# control-setvalue action ## Availability [\[SINCE Orbeon Forms 2025.1.1\]](https://github.com/orbeon/orbeon-forms-doc/blob/master/release-notes/orbeon-forms-2025.1.1.md) ## Introduction The `control-setvalue` process action sets the value of a form control. This process action matches the semantic of the `` action in the [action syntax](https://doc.orbeon.com/form-builder/advanced/services-and-actions/actions-syntax#setting-the-value-of-a-control). ## Syntax and parameters ### General syntax ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "my-control", value = "my-expression", at = "end", section-name = "my-section" ) ``` ### Parameters | Parameter | Mandatory | Value | Comment | | -------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- | | `control` | Yes | control name | identifies the control to modify | | `value` | Yes | value expression | resolves to the value to set | | `at` | No | space-delimited position tokens: `start`, `end`, `all`, positive integer | missing leading tokens default to `end` | | `section-name` | No | section name | section name to search, if it contains a section template | * `value` * the value expression is evaluated in the context of the root element of the form data and the resulting value is set on the control * you can use the `$foo` syntax to refer to the value of another control, where `foo` is the name of that control in the same scope (i.e. in the same section template instance, or at the top level if not in a section template) * `section-name` * specifies the name of a form section identifying one or more (in case of repeated sections) section template instances included in the form * the search is limited to searching within those sections * if the section name does not identify a section containing a section template, the function returns the empty sequence ## Examples Set the value of a top-level form control called `contact-information-first-name` to the value "Homer": ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "contact-information-first-name", value = "'Homer' ) ``` Set the value of a top-level repeated form control, on the first repetition: ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-1", value = "'A'", at = "start" ) ``` Set the value of a top-level repeated form control, on the second repetition: ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-1", value = "'B'", at = "2" ) ``` Set the value of a top-level repeated form control, on the last repetition: ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-1", value = "'Z'", at = "end" ) ``` Set the value of all repetitions of a top-level repeated form control: ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-2", value = "'X'", at = "all" ) ``` Set the value of a set of form controls in a section template, by specifying the section name `address-us`: ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "us-address-street-1", value = "'742 Evergreen Terrace'", section-name = "address-us" ) then control-setvalue( control-name = "us-address-city", value = "'Springfield'", section-name = "address-us" ) then control-setvalue( control-name = "us-address-state", value = "'OR'", section-name = "address-us" ) then control-setvalue( control-name = "us-address-zip", value = "'99999'", section-name = "address-us" ) ``` The above actions can result in the following values in a test form, if combined in the following process for application `my-app` and form `my-form`, in `new` mode, and executed after controls are processed: ``` control-setvalue(control-name = "contact-information-first-name", value = "'Homer'") then control-setvalue(control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-1", value = "'A'", at = "start") then control-setvalue(control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-1", value = "'B'", at = "2") then control-setvalue(control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-1", value = "'Z'", at = "end") then control-setvalue(control-name = "top-level-repeated-control-2", value = "'X'", at = "all") then control-setvalue(control-name = "us-address-street-1", value = "'742 Evergreen Terrace'", section-name = "address-us") then control-setvalue(control-name = "us-address-city", value = "'Springfield'", section-name = "address-us") then control-setvalue(control-name = "us-address-state", value = "'OR'", section-name = "address-us") then control-setvalue(control-name = "us-address-zip", value = "'99999'", section-name = "address-us") ``` ![Result of setting the value of controls](https://4129616727-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-LEkBiSDvlXs3VWiO0Zu%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-46baef904c4a5209cb01e479c25aba1d90444ff1%2Fprocess-action-control-setvalue.webp?alt=media) Set the value of a top-level form control called `second-control` with the value from a first control called `first-control`: ``` control-setvalue( control-name = "second-control", value = "$first-control" ) ``` ## Earlier Orbeon Forms versions With Orbeon Forms 2025.0 and earlier, you have to use the lower-level [`xf:setvalue` action](https://doc.orbeon.com/form-runner/advanced/actions-xforms#xfsetvalue) to set the value of a control. The drawback is this is that you have to directly reach data in the XML document containing all of the form data. The new `control-setvalue` action allows you to set the value of a control without having to know where in the XML document the data for that control is stored. ## See also * [`fr:control-setvalue` action](https://doc.orbeon.com/form-builder/advanced/services-and-actions/actions-syntax#setting-the-value-of-a-control) * [`xf:setvalue` action](https://doc.orbeon.com/form-runner/advanced/actions-xforms#xfsetvalue) * [Form Builder actions syntax](https://doc.orbeon.com/form-builder/advanced/services-and-actions/actions-syntax)