# Parameterised alternatives

## Apply alternatives

This function is used in conjunction with the Parameterisation facility in the selection process. The example below illustrates how a user might be presented with a query that allows you to select a person’s location by Town or alternatively by Region.

This would first require you to create two separate selections that parameterise the two alternative selectors, Town and Region. See [Parameterised selections](<https://help.apteco.com/en/faststats/analysis/selections/parameterised-selection/index.md>) for further details.

1. Right click on Town? and choose **Apply Alternatives...** from the pop-up menu.

   The options are:

   | Item | Description |
   | --- | --- |
   | **Name** | This is the description given to the parameterised item. You can override the default. |
   | **Prompt Title** | This is the wording the user will see to prompt their action. You can override the default. |
   | **Alternatives** | These are the options that will be presented to the user to choose from. |
   | **Optional Substitution** | Ticking this box will activate the Remove from selection tick box on the Substitution Values window. |
2. Drag the second parameterised selection (Region) onto the **Alternatives** drop zone and then complete the remaining options as shown in the screen shot below. Click **OK**.
3. Click the Build button to see the alternatives displayed.
4. Choose the selector to use and click **OK**. The pick list will be presented and the relevant categories can be selected.
5. From the **Cover** page click on the **Substitutions** tab.

   To use this selection again you may want to set the **Behaviour** of how the user interacts with the selection(s):

   - **Always Ask:** Any previously selected parameter(s) will remain checked, but every time the selection is used, the user will be prompted to see if a parameter needs to be changed.
   - **Always Clear &amp; Ask:** Any previously selected parameter(s) will be cleared and every time the selection is used, the user will be prompted to select a parameter.
   - **Ask Once:** The user will only be prompted once to change the parameter.
   - **Remove:** This option will ignore the parameterised part of the selection.
6. To change the **Location** selector to be used click on the Build button again. This will redisplay the **Alternatives** window.
7. Change the values and click on the **OK** button to see the new result.