Question on adding new records with a form

[Dave_Lee]

Hi there -- 

I'm using Airtable to build a database of jounalists on Meta's Threads. I've made a form so people can submit their details: https://airtable.com/appWgEz1pjYySqFTj/pagzqw2grYU9luJob/form 

My base consists of four tables: Journalists, locations, publications and beats. The form primary creates a new record in the Journalists table, but I'd like to use the same form to add new records in the other three when necessasry -- i.e. if someone works for a publication that isn't listed.

Is this possible? 

With apologies if this has been answered before -- I did a search around but couldn't see anything relevant.

Cheers

Dave

[Harsh2]

Hi @Dave_Lee ,

Yes that should be possible.
You would need to create an automation with the "trigger" - When a record is created. The "action" should be "Create record". At that point set the fields for each table that needs to be populated.

[Dave_Lee]

Thanks for taking the time to respond -- though I'm not sure I understand, sorry! I think that may have been an issue with how I explained it.

See screenshot below. For publications, I'd like users to be able to select a preexisting record in the Publications table to attach to (such as Bloomberg in this screenshot) but if their publication is missing, be able to add a new Publication from the same form (even though the form itself is to add a new record in the Journalists table) 

[ScottWorld]

Unfortunately, Airtable's forms do not provide this functionality.

There are 3 workarounds for this:

1. Include a link on the form that sends the user to ANOTHER form where they can add the publications into your base.

2. You can create a FAKE PUBLICATION called "CREATE NEW PUBLICATION" in your list, and then show another field where people type in the name of the new publication. (Then, you would need an automation to move that new publication into the publications table.)

3. Fillout natively offers this feature in their free Airtable forms, along with 100+ Airtable-specific features that Airtable's forms do not offer. Personally, I no longer use Airtable's native forms, because Fillout's forms are free and they do everything people have ever requested Airtable's forms to do. 

[Dave_Lee]

That's all really helpful, thank you! I'll give both 2 and 3 a go and see what works best.