How can I add a list to Infopath drop down?

Question

I have a list of values in excel/notepad that I'd like to use as the values for a Infopath drop down. Is there a way I can bulk add them rather than adding one at a time?

Answer 1

The easiest way to do this is to convert your list into an xml file. You could do this easily by:

1. open your list in excel in column A
2. in column B use for formula =CONCATENATE("<item>",A1,"</item>") and fill it down for each item on your list. This creates a column that has each item wrapped in <item> tags.
3. Copy this column into an xml file and put <items> at the top and </items> at the bottom. The text file should now look like this:

<items>
<item>item1</item>
<item>item2</item>
<item>item3</item>
<item>item4</item>
<item>item5</item>
<item>item6</item>
</items>

4. Save the text file as "items.xml"
5. In InfoPath, specify 'look up values from external data source' and add the xml file as an external data source included in the form.
   
6. select the "item" tag as the repeating field
   
7. then you're done. to add/edit items in the dropdown list, just edit the xml file. works for any number of items.