Merge actions for fields and groups

The following merge actions vary, depending on the data type of the field or group.

When you configure merge settings for any type of field or group, you can either choose to ignore the values in the source forms and keep the values in the target form, or choose a custom merge setting. The following table describes the custom merge settings for each type of field or group.

Field or group type	Available merge settings	Examples of controls that can be bound to this field type
Non-repeating field	Combine the value in the target form with the values from the source forms Ignore blank fields Add a separator between items Add a prefix to each item	Text box Drop-down list box Combo box
Repeating field	Insert the values from the source forms before or after the value in the target form Remove blank fields	Bulleted list Numbered list Plain list Multiple-selection list box
Non-repeating XHTML field	Combine the value in the target form with the values from the source forms Ignore blank fields Add a separator between items Add a prefix to each item and format the prefix text	Rich text box
Repeating XHTML field	Insert the values from the source forms before or after the value in the target form Remove blank fields	Bulleted list Numbered list Plain list Repeating table
Attribute field	Replace the value in the target form with the value from the source form If a user selects multiple forms, the value from the last form that the user selects will be the value that is preserved in the target form. For example, if a user selects three forms, starting with Bob's, then selects Judy's, and then Nate's, the data from the attribute field that is in Nate's form will replace the original value in the target form. Note: Depending on the operating system of the person who merges forms, the preserved value may differ. Combine the value in the target form with the values from the source forms Ignore blank fields Add a separator between items Add a prefix to each item	Any control can have an attribute field type.
Non-repeating group	Combine the value in the target form with the values from the source forms	Section Optional section
Repeating group	Insert the values from the source forms before or after the value in the target form Remove blank fields	Bulleted list Numbered list Plain list Multiple-selection list box Repeating table