Microsoft Outlook Adaptive Cards – ChoiceSet Not Displaying

Outlook Adaptive Cards are a powerful tool for creating dynamic and interactive emails to improve communication and collaboration. One of the key features of Adaptive Cards is the ability to include dropdown menus using the ChoiceSet element. However, if the Choiceset is missing an ID, the dropdown will not show up, which can cause confusion and frustration for users. In this blog post, we’ll look at this issue and explore how you can ensure your Adaptive Cards are properly configured.

What are ChoiceSets in Adaptive Cards?

ChoiceSets are one of the most useful elements in Adaptive Cards. They allow you to create dropdown menus that users can interact with to select a value or an option. ChoiceSets are used to display a list of options, and the user can choose one option from the list. When a user selects an option, the Adaptive Card sends the selected value to the server or the application.

Each option in a ChoiceSet is defined using the Choice element. The Choice element has two required attributes: title and value. The title attribute is the text displayed in the dropdown, and the value attribute is the value sent to the server or application when the user selects an option.

What happens when the ID is missing in the ChoiceSet?

The dropdown menu will not be displayed when the ID attribute is missing in the ChoiceSet element. The ID attribute is a required attribute for ChoiceSets, and its absence means that the Adaptive Card cannot display the list of options to the user. When using http://adaptivecards.io/designer, and you add an Input.ChoiceSet, please note that the Id isn’t required, but should be populated.

This can be frustrating for users, as they may not understand why the dropdown menu is not appearing. They may also assume that the Adaptive Card is broken or not functioning as intended, which can lead to a negative user experience.

How to ensure your Adaptive Cards are properly configured

To avoid this issue, it is important to ensure that your Adaptive Cards are properly configured with the required attributes for each element. When creating an Adaptive Card with a Choiceset, you should make sure that the ID attribute is included in the ChoiceSet element.

Here is an example of a properly configured ChoiceSet element:

json

{
"type": "Input.ChoiceSet",
"id": "myDropdown",
"label": "Select a value",
"choices": [
    {
    "title": "Option 1",
    "value": "1"
    },
    {"title": "Option 2",
    "value": "2"
    },
    {
    "title": "Option 3",
    "value": "3"
    }
  ]
}

In this example, the ID attribute is included in the Choiceset element, which ensures that the dropdown menu will be displayed to the user.

Conclusion

Adaptive Cards are a powerful tool for creating dynamic and interactive emails in Outlook. However, ensuring that your Adaptive Cards are properly configured with the required attributes for each element is important. In particular, the ChoiceSet element must include the ID attribute in order for the dropdown menu to be displayed to the user. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your Adaptive Cards are user-friendly and provide a positive user experience.