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Is it possible to retrieve the possible options within a column’s “Single Select”? Without having a record for each option listed? I have one column with 5 possibilities (right now), and want to retrieve those possible values so I can dynamically build a select box on the front end of my application. I want to be able to change those options in Airtable (add or remove) without having to touch my application. The select box will allow me to create a new record in the table with only the values I’ll allow the table to accept.

I’m using only jQuery to interface with the Airtable API, and have been doing well with it (I know it’s not the most secure but it works!)

I’m also interested in this

As old as this request is, you’d think they would have added schema access to the API by now, but they haven’t.

I came up with a kludge to do this. If you can take a sizable swath of data and perform a fast aggregation on option list fields, you can determine all the possible unique values, ergo - the option list array.

Completely bad approach, a workaround with a capital W, and likely to add some latency to your front end UI.

Airtable MUST address this now to regain its API composure.

As old as this request is, you’d think they would have added schema access to the API by now, but they haven’t.

I came up with a kludge to do this. If you can take a sizable swath of data and perform a fast aggregation on option list fields, you can determine all the possible unique values, ergo - the option list array.

Completely bad approach, a workaround with a capital W, and likely to add some latency to your front end UI.

Airtable MUST address this now to regain its API composure.


I agree completely. Hard to build self maintaining forms without this. Leads to data integrity issues (when using the typecast parameter for instance).

So if I understand correctly, it has never been added since 2016 ? It’s even doable in Scripting Apps so why not on the api ?
I guess we should start implementing our own little database on the side to stock all those things, because looping through all of my records for all of my select and multi-select fields value is definitely not an option.

I found a way to achieve what you asked for.
Full solution posted here: https://community.airtable.com/t/list-all-options-of-single-select-from-api/26771/3?u=yoav_malichi :slightly_smiling_face:

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