Salesforce Checkbox to Picklist

In this Salesforce tutorial, we will learn how to change the checkbox to the picklist field in Salesforce. Picklist is a drop-down field that provides the users with a predefined set of values and from this picklist, we can select one or more values. A picklist is used in Salesforce to ensure data consistency and accuracy for a particular field.

Let’s take an example to clearly understand How to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce. There is a retail company that controls its product inventory by using Salesforce. They have a checkbox field called Product Availability with two options Available and Unavailable to specify the availability status of their product.

As the growth of the company increases and the company expands its product offering, they notice that they need large things to trace product availability. They need to classify products based on their availability status and not just available or out-of-stock but the customer also specifies reasons for unavailability.

To mark their requirements the company decided to replace the available product checkbox with the available status picklist field. The available status picklist involves In-Stock, Out of Stock, Low Stock, etc.

If you want to learn the process of how to change the checkbox to picklist field type you have come to the right place and we learn this topic in both the editions in Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic.

How to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Lightning

Here we will learn how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Lightning. For example, Suppose there is a company that uses Salesforce and provides Software development services. This company uses Salesforce to control its projects. At the start, they had a simple checkbox field whose name is Project Status which has two options.

The first one is Active and the other one is inactive these options are used to track the status of their project. As the company’s growth is increasing, they found that they needed more detailed information related to the project statuses.

They desired to differentiate between the various project statuses like Planning Development, Testing, and completion to get a better understanding of their project and for doing this they get accurate reports.

If you want to learn how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Lightning, follow these steps:

Step-1: First, log into the Salesforce account by simply entering their username and password. When we logged in to the Salesforce account we could see that the Salesforce Lightning version is open. Here we can see how to change the checkbox to a picklist field type.

For this, we can click on the gear icon that is present at the top right corner, and under this gear icon, there are two options. The first one is Setup and the other one is service setup. Click on the Setup option.

After clicking on the Setup option, the Setup page is open and under this Setup page, we can see that the two tabs are present on the nav bar. The First tab is a Home tab and the other tab is the Object Manager tab. Click on the Object Manager tab.

Step-2: The Object Manager page is open. Under this object manager tab, lots of objects are present, Select one of the objects and we can also choose our object by simply entering the object in the search box and here we are entering the project in the search box.

The Project comes at the top we search in the search box, and select the project object from the object manager page.

Step-3: After clicking on the project object, the project object page is open and under this page, we can see the details related to the object. And on the left side of the Project object page, we can see the Fields and Relationships option. Click on the Fields and Relationship option.

Step-4: After clicking on the Field and Relationship option, the Fields and Relationships page is open and under this fields and relationships page we can see that there is a Project Status checkbox field type which is already created. But we want to change this checkbox field to a picklist field. Click on this Project Status Field.

Step-5: The Project Status page is open and here we can see that the custom field definition details are present.

Here we can edit, set the field level security, view field accessibility and where is this used by simply clicking on the button. Here we want to edit this Project Status field, so we click on the edit button.

Step-6: After clicking on the edit button, the edit project custom field project status page is open. Here we want to change the project status checkbox field to the picklist field. So for this, we click on the Change Field Type button.

Step-7: After clicking on the change field type button, the pop-up message comes at the top of the page and this pop-up message shows Changing to the selected datatype will cause you to lose all existing data in this field after reading this pop-up message carefully click on the ok button if we want to change the field.

Step-8: After clicking on the ok button, the picklist field type is selected allowing the users to select a value from a list we define. After selecting the picklist checkbox click on the next button.

Step-9: After selecting the field type now we can enter the details related to the field. First, fill the Field Label by simply entering the name inside the field label and here we are entering the Project Status and then enter the values, with each value separated by a new line.

Here we are entering the three values. Planning development, testing, and completion, and then click on the save button.

Step-10: After clicking on the Sales, the Sales page is open. Under this Sales page, there are lots of objects present on the nav bar and we are selecting one of the objects. Here we are selecting the Project object.

After clicking on the project object, the project page is opened. Under this page, the record is saved. Here we want to create a new project, To create the new project record click on the new button that is present in the right top corner.

After clicking on the new button, the new project dialogue box is open. Here we can fill the information related to the project. First, fill the Project USA Name and then select the Project Status, there are three options to select the Project status.

Step-11: Here we are selecting the Project Status as Planning Development after selecting that for saving this record click on the save button. This save button is present at the bottom of the dialogue box.

Step-12: After clicking on the save button, the Project Email Verification System records are created successfully and the detail related to Project Email Verification System records is present under the details section.

In this way, we understand how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Lightning. Let’s Proceed further and learn how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Classic.

How to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Classic

Here we will learn how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Classic. Let’s take an example to understand it clearly, Suppose there is a university that uses Salesforce to control student applications.

Originally they had a checkbox field called the Application Status and this checkbox field contains two options only. The first option is Submitted and the second option is Not submitted these two options can track the status of the student application which can be handled by the university admission office.

