Additional Choices allow users to select from the item list or catalogue items when building a configuration, even if those items do not already exist as option choices.

When setting up a configurator option, you can specify whether to allow users to select from additional choices. If the selected item already exists as an option choice, that option choice is used in the configuration. If it does not exist, a new option choice is created with minimum default values (e.g., type set to Item, and the number, code, and description sourced from the item). Once created, the choice is saved and available for selection in subsequent configurations.

Set up additional choices

1. Navigate to the Configurator Options page in Business Central.
2. Select the option you want to allow additional choices for.
3. Set the Allow Additional Choices For field to one of the following values (if blank, additional choices are unavailable for the option):
   1. Item: Allows the user to select from the items list.
   2. Catalog Items: Allows the user to select from the catalogue items list; if they make a selection it converts the catalogue item to a regular item.
4. Set the Additional Choices Filter to limit the selection list to a specific subset of records (optional).

If an option is for selecting a color and the available choices are set up as paint items that share an identifiable characteristic (such as an item category code or a keyword in their description), use the Additional Choices Filter to ensure users only see the relevant paint items when making a selection.

How it works

When building a configuration in the BOM Designer page, users can choose the Select from Additional Choices action in the ribbon for any option that has additional choices enabled.

1. A lookup page loads listing records from the configured Allow Additional Choices For source (Items or Catalog Items), filtered by the Additional Choices Filter if one is set.
2. The user selects the desired record.
3. The system checks whether the selected record already exists as an option choice:
   1. If it exists, the existing option choice record is used in the configuration.
   2. If it does not exist, a new option choice is created on the fly and added to the configuration.

Extend Additional Choices

You can extend Additional Choices to support custom business requirements. Events can be found in the IWX Additional Choices Mgmt. codeunit.

For example, to set business-specific default values for the item type option choice created from the additional choice selection, subscribe to the OnAfterInsertOptionChoiceAdditionalChoicesWithItem event. The company also requires all additional choices added to the WIDGET category’s ITEM option to use a specific quantity calculation formula. The formula is the product of the LENGTH and WIDTH options, expressed as LENGTH*WIDTH, and must be entered in the choice’s Quantity Calculation Formula field.