How to keeping adding to the same record using Airtable REST API

[RSk]

Hi, I’m currently developing a WhatsApp chatbot using Node.js. I’m implementing a functionality where the bot stores the specific responses from the users in airtable columns. But when I was going through the community I found out that it’s not yet possible to create columns programmatically. So for time being, I wrote a program that updates the field say Responses

The problem I’m facing is when I call the update function it overwrites the existing record. Is there a way I can append the new value to the existing record without overwriting the old value?

[Justin_Barrett · Accepted solution]

You’ll have to retrieve the old value first and append the new value to it. There isn’t a way to issue an API call that will append field data. All updates are replacements.

[RSk]

Oh okay, Thank you for the reply. Appreciate your help.

[RSk]

Hi, is there a way I can create columns programmatically? I read the scripting document but it only allows using the Scripting App. Any alternative or way to create columns using Node.js?

[Justin_Barrett]

Fields can also be created in custom extensions (extensions used to be apps which used to be blocks, and the SDK is still called the “blocks SDK”):

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