at modernizing the way reusable dropdown values are managed across your Nimblework workspace. Traditionally, administrators and project managers used the Master Lists interface to define static dropdown values. Lists 2.0 enhances this concept by leveraging the flexibility and consistency of Form 2.0. By creating a List-type form, users can now define structured sets of options, like country codes, departments, or product types, through a cleaner, more intuitive form-driven approach.
Each list behaves like a simplified, focused form that is optimized for capturing and managing these values. Lists 2.0 makes it easier to govern dropdown data both at the project and enterprise level while improving usability, reusability, and traceability.
This menu displays only those forms that you create in Forms 2.0 by setting the Type = List. These forms are specifically configured to function as reusable dropdown data sources rather than standard interactive forms. You can use this interface to manage the instance values that power dropdown fields.
This article outlines the purpose and usage of Lists 2.0, differences from Master Lists, how to define and manage list instances, and how these lists integrate into other forms.
Navigation
Navigate to the project, hover over the top breadcrumb, expand the Configure module, and select Lists 2.0.
Why It Matters
- Replaces traditional Master Lists with a more robust and scalable system.
- Integrates with the Form 2.0 model, keeping user experience consistent.
- Allows dropdown values to be centrally defined and reused across forms.
- Improves governance with project vs. enterprise-level controls.
- Supports faster configuration and future automation.
How It Works
Step 1: Create a List-Type Form
- To learn more about how to create a List-type form, click here.
- Once published, List-type forms do not appear under any menu like Form-type forms. Instead, they appear exclusively in Lists 2.0.
Step 2: Manage List Instances
The Lists 2.0 menu displays all the List-type forms that have been published via the Form 2.0. Each List-type form listed here allows you to define and maintain its dropdown entries/options. These options form the selectable values that appear in Lookup fields when configuring other forms. In essence, Lists 2.0 centralizes the management of dropdown data for consistency, traceability, and ease of reuse.
Within Lists 2.0:
- You’ll see a table listing all List-type forms created for your current project.
- Each row in this table corresponds to one List-type form (e.g., Countries, Departments, Priorities).
- To manage a list, click on its row. This opens a dedicated view, much like a Workitem Listing page, for maintaining its values.
- Click the Add button to create a new instance. For example, for a Country list, an entry might be: India with code IND.
- Each entry (or row) represents a single option that users can select via a dropdown field in other forms.
The interface provides an intuitive way to maintain your dropdown lists without switching between different configuration areas. It’s optimized to make editing quick and controlled, depending on the origin of the list (project or enterprise).
Example:
List-type Form: Countries
Instance entries: India (IND), Japan (JAP), Australia (AUS), Germany (GER), Canada (CAN) and more
Think of this screen as a spreadsheet-like grid where each row is a predefined option that appears in a dropdown field when referenced by other forms.
Each change to a list (like adding or removing an instance) dynamically updates the available options in any form using that list via a Lookup field.
Some other examples can be:
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Payment Method List: Credit Card, PayPal, Bank Transfer, Cash, Check, Cryptocurrency, etc.
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Issue Type List: Bug, Enhancement, Task, Feature Request, Incident, Support, etc.
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Location List: New York, London, Bangalore, Sydney, Tokyo, Paris, etc
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Employee Type List: Full-Time, Part-Time, Contract, Intern, Freelance, Temporary, etc.
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Region List: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, etc.
How to Use List Values in Forms
Once your list is configured, you can use its entries in any Form-type form:
- Create or edit a Form-type form. Learn more
- Add a new field and select Lookup from the advanced field types. Learn more.
- Set the data source to your desired List-type form.
- Once published, the form field will display dropdown options from Lists 2.0.
Example:
Form: Vendor Onboarding
Lookup field: Country
Values: Pulled from List-type form Country List (India, France, Japan, etc.)
Imagine a Project Manager wants to allow users to select a country in a Vendor Onboarding form via a dropdown. Instead of configuring this manually or relying on legacy Master Lists, they use Lists 2.0 to streamline it.
Think of the Lists 2.0 interface like a spreadsheet: each row is a country, and each column can hold values like name, abbreviation, or custom metadata. These rows become selectable options in a dropdown menu elsewhere in the system. Now, whenever a Lookup field references the Countries list, users will see the exact values defined here. If the Project Manager later adds “France (FRA),” that option appears instantly in every connected form.
This makes dropdown lists dynamic and maintainable.
