What does the 'Hidden' checkbox to in the Option Set "Additional Properties" section?

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Posted on by snoek

Working on hiding older options that are no longer used within an Option Set (Choice) field. Typically I'd use just another webresource/Javascript to hide older options, but recently noticed that in the Additional Properties area for each choice, there's a checkbox called Hidden.

Does anyone have any insight as to what this does? At first, I was praising Microsoft for finally adding an easy way to hide a choice within an Option Set field without using JS, but after checking it, publishing, etc., I realized those "hidden" choices still appear on the form.

Any insight would be helpful, thank you!

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Daivat Vartak (v-9d... 7,833 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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What does the 'Hidden' checkbox to in the Option Set "Additional Properties" section?

Hello snoek,

You've discovered the "Hidden" checkbox within the Option Set (Choice) field's additional properties, and you're right to question its functionality. It's not immediately obvious how this checkbox works, and it doesn't behave as many would expect.

Here's the insight you're looking for:

The "Hidden" Checkbox and Its Purpose:

Not for Form-Level Hiding: The "Hidden" checkbox does not hide the option from the form's dropdown or lookup controls. It does not control the options that users can select.

Purpose: The "Hidden" checkbox is primarily intended for use in model-driven app views and charts.

When you mark an option as "Hidden," it will be excluded from the values displayed in views and charts that use the Option Set field.

This is to help clean up and simplify data visualizations by removing irrelevant or obsolete options.

Why It Doesn't Hide on Forms:

The design philosophy behind this is likely to maintain data integrity.

Hiding options on forms could lead to inconsistencies if existing records still have those values assigned.

It is more about cleaning up the display of data, and not about restricting data entry.

Why Your JavaScript Approach Remains Relevant:

Form-Level Hiding: If you need to hide options from the dropdown or lookup controls on forms, JavaScript is still the most reliable and supported method.

Dynamic Hiding: JavaScript allows you to dynamically hide options based on specific conditions, which is not possible with the "Hidden" checkbox.

JavaScript Approach (Refresher):

If you are unfamiliar, here is a quick overview of how to hide options using Javascript.

Get the Control:

Use formContext.getControl("your_optionset_field") to get the Option Set control.

Remove Options:

Use removeOption(value) to remove specific options from the control.

value is the integer value of the option you want to remove.

Example:

function hideOptions(executionContext) {
var formContext = executionContext.getFormContext();
var optionsetControl = formContext.getControl("your_optionset_field");

if (optionsetControl) {
optionsetControl.removeOption(1); // Remove option with value 1
optionsetControl.removeOption(3); // Remove option with value 3
}

}

Key Takeaways:

The "Hidden" checkbox is for views and charts, not forms.

JavaScript is still the method for form-level hiding of Option Set options.

When hiding options, be aware of existing data and potential inconsistencies.

I hope this clarifies the purpose of the "Hidden" checkbox and confirms that your JavaScript approach is still essential for form-level control.

If my answer was helpful, please click Like, and if it solved your problem, please mark it as verified to help other community members find more. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.

My response was crafted with AI assistance and tailored to provide detailed and actionable guidance for your Microsoft Dynamics 365 query.

Regards,

Daivat Vartak

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ttangelder 18 on at

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What does the 'Hidden' checkbox to in the Option Set "Additional Properties" section?

I also stumbled across this option today. Either Microsoft changed something in the last three weeks, or I am experiencing other behavior.

For me it does work like I expect and that's different behavior than you experienced.

It does hide the option when you create new records, or try to change an option, other than the hidden option, on an existing record. So this hides it for future records.

And when the hidden option was selected on a older record, and you open that record, you do see the old value. This leaves old data intact. You can decide off course to "migrate" to another option set value. However, if you do that for all records, you can just as well delete the option value and not hide it.

You can also still see the old value in views and can export it.

This seems to work fine to hide options completely.

Like Daivat mentions, to hide options conditionally, JavaScript is still needed.

In screenshots:

Record with old option selected, before hiding:

That same record after hiding. Greyed out. I can switch to any other option, but cannot switch back to the greyed-out option.

After saving and refreshing, the old hidden option is also no longer visible:

So for me that works as I expect: hide old options, but keep those options on old records for history purposes.

Cheers,
Toby

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