Event Types in EarthRanger can use dropdown fields to record details about an activity, like the species seen or the type of activity. The same list of choices can be reused across multiple dropdown fields across Event Types. Edit a choice list once, and the change applies everywhere that list is used.

This page walks through locating the choice list behind an Event field, adding or updating choices individually or in bulk via CSV import and safely editing and disabling existing choices without breaking historical Event data.

Understanding Events and Event Types

In EarthRanger:

• Events are user-facing entries in the application where a specific activity / situation is recorded.
• Event Types are administrative classifications that configure and organize these activities.

Changes to Event Types in the administration interface directly impact the dropdown choices users see when creating or editing Events.
 

Step 1: Locate the Choice Field to Modify

1. In the EarthRanger Administration website, navigate to Activity > Event Types & Categories.
2. Select the Event Type which contains the choice list you want to modify (e.g., Human-Wildlife Contact).
3. Open the Event Form details page for this Event Type, click the field which uses the dropdown choice list you wish to update (e.g., "Species"). 

4. Under the Choice List menu, identify the list of choices that is used in this Choice List field, e.g. in the following example the choice list field value is `hwcrep_species`:

Step 2: Modify or Add Choices in the Dropdown Menu

You can add or update dropdown choices in two ways: by importing a CSV file (recommended for bulk changes) or by creating and editing choices one by one.
 

Option A: Import Choices from a CSV File

Use this option when adding or updating multiple choices at once.

1. In the EarthRanger Admin site, navigate to: Choices > Choices
2. Click Import choices from CSV in the top right.
3. On the import page, click Download CSV Template to download choice_import_template.csv. Open the file and fill in your choices following the column guide below.
4. Complete the CSV columns as follows:

Note: If a choice with the same model, field, and value already exists, it will be updated rather than duplicated. All rows are validated before any data is imported — if any row contains an error, no changes will be saved. Errors are reported by row number.

5. Upload your completed CSV file and click Import.
6. Review any validation errors reported and correct your file if needed before re-importing.

Option B: Add or Edit Choices One by One

Use this option when adding or updating a small number of choices individually.
To add a new choice:

1. In the EarthRanger Admin panel, navigate to: Choices > Choices
2. Click Add Choice.
3. Complete the fields as follows:
   1. Id: Accept the autogenerated value.
   2. Model: Enter activity.event
   3. Field: Enter the Choice Field identifier from Step 1 (e.g., wildlifesightingrep_species).
   4. Value: Enter a lowercase, no-spaces identifier for the new option (e.g., vervet_monkey).
   5. Display: Enter how you want the choice to appear in the dropdown.
   6. Ordernum: Specify a display order with a numerical value. Lower values appear higher in the list. If all choices share the same Ordernum, they will be listed alphabetically.
4. Click Save.

To edit an existing choice

1. In the EarthRanger Admin panel, go to Choices > Choices
2. Use the Search box to enter the Choice Field identifier you'd like to edit the choice options for Step 1 (e.g., "hwcrep_species") and press the Search button. This will filter the list to show all choice values related to this Choice Field identifier
3. Select the choice you want to edit.
4. Update the Display text or Ordernum as needed.
5. Click Save

Disabling Dropdown Choices

Rather than deleting a choice, disable it to make it unavailable for new Events while preserving it in past Events.

To disable choices one by one:

1. In the EarthRanger Admin panel, navigate to: Choices > Choices
2. Search for the relevant Choice Field or specific choice.
3. Select the checkbox for the choice(s) you want to disable.
4. From the Action dropdown, select Disable selected choices and click Go.

To disable choices via CSV import:

In your CSV file, set is_active to false for any choice you want to disable. When imported, those choices will be deactivated without being deleted.

Disabled choices no longer appear in the dropdown for new Events but remain visible in past Events where they were selected. To view disabled choices, click Inactive Choices at the top of the Choices page.

Step 3: Verify the Dropdown Changes in Events

To confirm the changes in EarthRanger:

1. Refresh the EarthRanger web application
2. Create a new Event of the type you modified (e.g., Human Wildlife Contact)
3. Check the dropdown to confirm the new choices display as configured
    

Following these steps allows administrators to customize Event dropdown choices to reflect site-specific classifications and improve usability for EarthRanger users.