update linked record with fillout ?

[Raphael_de_Bern]

Hello everyone,

I have a specific need that I can't seem to solve. Basically, my database includes training dates with multiple participants. At the end of the module, we ask the trainer to evaluate each participant on at least 5 criteria.

So, for each training, there are 5 or more associated criteria. And each registration is linked to an evaluation form to which each criterion is attached, which are rated on 5 stars at three points in time: "beginning of the training," "middle of the training," and "end of the training."

I need to send a form that groups all the evaluation forms of the session as a linked record. And then I need to be able to click on these evaluation forms and then on each criterion on which I can add a rating at the beginning, a rating in the middle, and a rating at the end (3 columns in the rating format).

I tried using fillout, but it seems it's not possible to update a linked record, which is very restrictive. I'm coming from miniextensions, and this problem was solved by them; I would like not to have 2 tools and to consolidate everything on one. Do you have any ideas or solutions?

[o_elsiefy]

I have a cool trick for using forms to update multiple things across different tables, but I'm not sure I get what you want to do.

If I understand correctly, you have a table with the names of the participants, and you have another table with the evaluation forms that the trainer fills out. Each participant will have 3 forms linked to them, beginning, mid and end.

Here's where I lose you, once the forms are filled and linked to the participant sheet, what do you need to do?

[ScottWorld · Accepted solution]

Hi @Raphael_de_Bern ,

You’ve stumbled upon the one big limitation of Fillout’s advanced forms for Airtable!

Even though you can update Airtable records using Fillout, you can’t update linked records.

Be sure to submit this as a feature request to them using the chat bubble on their website. (I seem to remember them mentioning that they’re working on adding this feature.)

In the meantime, one clunky workaround might be to just have Fillout URLs for each of your linked records and use those URLs to go to a different Fillout form to update each one of the linked records.

Also, a dedicated Airtable portal like Noloco’s portals and interfaces for Airtable could handle this for you, but that would be another app that would cost money.

Hope this helps! If you’d like to hire an expert Airtable consultant to help you with anything Airtable-related, please feel free to contact me through my website: Airtable consultant — ScottWorld 

[Raphael_de_Bern]

Hello @ScottWorld and @o_elsiefy for your kind answers ! 

I finally realized that I could select the evaluation sheet via a linked record on a form, which then redirects to another form with the linked records of the criteria to be evaluated, and redirects again to a form to evaluate the criteria.
This makes the process complicated, but it will suffice for now until they launch the updating linked record feature 😄

So I did it and it's now 2:24pm in France, let's sleep!

[atusr]

Hi Raphael,

Do you do it with a Login, a single URL parameter, or multiple?

Do you use the same 3-forms method to Create and to Update?

[Raphael_de_Bern]

I do it with multiple url parameters 🙂

[Victor_Proust]

Hello, 

I also need to edit linked records with Fillout. 

I am updating my customers information. B2B Accounts in one table, People Contact in the second one with names, email etc... 

Fillout told me this feature is on their roadmap. In the meantime, I am not sure I understand your workaround with the multiple url parameters. Would you mind sharing more details please? 

That would help a lot! 

[ScottWorld]

One clunky way of doing it would be this way: In Fillout’s forms, whenever somebody chooses a linked record from the list of linked records on the Fillout form, you can display Airtable lookup fields on your Fillout form. So you can display a lookup field that is the Fillout URL of the selected linked record, and then the user can use that link to go to yet another Fillout form to update that linked record.

[atusr]

Hi @Victor_Proust ,

To display a COMPANY record on a single page unde a non-airtable url,
along with a list of all its related People/Contacts, each with an "Edit" link,
I am aware of the following methods:

1) Using Fillout:

• COMPANY Table:
  Create a formula field called EditCompany, and with Fillout, generate a formula with the URL to the Edit Company Form.

• People Contacts Table:
  Similarly, create a formula field called EditContact, and with Fillout, generate a formula with the URL to the Edit Contact Form for each contact.

• Generate an ARRAY for Edit Links:
  In the COMPANY table, create a formula field called EditContactsArray that concatenates all the linked contacts’ EditContact URLs into one field. Use the following formula in Airtable:

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  ARRAYJOIN({Linked Contacts -> EditContact}, "; " & "\n")

  This will display all the "Edit Contact" links for each related contact in the company record.

• Fillout Page:
  On the Fillout page, display the COMPANY details, including the EditContactsArray field. This allows users to see and click on the "Edit" links for each related contact directly from the company page.

Custom domains from Fillout are available, ensuring a professional look both for the Company Page Link and the Contact Edit Links.

Pros:

• Easy to manage and set up within Airtable.
• Supports custom domains for a professional appearance.

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2) Using pLy.io for a Visual Table Display:

• pLy.io provides an alternative to Fillout by displaying the COMPANY record along with a table listing all related People/Contacts and their "Edit" links. This is a more structured and visually appealing option compared to an array of links:

• Steps:

  1. Create a pLy.io page where the COMPANY details are displayed at the top.
  2. Instead of using an array, configure pLy.io to display linked People/Contacts in a table format. Each row in the table represents a contact, with the "Edit" link for easy access.

• Formula:
  You generate individual EditContact URLs within Airtable, which can then be displayed in the pLy.io table alongside contact details.

Custom domains from pLy.io are available for both the Company Page Link and the Contact Edit Links, ensuring a professional look.

Pros:

• More structured and visually appealing than displaying an array of links.
• Custom domains provide a polished and branded experience for the edit links.

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3) Using Carrd for Embedding Airtable Views:

• Carrd allows you to embed Airtable Views of COMPANIES and People/Contacts tables, providing a way to present your data within a customized page, such as adding headers, footers, and additional design elements.

• Steps:

  1. Create a Carrd page to display lists of COMPANIES or People/Contacts.
  2. Embed Airtable Views that show the related contacts, allowing for a well-organized display.

Note: Carrd would act as an additional layer on top, providing customization and design flexibility, while pLy.io or Fillout would handle the core functionality for the edit URLs.

Pros:

• Flexible design with the ability to customize headers, footers, and other elements.
• Embed lists of companies or contacts on a single page, creating a branded experience.

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Alternative: URL Parameters

An alternative method is using URL Parameters, but typically I prefer using Fillout and/or pLy.io links that relate to a single record and not its parent, as i find it simpler and more straightforward to implement because with the first method the array would show all related edit links into the parent record.

The pLy.io method, visually more appealing unfortunately requires a bit of more setup inside of ply.io instead of having to create an array.

In summary, i see 3 possible methods:
 - Parent record with an array of fillout.com edit links.
 - Dynamic parent record ply.io pages displaying a table with all its linked records.
 - fillout.com URL paramenters into the child/linked records edit link.

[ScottWorld]

That is not a desirable solution, because it clutters up the screen with too many records. The best solution is the one that I gave above — display a lookup field on the Fillout form that gives the users the link to update the linked record that was chosen from the list.