# The Multi-Value Delimiter, Fields and Preference Lists

Various functionality in Yate changes by the presense of a multi-value delimiter in a field. For reasons of brevity we'll be using the default value of ;;; when referring to the multi-value delimiter. The major areas affected when ;;; is in a field are:

Autocompletes
  When a field is associated with a preference list, only the text following the last ;;; sequence is autocompleted.
Selecting a list item from a popup menu
  Any item chosen from the popup menu will be added to the end of the field. A ;;; sequence will be inserted if required.
List Items Containing Text in Field
  This functionality can be accessed from a field's function button, from the Edit menu and via a keyboard shortcut. When an item is selected from the displayed popup menu, only the text following the last ;;; sequence is overwritten.
Manually adding or removing items from a preference list
  Each item delimited by a ;;; sequence is added or removed as a separate item. The presense of a ;;; sequence overrides any other delimiters you may have set in Advanced List Settings.

When fields associated with preference lists contain a multi value delimiter (;;;) sequence, a popup list is automatically switched to append mode. You can remove the necessity of manually adding a multi value delimiter (;;;) sequence by holding down the Option key when clicking on the disclosure button to the right of the field. Note that when the popup menu is visible and is in append mode, the field's text is displayed green and the type of menu displayed differs. If you are editing the field and type a down arrow key to activate the menu, Option will have the same effect.