Lock down your formulas with type-converters (DATE(), CONCATENATE(), etc.)

[Kirk_Masden]

I’d like to share what I think is an excellent tip from @MultiTech_Visions that came in response to a problem I was having with column types getting changed.

The basic idea is to wrap expressions in expressions like DATE(), CONCATENATE() (for text), etc. so that the AppSheet editor can’t get confused about what kind of data the column contains:

New Bug Encountered: AUTO Changing column types Questions

Just got through with an email string from support: This is intended behavior and will continue to operate this way. I had always thought about the auto-column-type setting thing along the same lines as the initial value formula space we have in appsheet apps; it’s evaluated when things are first created, but once it’s saved its set - and if you manually change it then it’s 100% manual from then on. This was incorrect. Anytime you save the app formula, not sure about initial value, appsheet …