As the academic programs are expanded by the university they wanted to give more clarity to the applicants and they realized that they could give more details in the application status tracking system.

For this, they changed their checkbox field to the picklist field by simply clicking on the change field type option that is present under the field that we selected by the field and relationship page. This field and relationship option are present on the left side of the object page.

If you want to learn how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Classic, follow these steps:

Step-1: When we log into the Salesforce account, the Salesforce Lightning version is open but we want to work on the Salesforce Classic account. To move to the Salesforce Classic account, click on the profile picture.

The Profile picture drop-down menu is open, under this drop-down menu, there is an option to switch to the Salesforce Classic version. Click on the switch to the Salesforce Classic version. Our Salesforce Classic org is open.

Under this classic org at the top right corner, we can see that the username is present. Click on the drop-down arrow of the username. After clicking on the drop-down arrow the drop-down list is open. Under this drop-down list, we can see that the Setup option is present. Select the Setup option.

Step-2: The Setup page is open, After clicking on the Setup option. Now scroll to the bottom of the page, On the left side we can see that there is an object option that is present under Create, This object option is seen after clicking on the drop-down arrow of Create the drop-down list is open. Click on the objects option.

If the objects option is not shown this way enter the objects in the search box the objects option comes at the top. Now we can select the object option by simply clicking on it.

Step-3: After clicking on the objects option, the objects page is open. Under this page, we can see that lots of objects are present, select one of the objects. Here we are selecting the Student Application object.

Step-4: After clicking on the Student Application object, the Student Application object page is open and under this page, there are custom fields and Relationships section present Scroll to the bottom of the page we can see this section.

Under this section, we can see that an Application Statis checkbox field is already created. Click on this Application Status field.

Step-5: After clicking on the Application Status, the application Status field page is open. Here we can see that the detail related to the Application Statis custom field for editing this detail we can click on the edit button that is present at the top of the page.

Step-6: When we click on the edit button, the edit student application custom field application status page is open and under this page, we can see the custom field definition edit information.

Here we want to change the Application Status checkbox field to the picklist field. So for this, we click on the Change Field Type button.

Step-7: After clicking on the change field type button, the edit student application custom field application status page is open. Here we can see the field type and select the field type that we want to change.

Here we want to change the checkbox field type to picklist, When we click on the picklist field the pop-up message comes at the top of the page and this pop-up message shows Changing to the selected datatype will cause you to lose all existing data in this field after reading this pop-up message carefully click on the ok button if we want to change the field.

Step-8: After clicking on the ok button, the picklist field type is selected allowing the users to select a value from a list we define. After selecting the picklist checkbox click on the next button.

Step-9: After selecting the field type now we can enter the details related to the field. First, fill the Field Label by simply entering the name inside the field label and here we are changing the field label from Application Status to Application Progress.

When the Field label is changed the pop-up message comes at the top of the page Be careful when changing the label as it may affect existing merge templates read the message carefully and then click on the ok button.

After clicking on the ok button our Field Label is changed and after that, if we change the Field name it also shows the same message, and our field name is also changed.

Step-10: After filling the field label, we enter the Application Progress and then enter the values, with each value separated by a new line.

Here we are entering the six values. Not Started, In Progress, Submitted, Under Review, Accepted, Rejected, after that Fill the field name as Application_Progress and then click on the save button.

Step-11: After clicking on the save button, the Application Progress custom picklist field is changed successfully to the application Status checkbox field and shown under the custom fields and relationships section.

Step-12: After saving the button, go to the setup page again. Here we can see on the nav bar lots of objects are present. Here we are selecting the Student application object.

If the student application object is not shown on the nav bar then click on the drop-down arrow of the nav bar and the drop-down list is open under this list we can see that the student application object is present.

Click on the Student application object and the student application object page is open. Under this page we can see no record is present for creating the new record click on the new button. The new student application page is open and here we can fill the student application information.

First, fill the Student application name and here we are filling the student application name as the Blackboard app after that select the application progress and we can select the application progress from the drop-down list.

Step-13: Here we are selecting the In Progress Application Progress from the drop-down list and clicking on the save button that is present at the top and the bottom of the page.

Step-14: After clicking on the save button, the Student Application name Blackboard app records are created successfully and the detail related to the Student Application name Blackboard app records is present under the details section.

Here we can edit, delete, clone, and share this student application record by simply clicking on the button.

So, with this, we have learned how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Classic.

Conclusion:

In this tutorial, we learn to change the checkbox to a picklist with a simple step we use the fields and relationships option and choose the checkbox field that we already created.

Then click on the change field type button to change the field and then change the checkbox field to the picklist field by clicking on the ok button that is present on the pop-up message that comes at the top of the page and our field is changed from checkbox to picklist.

I hope you read the complete article and get the complete idea related to how to change the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce.  I have also explained all the steps of changing the checkbox to picklist field type in Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Classic.

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