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Interface detail page action button: Add Form?

  • April 19, 2025
  • 6 replies
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movementservices
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Not sure what to title this.

In a record detail interface page, there is the option to add a button and perform an action. (Yes, love it!) But it doesn’t seem like the option exists here to add a new record in a different base via a form—the dropdown on the right doesn’t seem to allow it. And unfortunately, “Interface Forms” for some reason still don’t count as “Interface Pages”, so I can’t click on “Go to interface page” and click on my form.


The best current option seems to be “Go to external URL”, and put in the URL of the form. But that seems to only open my desired form inconsistently:

  • open external URL in same tab = overwriting my current page, and there’s no way to complete that form, then hit a “back” button to get back to my record detail
  • open external form URL in new tab = often it just doesn’t open.

My ideal would be to click on the button, open another modal with the form, which I could complete, then close, and still have the record detail at-the-ready.

Does that make sense? Am I missing an obvious solution? Thank you!

Best answer by ScottWorld

That is correct… you cannot embed a new record form within a record detail page, unless you’re trying to create a new linked record (which would be an embedded form).

To create a new record for an unlinked record, this can either be done by opening an external URL, or you can create an interface page that is a form and have a button jump to that page as well.

- ScottWorld, Expert Airtable Consultant

6 replies

ScottWorld
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  • Genius
  • Answer
  • April 19, 2025

That is correct… you cannot embed a new record form within a record detail page, unless you’re trying to create a new linked record (which would be an embedded form).

To create a new record for an unlinked record, this can either be done by opening an external URL, or you can create an interface page that is a form and have a button jump to that page as well.

- ScottWorld, Expert Airtable Consultant


TheTimeSavingCo
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And unfortunately, “Interface Forms” for some reason still don’t count as “Interface Pages”, so I can’t click on “Go to interface page” and click on my form.

Hmm, if you create a Form layout you can select it in the button:

  •  

     

And this is how it’d look in practice:

 

I’m a bit confused though, if you’re trying to create a record in another base, that form would be from the other base and would always count as an external URL and so wouldn’t show up in your current base’s Interface Forms, right?

 


And you probably already know this, but assuming the table’s in the same base, then you could get that modal by turning on ‘Add via form’ on the right, and it’d look like this in practice:

 


movementservices
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I appreciate the responses. I think Adam is capturing the frustration.

I have a unified reference base of individuals, organizations, locations, etc. That base is synced into my “work” base. But if I need to add an individual, organization, etc., then I need to add it to my reference base.

Perhaps if I was on the business plan and not the level 1 plan, I could use “Allow edits from other bases” to have a form within my active base, that then auto-syncs back to my reference base?

It seems that the best option to do all of this is still through an external URL to a form in that reference base, which is OK, just not the easiest flow in practice.


TheTimeSavingCo
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Ahh, yeah, the ‘Go to interface page’ action only allows for pages within the same base, and even then they’d just open page directly without opening the modal I’m afraid

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Perhaps if I was on the business plan and not the level 1 plan, I could use “Allow edits from other bases” to have a form within my active base, that then auto-syncs back to my reference base?

Yeap that’d work!  You wouldn’t use the button though I think, you’d just toggle on ‘Add records through a form’ so that you can do the modal thing you want

 

 

ScottWorld
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  • Genius
  • April 21, 2025

Oh, I see, you have a synced table. Yeah, that adds a little more friction into the mix.

I don’t know if checking that box for “allowing edits” will solve the problem you’re looking for, because I don’t know if Airtable will let you have a form in THIS BASE to create new records in the OTHER BASE (after that checkbox is enabled).

It might, though… I haven’t tested that yet and I’m writing this from my phone right now so I can’t check. I’ll need to check that later tonight when I’m back at my computer.

Here is Airtable’s support article on this issue. I don’t know if it provides enough clarity to give a definitive answer on this  

Sorry if this  isn't a very helpful response, but just wanted to chime in and say that I see that you are dealing with a larger issue here — the synced table.

- ScottWorld, Expert Airtable Consultant  

 


ScottWorld
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  • Genius
  • April 21, 2025

Just seeing Adam’s response above — it seems like this may work, based on his screenshot above! :)