2023-07-11 NEW Record Detail Layout Feature Set

[Tobias_LGKR]

I am a little confused about the release of all these new features in the interface designer for the record detail pages. Many great additions and functions. Many that we asked for. Thank you.

BUT

All of them only seem to apply only to new pages I create (which is a good thing for now), not to existent pages.  Do I eventually have to redo all my old pages from scratch or will these new features eventually be available (by my own choice) on my existent pages?

Many things seem to have gone missing or are different:

• I can no longer place individual text elements on my pages.
• I can no longer user separators.
• I can no longer duplicate reference field items, such as lists, etc. to use them in different places of my page.
• I can no longer place the comments section where it best suits our needs.
• I can no longer place buttons exactly where I need them.
• I can no longer idividually choose/adapt the width of a field. I am forced to using equal width colums or rows in a section.
• I can no longer put fields into the header above the interface page that stays put when scrolling.
• I am forced to put fields into sections. Each section can either only be rows of fields or columns.
• I can no longer choose between the full page width layout or the "center restricted" layout of a page. It's center only now, which wastes a lot of screen real estate.

I would appreciate an Airtable update post about all these new features to guide me. Especially what the next steps will be.

Is this the first release of a planned series and thus "incomplete"? Once again I feel confronted with a totally new paradigm without any notice, release notes or choices. Two steps forward but in my opinion at the expense of five steps back.

[YasinArshad]

Agreed, so very confused by the new record layout,

Recorded this loom to further show the dev team how big of a step backwards this is - very confused by it: 
https://www.loom.com/share/8ebbb11a89414d338a6a03fee30d176d?sid=3a0a2903-7557-4887-bc84-14f34c9f53fc

[Tobias_LGKR]

You can put fields side by side if you put them in a section and choose column layout. But that's as far as that goes.

It really feels like being kicked back to the dark ages in terms of design choices, which, aren't merely esthetic but result in functionality and thus productivity.

[Tobias_LGKR]

I just realized we are not talking about the same thing. I am talking about the new Record Detail View pages in Interfaces.

[Joseph_Roza]

There’s another thread about this with some great breakdowns by @Kamille_Parks here: https://community.airtable.com/t5/interface-designer/changes-to-sidesheet-behavior/m-p/159111#M2084

[Tobias_LGKR]

Thanks, very helpful

[BillH]

I started the other thread with the hope that if I directed the post to several airtable employees there might be an official response, but so far nothing. 

I think the best quick solution would be to provide an option when a record detail page is created where we could stick with the older style, at least for existing interfaces.  I have users just getting acclimated to the existing sheets, and having two different styles and workflows is not going to make things easier for them, or make them more receptive to using an tool that they haven't gotten to see the benefit for at this point.

[Tobias_LGKR]

@BillH Someone from from Airtable reached out to me. However not based on my thread in this forum but my lengthy feedback I submitted at the bottom of the new Record Details Layout tool.

I don't know how high the interaction level with AT staff in this forum really is. I have been tying to reach out to a community manager (on a completely other subject) here for almost two weeks now. Nada.

The overnight, out of nowhere, that's how it is now experience is the most concerning about all of this. I can't help but feel that Airtable actually does not realize that there are real people with real businesses relying on this tool. It's hugely disrespectful to change the paradigm like that. I am intentionally choosing the word "realize" here, because if they actually did not care we should all be gone in a heartbeat. And I do believe they care at many levels. Because otherwise we wouldn't have this toolset. But the communication chaos, strategy, what ever you want to call it is the heart of the problem.

I have just pitched an idea about an Airtable Change Log as a starting point for communicating change:

https://community.airtable.com/t5/product-ideas/detailed-airtable-change-log/idi-p/159163#M16517

[BillH]

Thank you @Tobias_LGKR .  I will check that as well.

[PeymanYousefi]

Thanks God I'm not the only one concerning about this huge step backwards. 

[Tuxie]

Did anyone get any updates on this? I'm building a new project right now and this basically halts all progress I can do and forces me to look for new tools if there's no way to go back to old functionality.  As earlier commenters mentioned, this is a massive step backwards. I don't want to have massive google form experience since the previous experience was far superior. 

Only thing I can say is that thank god I've only wasted one workday building the whole thing so far.