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Re: Dynamic Drop down dependent on another dropdown

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Paul_La_Vigna
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Helllo,
New to the Airtable platform.
I am wondering if this is possible.

I am developing a manufacturing schedule and in the schedule you have a Phase and multiple (different) steps in each phase.

Ideally I would like a (2) drop-downs side by side and the second one becomes dependent on what you chose in the first.

So if i Choose Phase 3 the second column would only show steps associated with Phase 3 not all the others.

Thanks

21 Replies 21

It’s not possible currently.

Here are some #feature-requests and #support questions that address something similar/related:

Shannon_Johlic
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

Looks like I’ll have to abandon Airtable. This is a much needed (and VERY much requested feature/capability) and yet no one from support offers any real help. EVERY client I have been trying to use Airtable with needs this functionality (for instance - selecting a “PRODUCT FAMILY” and then having “PRODUCT SUBFAMILY” options populate related only to “PRODUCT FAMILY”).

Really wish they would offer some kind of support for this.

Mary_Alderdice
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

I, too, am frustrated by the lack of support for this in the various database-alike services online.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a solution for this? (Either SaaS or an application (Mac and/or iOS support necessary).)

meri

While this functionality still does not exist using conditional single selects — that is, where the list of possible choices for a {Subcategory} selection depends upon an earlier choice made in a {Category} selection — it is now possible for linked records, where {Category}, {Subcategory}, and, if you wish {Subsubcategory}, {Subsubsubcategory}, and so on are presented in the form of a linked record.

There are limitations; to quote from my original announcement

First, the caveats:

  1. This version of the routines requires all selections be made in the form of linked records. While variations are possible where only the final, limited selection be presented as a linked record, they impose other limitations: namely, that each record of the main table be linked to a single record in the [Control] table for conditional logic to work. The version discussed here and in the referenced base requires only category and subcategory tables to be linked to [Control] ; records may be added to the main table without any such preliminary housekeeping.
  2. Currently, there is no way to limit user choice to already-existing linked records; a user may create a new linked record at any selection level. While there are ways to generate an alert should such a thing happen, there is, to my knowledge, no way to prevent it. (Yes, a user entering data from an Airtable form cannot create a new linked record — but see the next entry.)
  3. Perhaps most disappointingly, because of the way Airtable creates records entered from a form view, these routines do not work with forms.

The original announcement can be found here. It contains a description of the process, screenshots, and links to two example bases, one demonstrating Category → Subcategory conditional links, the other Category → Subcategory → SubSubcategory.

(Note this capability is only possible because of a recent enhancement made to Airtable.)

Edwin_Brito
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Any idea when this functionality is going to be available?

It seems like a must do when managing data :-?

Alec_Fotsch1
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

I would also really appreciate the ability to have single select with a family followed by a subfamily where the sub family is dependent on the family selected.

YoDee
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

SWITCH() statement does it perfectly well for me

=SWITCH({DERIVED FIELD},"SOURCE VALUE 1", "DERIVED VALUE 1", "SOURCE VALUE 2", "DERIVED VALUE 2", "SOURCE VALUE 3", "DERIVED VALUE 3", "SOURCE VALUE 4", "DERIVED VALUE 4", "SOURCE VALUE 5", "DERIVED VALUE 6", "SOURCE VALUE 6", "DERIVED VALUE 6", "SOURCE VALUE 7", "DERIVED VALUE 7", "SOURCE VALUE 8", "DERIVED VALUE 8")

Thank you for this! Hopefully they’ll build this functionality in seamlessly. I too need it for the work I’m doing.

Gespion
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

Hello guys, so I’ve also been looking for a way to do this conditional selection with categories and sub-categories. Here’s my take on it which is working but might be hard to main if you have a lot of cat/sub-cat:

  1. Create your form with a Category Field (CF) having a single select type and add your categories list.
    0

  2. Create as many tables as you have categories (in each table, add a single column then add your sub-categories list)
    2

  3. In your form, add a new field to be used as your dynamic Sub-Category Field (SCF). Then link your SCF to your CF.
    3-

  4. Select the option Show field only when conditions are met. Then select your CF name and one of the categories in the list like below.
    4

  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each category on your category list.
    1.

Hope it will help some of you while Airtable add this as a native feature.

Thanks for that Gespion. This seems to be simpler than my current solution, which is based on submenu fields in combination with the above conditional entry. I have built a formula field which checks the correctness of the set of submenu fields. It is a whopping great formula :slightly_smiling_face: It does mean that the menu value can be entered directly into the table, and the validation field will give guidance if the result is inconsistent. I will check out your method. Cheers

Hi Greg! I am interested in the whopping great formula you wrote. Would it be possible to share and maybe even explain a little bit here? So far, the solutions presented here and in other threads don’t match my needs. I’m hoping that either your formula would do the trick, or I could learn enough from it to be able to adapt …

In short, I am hoping to structure my base so that records can be linked to more than one category (from a category table), and then the relevant subcategories for each of the chosen categories would be available for the user as a multi-select field. That’s how I’m picturing it, anyway. However it’s structured, I just need to allow multiple categories AND multiple sub-categories, and I’d like to be able to filter the subcategories according to the selected categories.

Thanks so much in advance, if you have the time to respond. I realize this is an old thread. : )

I offer my clients a system of using linked records for categories and subcategories, so that only subcategories belonging to the chosen category are displayed.

  • A record can have multiple categories
  • A subcategory can belong to multiple categories
  • It can be modified to allow a record to link to multiple sub-categories.

Here is a video demo of it in action.

That’s a great work around… I just replied because I see it’s a french airtable… glad to see that here, hahaha!

Merci beaucoup !! :ok_hand: :thumbs_up:
C’est ce que je cherchais… :winking_face:

De rien @Bart_Junior Ravi d’avoir pu aider :winking_face:

Thanks @Adriel_Pahati :slightly_smiling_face:

Allen_Moldovan
7 - App Architect
7 - App Architect

Hey Paul

Airtable rolled out “Dynamic Variables” to their automation “Find Records”. It enables you to set a condition as static or dynamic.

IF this were to be rolled out to the the linked record field type, you could accomplish this. This functionality would look through values in the destination table and filter the linked record options for only those records which match those conditions on the table being worked on.

IT would essentially give you a more robust version of a conditional & dynamic drop down.

image

Dynamic

please be sure to email this to support@airtable.com to push them on this scope expansion of Dynamic Conditions to the meat and bones of the platform.

Let us know if they hint to this functionality’s existence on the release road map.

This is a very creative solution, but still a workaround. Thanks for sharing! But I just don’t understand why they are taking so much time with this so basic feature, which definitely belongs in DB app. And even worse, the last time I asked, it rather felt like Airtable is not sure if this should be implemented at all.

Yes, pretty frustrating