Koha Question of the Week: Can a Drop Down Menu in Koha be Changed?

by Kelly McElligott on Sep 16, 2022

Each Friday, we will bring you a new Koha Question of the Week. We will select real questions that we receive and share the answers with you!

Question: Can a Drop Down Menu in Koha be Changed?

Answer: Yes! In this specific question, a library was talking about the options that appear in the Claims Return Module. When checking in an item that has been claimed returned, the default values in the drop-down menu are: found in a library or returned by the patron. If a library would like to add more values to this dropdown, they can! The majority (if not all) drop-down menus that are found in Koha are customizable through the Authorized Value function found in Administration.

In the example above, we can go to the Administration Module, choose Authorized Values, and find the value we would like to edit. In this case, it is called, RETURN_CLAIM_RESOLUTION. There are 55 authorized values by default in Koha, but a library can add their own! If you are unsure of which authorized value you are looking to edit, there is a description next to the code, which should assist you to find the right one. Also, here is a helpful link to the Koha manual, which can also help!

The next steps (if adding a new value to appear in the drop-down)

1. Add new authorized value for "Return_claim_resolution

2. Give it a code (this should be 10 characters or less and include no spaces and special characters) for example: INBIN

3. Add a description for both the staff side and OPAC, this has no limits on what can be added here, go wild. for example: Found in the Outdoor Bin

4. If this value is specific to a library, choose the library from the branches listed.

5. Click Save.

Now when you check in a claimed item, there will be a new value in the drop-down.

From the Authorized Value function, a library can also edit an existing Authorized Value description (not the code) and also edit the branch limitation.

Additional Resources

Monday Minutes: Authorized Values

New Director: Authorized Values