Launched: created by and last modified by fields

[Katherine_Duh]

Hello again! Two new field types are now available to everyone today:

Created by field

The new created by field displays the name of the collaborator who created a record. A couple of notes:

• Since the person who created a given record will always be the same, there is no way to directly edit the contents of a created by field.
• Records created prior to the time when the created by field was enabled (June 2020) will have blank values in a created by field.
• Records created using a form will show “Anonymous” as the collaborator value in a created by field.
• A record created using an integration that uses your API key will show you as the creator for that record in a created by field.

You can learn more about the created by field by checking out the support documentation.

Last modified by field

The new last modified by field type displays the collaborator who most recently edited the contents of a record. By default, the last modified by field will update when any changes are made by a collaborator in any non-computed fields, but you can adjust the settings in the field customization menu so that the field will only update in response to changes made in specific fields.

A few other notes:

• The last modified by cell values will be empty if the last modification predates the time that this feature was shipped (June 2020)
• The last modified by field reflects changes in fields where collaborators can make edits. This means if the values change in fields computed by Airtable (e.g. formula, created time, and rollup fields), this will not have any effect on the value in the last modified by field.

You can learn more about the last modified by field by reading the support documentation here.

[nnnnneil]

Awesome work! Thanks @Katherine_Duh and team :slightly_smiling_face:

[ScottWorld]

Yay!! Nice job! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes: :raised_hands: This is a fantastic addition to Airtable! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes: So many people will be incredibly pleased to hear this big news! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes:

[kuovonne]

Thank you for more great features! I hope we see the corresponding formula functions soon.

[Thorsten_Claus]

We are using these fields, glad they’re here.
When submitting a form where a user needs to be logged in, the “Last Modified By” shows “Anonymous”. That could be a feature (you know it was a form submission vs direct database entry) or a bug (we know it’s the user who is logged in - because the form can’t be seen if they’re not logged in - so why not show that user?!).

[Justin_Barrett]

Thorsten_Claus:

When submitting a form where a user needs to be logged in

There’s no such restriction that I’m aware of. Forms in bases that are part of Pro-plan workspaces can be restricted by password or email domain, but Airtable login status has no bearing on someone’s ability to use a form.

[Thorsten_Claus]

Sorry that I didn’t make myself clear. I have a shared link, limiting access by email domain, per https://support.airtable.com/hc/en-us/articles/205752117#protection

When I go to the URL from a different browser, it shows a login screen:

When submitting the form, entries show up as “anonymous”

My point: why “Anonymous”, if I did log in? It could be a feature or a bug, as mentioned above.

[Justin_Barrett]

Thanks for the clarification. I’ve never used that restriction feature before, so I wasn’t 100% sure how it operated. Because a user is required to log in before accessing the form, it does make sense that their login would be noted in the collaborator field. I suggest reaching out to Airtable support directly about this issue.

[ScottWorld]

That’s very interesting. As @Justin_Barrett said, you will probably want to reach out to support about that, but I would also add that as a feature request in the #show-and-tell:product-suggestions category.

[WilliamPorter]

Just now discovering these new field types. Thank you – these are very valuable.

As a FileMaker developer (as well as Airtable “base runner”) I especially appreciate the ease with which I can restrict the Modified by and time fields to be updated only by certain fields, and not by others. Nicely done.