At the moment the form only allows input of new data. Can we have a form for editing existing records? At the moment we can only edit in the table meaning I can’t present the records the way I want. Can’t even hide columns on mobile, meaning the users are free to wreak havoc on the existing data :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
I’m running into the same issue and would LOVE a solution! One of my tables is a database of people with various bits of identifying information. I created a FORM which I today emailed, all of them, a link to fill out. This form was for them to update their information for a select set of fields in my database. Many filled out the form and submitted their new information. What i have now is a ton of duplicate people! How can create a form that once information is submitted, it populates each person’s own line of fields instead of creating a “new” person? Thanks!
In my case, I’m setting up a database for after school classes. Previously, the school was using Google Sheets. The new setup I have using Airtable is superior to what simple spreadsheets offer.
I have a form for vendors to fill out their info such as contact info, classes they offer, fees, and so on. It’s great that I can send a link of the form out for the vendors to fill out their own info. What I need is that “after” a vendor has submitted their profile info, they may need to update their info later on. So instead of me having to manually update the records, one would think why can’t I just send each vendor a private link so they can update their own record?
That is, each record can have its own private link that the user can edit the data. So we are going from level of sharing Base, Table, and then the individual Record.
My example is very simple. I have a table of people, and a table of transactions containing a lookup column on the people table. This creates linked fields between the tables. My users are not database savvy. When they go into the people table to correct a data entry error because they put the phone number in wrong, they can currently accidentally delete a link to a transaction, thus scuppering the entire system.
So in the vein of having specific requests for how we would use this feature:
I have a table that has tons and tons of detail about people’s history/biographies/accomplishments. It’s a way of keeping track of what we learn about people who have been involved in a program. I would love to be able to send them, as a group, a way to update specific fields.
A way that I can imagine this working is a tool that takes a grid view with a field for email addresses, and sends each email address a way to update the fields for only that record. Ideally it would exclude hidden columns (or at least have some way of specifying which fields will be available for them to edit) and wouldn’t go to rows that have been filtered out.
That’s the idea - not sure it makes sense but I’m happy to try to explain in more detail! :slightly_smiling_face:
The way I used to use this in Filemaker was to be able to stay in the form view and “flip” through the records in a fully expanded form layout. I loved the ability to change records while staying in a form view.
I really like the overall approach that AirTable has taken to UI. When compared to FileMaker, AirTable is clearly superior in many ways, but being able to step into an editable form view and use my screen real estate in a better way to view a single record in serious depth is a feature that I really miss from FileMaker.
I originally thought that you couldn’t flip between records in the expanded view, but I found the little carats. So yes, the expanded view might work in this case, but I think that the layout still isn’t quite as efficient as it could be. Take a look at this case:
The expanded view sits i the middle of the screen and makes me scroll down the list of fields which are nicely presented, but are padded so much that it’s not presented efficiently. I think that designing an expanded layout which can take advantage of the horizontal space on screen would be great.
But back to my original idea, which is a form view that is editable. The great thing about a dedicated form view rather than a better expanded view is the idea that it might be a bit more customizable when it comes to formatting, layout, etc. What most people in this thread area really asking about is the ability to create a layout that they can make work for the use case at hand. FileMaker took this concept to the extreme, and I don’t agree with that approach.
I’m a pretty heavy user of Cognito Forms, and I really like what they’ve done in this regard. They give the user some layout controls, but not so many that the design gets cluttered or is just terrible. Here’s an example of how their layout controls work:
You have a basic two column form, but you can expand or contract the fields horizontally, which is useful. You can move them around and resize them on the page. I’d love to see a form view with this type of customizability in AirTable.
This is a great request. This would make it so much easier for my clients / family members to use the Database applications I build for them.
The ability to embed forms and table views into a webpage means that I can easily create customized web apps for anyone. However, until we have the ability to let users update individual records, there are still going to be a lot of projects that Airtable simply will not work for : (
For our business this function would also be essential, we work in trading so we use a table to list all products we sell including selling and buying price, normally we would send update requests to suppliers for logistical information (size of shipping cartons etc.) of existing products, so sharing the whole table with them and letting them see our selling price is not feasible at all.
Hi! I can give more specifics as to what I’m looking to do. My non-profit works with many theater companies to develop deeper connections between them and the neighborhoods around them. We have over 200+ theater companies in Chicago, and just as many neighborhoods. I currently have a linked database of all the neighborhoods, and we have a list with most of the theater companies. What I would like to do is let theater artists to be able to let us know what company they work with and what neighborhood it’s in. But I don’t want thirty different entries for “American Theatre Company,” for example. I would like to create a from that allows people to see if a record for their company already exists and add info that’s missing, or add a new record (“company”) if it doesn’t.
This feature would be fantastic! I can provide an example of how we would use it. We store activity information for out of school programs at the start of each semester. Then, when we have an official list of students enrolled, they are added to the record for each activity. If I could provide users with a form for enrolling students that would be a huge help.
