# Multiselect Dropdown

### i. Enable Multiselect from web portal

1. Click on the `+` button to add a new column.
2. Provide column `Name` and `Type` = `Select`.

<figure><img src="https://3446432046-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FdcNtx1PbzBQcufHhuySW%2Fuploads%2Fo0P9PN0pwZh4B1qNhsIQ%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=ff0d06a9-11e0-4af1-a406-f621a4ad1702" alt=""><figcaption><p>Add Select Column</p></figcaption></figure>

3. Click on `Validations`.

<figure><img src="https://3446432046-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FdcNtx1PbzBQcufHhuySW%2Fuploads%2FdX7516ALPjA0f6KvXx9s%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=25cc0b02-7925-4cfd-a27f-487b95ad2779" alt=""><figcaption><p>Multiselect Validations</p></figcaption></figure>

4. We can provide allowed values in `Select Values`.
5. We can also enable Multi Select for select column. Which allows user to select multiple values in the cell.

<figure><img src="https://3446432046-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FdcNtx1PbzBQcufHhuySW%2Fuploads%2FZvrZauZmUxQN3AWvtN6V%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=1404f7d6-2782-4262-9465-3b78a000ab56" alt=""><figcaption><p>Specifying Delimiter</p></figcaption></figure>

6. Additionally we can sepcify `,` or `;` as delimiter for multi-select values.

### iii. Enabling Multiselect Dropdown using [Runtime Schema](https://docs.impler.io/features/runtime-schema)

We can enable the Multiselect feature by providing a custom schema with the `allowMultiSelect` flag in our frontend code.

```javascript
showWidget({
  schema: [
    {
      key: 'choice',
      name: 'Eating Choice',
      type: 'Select',
      selectValues: ['Fruit', 'Vegetables', 'Nuts'],
      allowMultiSelect: true,
      delimiter: ';'
    }
  ]
});

```

## Sample file generation and format

Impler creates `.xlsx` and `.xlsm` files based on the columns' configuration:

* **.xlsx File**: Generated if no columns have Multiselect enabled.
* **.xlsm File**: Generated if any column has Multiselect enabled.

### Writing in .xlsm Files

When a column is marked as Multiselect, Impler appends `#MULTI` to the end of the column name in the Excel file. This allows users to select multiple options in the cell.

For detailed steps on how to write in `.xlsm` files refer to [writing-effectively-into-.xlsm-files](https://docs.impler.io/additional-resources/writing-effectively-into-.xlsm-files "mention").

## Data Format

Columns with the Multiselect feature will send an array of selected values when sent to application [using-webhook](https://docs.impler.io/data-retrieval/using-webhook "mention") or [using-frontend-callback](https://docs.impler.io/data-retrieval/using-frontend-callback "mention").

***

If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments. Feel free to reach out to us over [**Discord**](https://discord.impler.io). We’re constantly improving to deliver the best Data Importer for your product, and we value your input.