Proper document tracking for multiple drop downs using infopath/sharepoint

Question

I have a complicated form I'm recreating using InfoPath 2010 for a SharePoint 2010 solution. There is an in/out process on the form across multiple roles, and each of those rows has an individual status dropdown menu.

+Author

+Manager

+Word Processing

So basically there are 3 statuses for each in/out, at the end of each row in the form. The three options are

1. Approved
2. In Process
3. Not Applicable

Is there a simple way to ONLY show the current status for the step it's currently at? Do I need to create a separate status field that dynamically updates with each individual field? Is there a simple way to do this? Currently I would have to show EACH field in a custom view, which I'm hoping to avoid, especially since every role will not always be required. Thank you in advance for any help or suggestions.

Answer 1

Try using rules for your fields which will lead to cascading drop down of some sort.