Help

This Product Ideas board is currently undergoing updates, but please continue to submit your ideas.

Using formula in automation fields

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Arno_B
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

Hello,
The automation fields donโ€™t currently allow calculations in fields.
For example, I want to create an automation that pulls the date from a selected record and adds or subtracts a number of days from that. It would be a very useful feature to automate some project tasks without having to manually enter the dates. Iโ€™m giving an example with dates but automation would be largely enhanced if we could use formulas in fields.
Thank you.

13 Comments
amtaha718
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Would like to see this as well. 

ClarifyThis
6 - Interface Innovator
6 - Interface Innovator

Still currently inserting a script action and/or delegating to formula fields for this, which is less than ideal:

  • Certain environments and clients do not allow scripting
  • Business logic baked into code is less desirable from a client maintainability point of view
  • Formula fields bloat tables with 'always on, always available, all records' calculations that may only be required for a handful of records a few times a month.
  • Delegating to formula fields scatters traceability and promotes loose coupling. It is easier to accidentally change (and break) a formula than it is to find out what it impacts and how it impacts it. (Cue "DO NOT CHANGE" and "LINKS TO AUTOMATION XYZ" labels everywhere and links to (outdated) documentation outside of Airtable)

Sometimes we just want to add 7 days to a due date. Would be great if we didn't have to build a Rube Goldberg machine every time and explain why we need to do so to our clients.

asanchezg75
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

+1 , this feature it is a must have.