How to add a new record from an interface?

[Miguel_Montalvo]

Hello,

I am really thrilled with exploring the features of this new and game-changing Airtable functionality. I think it would be super useful to my team which deals with hundreds of social media posts per month created and edited by several of our departments.

To give this a go, I started by creating an interface which would help our education department organize their programs and link social media requests to records another table - I already have all that setup. Where I am stuck on, is on the ability of creating a new record from the interface itself (i.e. create a new upcoming program from the interface where I am browsing the programs). I cannot find an element such as “add new record” or for that matter “delete record”. Do we have to go back to the regular grid-views to add or delete records? That sounds a bit convoluted…

I am loving the new feature and I understand that it is in Beta, but I really want to use it to its fullest and would love any suggestions, or if we could add that functionality for the full version.

Thanks so much!

[kuovonne]

I’ve come up with three different ways of creating a new record in an interface via automations, and two of them do not require any code. (Although I prefer using code in order to consolidate automation triggers.) I haven’t had the time to record a new video, but I will eventually.

• Have a blank record that exists as a fake form. When the user selects a single select value, take the values in this fake form and use them to create the actual record. This is the basis of how I created records in my original interface video. This allows for input validation and with a script you can even check for duplicates before creating the real record and prevent the creation of a duplicate.

• Create a new blank record in response to a user selecting a single select value. The automation triggers when the single select has the given value, creates the new record, and then resets the single select field. This works very well when creating new linked records. You can also have the “blank” record be created with default values.

• Always have a blank linked record: Have a formula field determine if a record is blank. Then have a rollup in the parent record determine if any of the child records are blank. If there are no blank records, have an automation create one.

[Justin_Barrett]

The first option that @kuovonne listed is what I’m doing. I also have a “New” checkbox field, which is checked only on that blank record, and a filter in the interface to control the record list based on that field. When unchecked I can browse through all records except that “new” one. When checked, only that blank record appears in the list, making it easy to add something new.

[Francisco_Gueva]

I’m also just here to voice the need to have a clean way to add and delete records from the interface. I understand it is only on Beta, so hopefully this need gets looked at and added while it is still on Beta.

[kuovonne]

At yesterday’s Table Talk, the panelists made it clear that they heard our desire for better ways of adding new records in interface.

[Anonymous]

A fourth way I used is to add a Text element. I type the words “Add New Record” and then turn that text into a hyperlink to a form. It’s not that graceful, but it works for now.

[kuovonne]

You can also use a button field that opens a form. If you use a button field, you can prefill the form to make creating new linked records with default values even easier. However, using a form takes the user out of the “interface”.

[Hannah_Wiginton]

You might try On2Air Amplify app. It’s an app in the marketplace.

Airtable

On2Air: Amplify - Apps - Airtable Marketplace

The Most Complete Set of Editors and Views for you Data on Airtable with the On2Air: Amplify app.

You can add a new record in general or add new linked records to a record.

Amplify is a record dashboard app that lets you customize how you view records, linked records, linked tables, and more. You can also edit and view any Google Doc, Google Sheet, or Google Slide directly inside Airtable.

These images show an update for the app that should be added in the next week.

Here’s a comparison between Amplify and Interfaces

Airtable

On2Air Amplify Features ⭐ - Airtable

Explore the "On2Air Amplify Features ⭐" view on Airtable.

[Joe_Hewes]

That won’t work in an interface workflow though will it?

[Karlstens]

Figured I may as well post in this thread too, that Interface buttons (and the Field Buttons too for that matter) should also have an option so that upon clicking they copy desirable Field text to the users clip-board - and that buttons should all have the ability to have unique text/emoji/icons.

[Miguel_Montalvo]

Hi Justin,
Did you end up making the walkthrough video for this? If so, I’d love a link to see it. Sorry I’ve been absent since creating the thread, but I am away on vacation, and only sporadically have internet.