Is there a way to populate both sides of a Dual List from an external value action?

[jberry86]

Within an XaaS form, using a Dual List element, is there a way to populate BOTH sides of the list object?  I can call an external action that returns an array of strings which populates the selectable options, but have not found a way to pre-populate the right side.

I'm trying to create an XaaS form where we control selectable options in another part of vRA.  Ideally, I'd have a Dual List with the available non-already-granted options in the left side, with the right side populated with the values they already have access to.

The other (ugly) method would be two different Dual List elements; an "add these" and a separate "remove these" dual list, and process the results as such. Hoping I can just use a single object, prepopualted with both sides as mentioned, and then parse the submitted results and act accordingly

[lnairn · Accepted solution]

Hi jberry86​,

Yes, you can do that

Look my exmaple:

As you can see, I'm populating both.

For the left-side data, I'm using the "Default Value" settings, calling an external action

For the right-side, I'm using the "values" tab, calling another external action

Is this what your are needing?

Regards,

Leandro.

[lnairn]

Attached the printscreens don't know why the ones I've attached to my previous comments disappeared.

[jberry86]

I did figure out that method (although I believe you have your references flip-flopped; Default Value populated the right-hand side for me, at least in 7.6). I ran into what I believe is a bug for this, although I haven't had the time to open a ticket yet.

When the default values external action takes an input, tied to the value of another field, and that field changes, the default values does not reset. 

Say I have a "Username" dropdown, and that username is passed into the Default Values external action for the dual picklist, and return their email distribution groups they're part of.  When that username changes, and the default values external action re-fires (or maybe it's not refiring at all), the default values selected in the right-hand side retains the first-users values and doesn't reset.  The External Values for the left-hand side DO reset/repopulate as expected.