Complete calculations and create buttons with computed fields
Tips & Tricks

Complete calculations and create buttons with computed fields

No need to make manual updates in your base or interface–just use these advanced computed fields.

When you work with a ton of complex data, connecting your work can help you move faster and more deliberately. But building these bridges manually can eat up valuable time, and it’s likely you’ll miss a detail here and there.

In Airtable, you can automatically and seamlessly connect data without letting the important stuff fall through the cracks–just add some computed fields.

In our last Tool Tips, we showed how to create documentation with computed fields–field types that update based on the conditions you’ve set. Instead of going into a field and manually editing it, you can configure the field to compute on its own.

You can also use computed fields to perform more advanced calculations, like pulling in data from a linked table, or opening a URL with just one click.

This week, we dive into three computed fields you can use when you’ve linked records between several tables:

  • Count field: Add up and display the total number of records in a linked record field.
  • Lookup field: Quickly search and pull up linked record data from another table.
  • Rollup field: Apply calculations and formulas to linked records.

Harness these advanced computed fields to make automatic, easy-to-understand connections between the data in your base–including data that resides in different tables.

The final advanced computed field is the straightforward button field, which lets you trigger actions directly from your base or interface. Buttons can open Google docs, run scripts, and more, simplifying tasks and saving you time and energy.


Check out our Tool Tips series on YouTube for more quick and helpful ways to use Airtable.

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