Manage External Option Lists

External option lists let you manage large sets of options (e.g., occupation codes, university names) as separate Strapi content entries, rather than embedding them inline in a question. The app lazy-loads these lists for better performance.

Prerequisites

• Access to Strapi CMS
• A question of type AUTOSUGGEST or DROPDOWN_SINGLE

Steps

1. Create an option list in Strapi

Navigate to Content Manager > Option list and create a new entry:

Field	Description
name	Unique identifier for the list (e.g., hallescheBerufCodeList)
values	A dynamic zone accepting autocomplete-list or dropdown_single-list components. Each entry has a label (displayed) and value (submitted).

Publish the option list when ready.

2. Link the list to a question

On your AUTOSUGGEST or DROPDOWN_SINGLE question, open the question’s settings. Under props, find the Option List dropdown and select your option list entry. This links the question to the external list.

Both question types support two ways to load external options:

Field	Description
Option List dropdown (props)	Links to an Option list entry in Strapi (preferred for CMS-managed lists)
externalList (props)	Points to a hardcoded list in the app code (legacy, for lists like breeds)

Use the Option List dropdown for new lists.

3. How lazy loading works

The app does not bundle external lists into the main questionnaire file. Instead, lists are loaded on demand when the user reaches the relevant question. Each list is imported dynamically, keeping the initial bundle small.

4. When to use an option list vs inline options

Scenario	Approach
Fewer than ~20 options	Use inline options or mapValue on the question props
20+ options or frequently updated	Use an external Option list via cmsList
Options need search/autocomplete	Use AUTOSUGGEST with cmsList

Tip

For very large lists (hundreds of items), AUTOSUGGEST with search filtering provides a better user experience than DROPDOWN_SINGLE.

Caution

After creating or updating an option list in Strapi, publish the entry and request a content sync. The list JSON files are committed to the repository.

See also

• Question Types — reference for AUTOSUGGEST and DROPDOWN_SINGLE props
• Add Question Types — how to add questions to a questionnaire
• Strapi Content Types — full schema reference for option lists and other content types
• Engineering: Run Sync — syncing updated content to the app