> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.flowforma.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Category Objects Page > Set up category objects to filter every chart in a category at once, using filter types such as drop lists, multi-pickers, sliders, and date ranges. Category objects let you filter all the charts contained within a category using the same filter options, provided that the charts can connect to objects of the same name within their respective data connections. These category objects, also known as category filters, are set up within the categories panel of the configuration screen. Click the category that you want to add filters to on the left-hand side of the screen. You should see the name of the selected category in the areas highlighted on the following screenshot. Selected category name highlighted on the configuration screen If you've clicked on multiple categories and see something like this, the changes that you make will relate to the highlighted category, in the screenshot below this would be Insurance Dashboard. Multiple categories open with the highlighted category To close extra categories, click the 'Close' icon next to the relevant category. To add category objects to a different category, click on it in the list. For example, to create a new category object in the 'Retail Dashboard' category, click on it. Retail Dashboard category selected After choosing the category, click the **Add** icon in the top right corner of the screen. Add icon in the top right corner The following screen is displayed, showing the data connections and the data objects in those connections. Expand the chevrons or type the object name into the filter field to find and select the object you want to set as a category object. Data connections and data objects selection screen ## Example The following screenshot shows that HR.Job Role has been added to 'My new category'. HR.Job Role added to My new category There are a few different filter types that can be set up on this screen by changing the first drop-down list; descriptions of each filter type are provided below. Filter type drop down list ## Drop List The most used, and default, filter type is the Drop List. This allows the selection of a single item at a time. At the top of the Drop List, there is often an 'All' option. When 'All' is selected this filter is ignored and information for all items in the drop-down list will be displayed. Drop List filter When a single item is selected, an 'EQUALS' filter will be used. ## Multi-Picker This is like a Drop List but allows multiple items to be selected at once. Clicking into the text area opens the Search Panel. You can then either select an item or start typing to search. When using the search field, you can enter any part of a word. The search field uses a 'contains' search, not a 'starts with' search. Multi-Picker search panel Click an item to select it. You can add multiple items by repeating the process. Multiple items selected in Multi-Picker You can remove items from the list by clicking the **Remove** icon next to the selected item. To use the filter with the items you have selected, click the **Apply** button. When creating a Multi-Picker Category Object filter, you can select multiple options in the Default Value field. Multi-Picker Default Value field with multiple options ## Checkboxes Checkboxes work similarly to multi-pickers in that you can select multiple values from the list. As opposed to the multi-picker, all the options are laid out on the category filter panel. This would be a good option to use when the total number of potential options is limited. Checkboxes filter panel ## Images This category object type lets you associate an image with each potential data value, which is then displayed on the category filter tab. Images category object type The images shown for each object should be self-explanatory for the data set they represent, and must be created and stored correctly to work: * Add the images to the logo directory (tomcat/webapps/panMISDashboardResources/images) * The images must be named the same as each data value option they represent. If a selectable value is Male, the name of the image must also be Male. * The file extension defaults to png. The logo directory can be changed by adding a system variable for IMAGE\_REPOSITORY\_DIRECTORY. The file extension can be changed by adding a system variable for IMAGE\_RESOURCE\_EXTENSION. Similar to a Multi-Picker, this option also uses an 'IN' filter. ## Slider This filter type allows you to move a slider to do a 'between' filter on values in the data set. In the following example, data will be filtered to only show details for the period between 31/05/2016 and 11/03/2018. Slider filter ## Number Picker This filter works in the same way as a Drop List but specifically for number-based dimensions. Click the up or down arrow to change the number, or type the number into the field. Click **Apply** to filter the dashboard. Number picker filter This option uses an 'EQUALS' filter. ## Date Range The date range filter must be used on a date object and works by entering from and to dates, or by selecting the dates from a calendar, which are then passed into a 'between' filter on the chart. This option uses a 'BETWEEN' filter. Date Range filter ## Single Date Picker Unlike the date range filter, this option only allows you to select one date value from the data set to filter by. You can either type the date in manually or click the calendar drop-down to select from a calendar. Single Date Picker filter ## Free Text This allows for the use of free text within the filter box. Enter text, as shown below, and click the **Apply** button. Free Text filter This uses a LIKE filter and therefore cannot be used to return specific values, it will also be slower on larger tables. ## Default Value When a 'Default Value' is specified Default Value field the relevant Category Object will be pre-populated with this value when a user clicks the **[Category Objects](/product/flowforma-analytics/using-and-viewing-charts/category-objects)** icon on a Category. Category Object pre-populated with default value The 'Default Value' can be set for the following types of Category Object: * Drop List * Number Picker * Date Range * Single Date Picker * Free Text To specify a 'Default Value', click the drop-down arrow for the relevant Category Object. As of the November 2022 release of the Dashboard, the pop-up panel includes pagination, which improves performance when there are lots of values to display. Default Value pop-up panel with pagination ## Default Value by Index From November 2023, the 'Drop List' category object type also supports defining the default value by index in the list. For this category object type, a dropdown is provided to choose a default value mode (Text or Index). Once the user selects 'Index' as the mode, the index value needs to be entered in the Default Value Index box. Index starts at 0. For example, if the options are 'Test', 'Dev', 'Sales', then index 0 is 'Test' and index 2 is 'Sales'. Default value mode selection with Index option This option to define the default value by index has been added to category objects in the categories panel, and to filter items in the reporting section.