Imperfect solution; however, it works entirely within Airtable and doesn’t suffer from lag time or delays possible with third-party middleware:
- Create a new table called (for instance)
[Timestamp]
.
- Create a formula field in
[Timestamp]
called {StampedTime}
. Configure the formula to be simply CREATED_TIME()
.
- In your main table, define a linked records field that links to
[Timestamp]
. Name it whatever you would name your checkbox field: {Completed}
, {Done}
, {Checked}
, whatever. Disable ‘Link to multiple records,’
- Also in your main table, define a rollup field linking to
[Timestamp]
that rolls up {StampedTime}
using an aggregation function of MAX(values)
. Call it something like {Completed Time}
.
Now when your users want to flag task completion, rather than checking the {Completed}
checkbox, they click on the plus sign in the {Completed}
field. This drills through to the [Timestamp]
table and opens a list of [Timestamp]
records. The user then selects ‘+ Add new record’ at the bottom of the list, creating a new {Timestamp}
record. The record opens in a pop-up window, which the user then closes. {Completed Time}
rolls up the time at which the new [Timestamp]
record was created, providing an accurate — and persistent — indication of the time at which the pseudo checkbox was filled.
Downside: Slightly clunkier than a real checkbox, requiring three mouseclicks (instead of two). As it is based upon calculated dates, some sort of mechanism is needed should manual override be required (for instance, a task is completed, but the user forgets to mark it until the next day). Mistakenly linking to an existing record results in invalid data.
Upside: Purely Airtable solution. Not constrained by third-party middleware limits, polling schedules, or prices. Fast, accurate, and easy to implement.
Bonus: Unlike the Zapier solution, if ‘link to multiple records’ is enabled, the box may be checked multiple times, and {Timestamp}
will display the date and time of the most recent check. (See record #5 in the demo base for an example.)
Trick: Configure the primary field of [Timestamp]
to be a formula field with a formula along the lines of
'✅ '&{Link2Main}&'-'&{StampedTime}
using the Non-Breaking Space
character for the spaces following the check mark. Narrow the width of the linked record field. Now, all records with a link to the [Timestamp]
table will display only a check mark.
Again, not a perfect solution — but not that bad of one, either.