Introducing single-select output for formula fields

[Rosalind_Lutsky]

Hello, I’m Rosalind and I’m a Product Marketing Manager at Airtable. I’m excited to share a small but often-requested new feature with you today: the ability to output the result of formula fields as a set of single-select options!

Formula fields already allow you to output their results as plain strings, numbers, and dates, and now we’re adding the ability to output results as a set of predefined single-select options. Single-select options are more visually pleasing than plain strings and clearly illustrate that a field has one value within a defined set of possible values. We’ve heard from many Airtable builders who have used Automations to achieve the same result by copying formula results into single-select fields – hopefully, those Automations can now be retired! 

To try out the new feature:

1. Open an Airtable base and navigate to the Data tab
2. Create a new Formula field (or click on the column header of an existing formula field you want to change, then click ‘Edit field’)
3. Write a formula that outputs plain strings (here are some formula writing tips if you’re new to this!)
4. Click on the Formatting tab, then enable the new “Change formula output to single select options” toggle
5. Add single select options to the list below that exactly match the plain strings that are output by your formula
6. Click the ‘Create field’ button
7. The output of your Formula field will now be formatted as one of the single-select options you added to the list

When you define your preferred options, you can also select a fallback for when the formula output does not match what you've predefined. Note that if you do not set a fallback option, the cell value will be blank for any cells that do not match any of the predefined options.

You can use Formula fields that output single-select options in all the same ways that you use single-select fields today, and the support article ‘The essentials of Airtable formulas’ has been updated to include instructions for using the new feature.

If you have questions or further feedback on this feature, please don’t hesitate to share it here. We’re eager to hear how you incorporate this into your Airtable apps!

[Coups]

Amazing! Thank you, Rosalind!  🙌

[ptbnck]

I've literaly just spent 2 hours with Chat GPT to build this last week! Awesome feature for Multiple choice questions and scores!

[kuovonne]

This is an awesome new feature. I love it.

Here are some things that I like about it.

- The look and feel is great.

- I can use the choices in filtering and grouping like regular select choices. When I change the choices (by changing the formula and the defined choices), the filtering and grouping still works.

- When sorting and grouping by the field, it respects the order in which the choices are defined.

- I can see the choices available in scripting.

Some other features I would like to see in future updates:

- When turning on formatting as select choices, it would be nice if Airtable used existing formula results (either from analyzing the formula or by looking a cell values) to create select choices for me.

- I would like to have the option of having the formula display the default only if the formula returns a value that is not a specific choice, but have the cell be blank if the formula results in a blank.

- I would like the option of having the formula display #ERROR! or something similar if there is no default set and if the resulting value is not one of the given choices.

- Slightly related, I really would like to be able to format formula results as rich text.

[Joseph_Roza]

Fantastic addition and one I'm already putting to work.

🙏Could you make it so that formula fields configured this way can have their appearance adjusted in the same way as normal single select fields on interfaces? ie, change the size from Small to Large? 

[Sho]

It is an awesome feature!

I also used Automation to copy the results of formulas to a single selection.

If I wish, it would be helpful to have the feature to manage single select, multi-select, and formula select items in one operation.
The single and multi-selects can be modified to some extent by copying and pasting, but the formula selects in this case cannot even be copied and pasted.
I would like to change the same item in all select fields at once or unify all select fields to the same color.

PS: Please provide the same functionality for the Rollup field!

[Karlstens]

This is most excellent. Thanks for sharing @Rosalind_Lutsky 

I too second a follow up request for "Single Select" formatting introduced into Rollup Fields, and also an interface Appearance enhancement for a Larger display of the field.

As Single Select colours can be used for colouring elements within Table Views, I'm hoping such theme and colouring features are added into Interfaces. I'd love (and so would my users) to have interface regions colour as per a linked Single Select formula field.

[Matthew_Carrano]

I wanted this for years!

[JoeJepsen]

I love this feature! But...
A. This NEEDS to me a native feature for Lookup fields!!!
B. For some reason I can't get this to work at all. Is this a paid feature?

[ClarifyThis]

This is a fantastic UI addition that also lets us now put them as the stacking groups on Kanbans! You can't drag & drop cards around, but you can now visualise pipelines based on 'automated/derived statuses'.

However, is it on the roadmap to clean up how they are rendered on mobile? At the moment these fields are coming out as record IDs like "seldVN2IHyrb0kPjG" or "selFORMULADEFUALT". It would be nice to at least have them still come out as their base text value, as this update has otherwise sent the mobile UX backwards...

[OfficeOurs]

Nice

I thought this was a much more powerful feature, that enabled dynamic single select fields.

Like, you would write a formula to with the results providing the options (not the output) for the field.

Maybe you can upgrade 1 day.