Navigation in New Base

[Ron_Mittelman]

Very new user here.

I have a simple base with one table and one form.  It is designed to add new people to a mailing list.  I created a form to add new records, and that seems to work fine.  Now I need to create a navigation.  I would like to see a sidebar which includes 2 items, the table and the form.  Is it possible to have the table and the form in the same sidebar?  I don't really need to see the buttons at the top (data, automations, interfaces).

How can I add the 2 items to the sidebar, then reliably cause it to appear?  While playing with this, I saw a sidebar, but once I left it, I can't figure out how to bring it back.  Can anyone help?  Thanks...

[TheTimeSavingCo]

Assuming this is the sidebar you're talking about, you can click the 'Views' button:

If you don't want to see any of those buttons at the top, you could try creating an Interface for this?

Link to base

 

[Ron_Mittelman]

Thanks for the quick answer Adam.

This is what I have so far:

It's similar, but also somewhat different than your example.  To see this, I have to have selected "Data" near the top, and don't see my form, which I created in "Interfaces".  Why can't I see the form in the sidebar?

Granted, I'm too new at this to know much, but this looks more like a design-time screen.  Why can't I see the form and grid view without all of the extra buttons.  I know how to get into design / edit mode and make changes to my tables or interfaces, but all of the choices are confusing.  Also, I'm confused by the fact that there seems to be multiple ways to make the form.  I can open up the "Create" section at the bottom of the sidebar, or I can click "Interfaces" and add a form as an interface.  But I don't understand the difference between those two methods.  Would my sidebar look more like yours if I had created the form from the "Create" section instead of using interfaces?

Thanks...

[ScottWorld]

Yeah, it’s very confusing because there are 2 types of forms. Form views show up in the sidebar for you to quickly view and edit. Interface forms are hidden — they never show up in the sidebar until you go to the interface and then switch into “Edit” mode.

[Ron_Mittelman]

Thanks ScottWorld.

I added a new form by clicking the "Create" link rather than using an interface.  It seemed to save and publish ok, but I can't see it in the sidebar like in Adam's picture above.  However, when I click the "Interfaces" button, I see 2 of the same form now.  Must be the interface form I added previously and the form I just added from the "Create" link.  so why are they both in the Interfaces list and one of them not in the sidebar?

[TheTimeSavingCo]

re: To see this, I have to have selected "Data" near the top, and don't see my form, which I created in "Interfaces". Why can't I see the form in the sidebar?

Yeap, sounds like you created an Interface form and not a Form View

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re: I can open up the "Create" section at the bottom of the sidebar, or I can click "Interfaces" and add a form as an interface. But I don't understand the difference between those two methods. 

Ah, I recommend you checkout Airtable's documentation about this to see what differences are.  The short version of it is that Interface forms are newer, and have more functionality built in such as data validation, hiding whole groups of fields, being able to (kinda) move the fields around so that they can e.g. sit horizontally next to each other, while Form views are older and have less functionality

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re: Would my sidebar look more like yours if I had created the form from the "Create" section instead of using interfaces?

Yeap.  I think you've got a Grid view and an Interface Form right now, so you'll just need to decide whether you want:
1. Grid View
2. Form View

or
1. Interface with a Blank layout where you add in a Grid, thereby mimicking a Grid view
2. Interface Form

Once you decide on this and build them, you'll end up with the same setup as my screenshots!

[Ron_Mittelman · Accepted solution]

Thanks everyone for your answers.  When I created the form view, I was then able to see it in the sidebar.  When I clicked on it, it opened the form, but the form looks like it was still in design mode.  There was a bunch of toggles at the bottom to enable or disable certain features.  There was no save or publish buttons.  I would expect that once saved, the form would show up without those options.  The interface form was much easier to work with and had a publish button.

I decided to stay with the interface form and give up having an item in the sidebar.  It's easy enough to get to by clicking the "Interfaces" button.

Not only that, I figured out how to get the url link and put it into a QR code using QR Tiger.  This takes me direct to the add record form whether or not I have an Airtable account. Here is the QR code that was generated, and it seems to work perfectly.  Thanks again for the answers!