Auto-Suggestion Fields in X-CD are designed to help administrators maintain clean, standardized data across all modules. Instead of allowing users to input multiple variations of the same value (e.g., “UC Berkeley,” “University of California Berkeley,” “Cal Berkeley”), Auto-Suggestion Fields ensure that everyone selects from a consistent, pre-approved list of values.
This tool is especially valuable in areas such as:
Institution / Organization names
Companies (for disclosures or affiliations)
Countries
Other form-based data fields prone to duplication or typos
By implementing Auto-Suggestion Fields, you eliminate messy, inconsistent, or misspelled entries and keep your database standardized, searchable, and reliable over time.
You can manage Auto-Suggestion categories directly from your admin dashboard:
Dashboard → System Tools → Auto-Suggestion Fields
From here, you can add new categories, update existing ones, and import or export lists of values.
When creating a new category, you’ll be prompted to configure several settings to control how users interact with your list.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Category Title | The name of your Auto-Suggestion category (e.g., “Institutions,” “Companies,” “Countries”). |
| User Able To Add Own Values | Choose Yes if you want end users to add new values that aren’t currently in your list. Choose No to restrict entries to your pre-approved dataset. |
| User Able To Select Multiple Values | Allows users to select more than one value (useful for fields like “Affiliated Organizations”). |
| New Values Are Auto-Approved | When set to Yes, any user-submitted values will automatically be added to your master list. When set to No, admin approval is required before new entries are added. |
| Email Admin On New Value | Automatically notify an administrator when a new value is submitted. |
| Email List | Specify which email(s) should receive notifications for new submissions. |
To start off on the right foot, we recommend importing a cleaned, standardized list of values from your existing database before enabling the field for end users.
For example, if you’re creating an “Institution” Auto-Suggestion category:
Export recent institutional data from your contact records.
Clean and standardize the values (e.g., fix typos, merge duplicates).
Import this list into your new Auto-Suggestion category.
This ensures that your users start with a high-quality dataset, maintaining integrity from day one.
Let’s say your preferred database value is “University of California, Berkeley.”
When a user begins typing “Berkeley”, the Auto-Suggestion Field will display your standardized entry:
University of California, Berkeley
This prevents users from entering variations such as:
UC Berkeley
Berkeley University
Cal Berkeley
UCB
Instead, your data remains perfectly consistent—making reporting, analytics, and integrations far more accurate and efficient.
Start clean: Always begin with a deduplicated, verified list.
Review new entries periodically: If allowing user-submitted values, audit them occasionally to prevent drift.
Use across forms: Apply Auto-Suggestion Fields wherever free-text data can become inconsistent (institutions, sponsors, countries, etc.).
Keep notifications on: If quality control is important, enable admin email alerts for new submissions.
Auto-Suggestion Fields are one of the simplest yet most effective tools for maintaining data integrity within your X-CD system. By controlling the inputs that flow into your forms and databases, you prevent years of accumulated inconsistencies—saving time and ensuring cleaner reporting, smoother integrations, and better user experiences.