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How to auto-populate fields from linked records

  • August 15, 2026
  • 3 replies
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R
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I have a very basic question! When I use linked records, I thought the field should auto-populate, but it is not doing that. Is there any way to make that happen? Eg: I am using Airtable for a small school attendance records. There are two tables; one called 'classes' and another called 'educators'. In Classes, each Class record (such as ESL120), has educator(s) listed in the 'Teachers' field. When I add a new class, I am able to look up teachers in this field, and I can see all educators listed in the Educators table. In the Educators table, each Educator is listed. There is a linked field called Classes. I want this field to auto-populate with any classes that the educator is listed under in the Classes table. TIA!!

    3 replies

    Mike_AutomaticN
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    Hey ​@rcode,

    I think you are describing what a lookup field would do. You might want to check out thi article on lookups.

    Else, feel free to grab a slot using this link and I’d be super happy to show you around on a brief call :D
    https://automaticnation.com/book-a-call-now/
     

    Mike, Consultant @ Automatic Nation 
    YouTube Channel 

    R
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    • rcode
    • Author
    • New Participant
    • August 15, 2026

    Thanks ​@Mike_AutomaticN 

    I thought that was what a lookup field was for, but since I want the lookup source to be the record name itself, and lookup doesn’t allow that, that doesn’t work. I’ve attached a screenshot to show what I mean, in case I’m going about this the wrong way and I’m just missing something simple.

     

    M
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    • marta
    • New Participant
    • August 16, 2026

    This is actually expected behavior in Airtable and it's a quick fix. Linked records only populate when you create the link FROM that side or use a rollup/lookup — the reverse field doesn't auto-fill by itself. In your Educators table, open the Classes field (the linked field) and click the little bucket/grid icon on its left edge to expand it; that reveals the linked records and you can add records there too. Better yet: since you're linking Teachers in Classes, the cleanest approach is to add a Rollup field (or Lookup) in the Educators table that pulls the class names from the linked Classes field — that way it stays in sync automatically even when you add new classes. If you want, I can walk you through the exact rollup formula for your attendance setup.

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