publishing infopath drop-down value makes me choose a function

Question

When I try to publish the value of an Infopath 2010 drop-down box to a SharePoint list, InfoPath forces me to choose a function (first, last, count, or merge). Why can't I just publish the user-selected value?

Answer 1

InfoPath won't know which value to use if it is in a repeating section or is a repeating field (a "list" of sorts which allows you to add multiple values for any one field/group of fields). Either remove it from the repeating section or choose one of the functions to use. I'd wager that you want the former option. FYI, I believe "merge" will include all values selected in the repeating section into one column on the list item. That could also be a valid workaround depending on your requirements.