Behavior buttons disappearing after editing action type

[NPKyle]

Hello,
I am encountering an issue with the actions buttons giving me unexpected results and disappearing after I edit the action. I have several tables with the system generated “Add” actions using the “App: Open a form to add a new row to this table”. Some of those actions bring me to forms with the label column (a REF column type) automatically filled in with the info from the parent record selected in the dashboard view, BUT for 2 of the tables those same buttons leave that identical REF column blank. To be clear I wish to have those fields filled in to avoid errors.

As a workaround I have tried to create my own action by copying the system generated one and editing the action using two different methods:

1. “App: Go to another view within this app” so that I can use LINKTOFORM() instead.
2. “Date: Add a new row to another table using values from this row”

Each method results in the button disappearing, even using the “Display Overlay” option. As soon as I change the action back to “App: Open a form to add a new row to this table” the button appears again.

Im trying to figure out what differences there are between the tables and why they might be giving me different results, including making sure the Key, Label, and REF rows are identical.

I am still somewhat of an amateur with all this so I feel like there is some little detail I may be missing.

If anyone out there can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful!

Thanks,
Kyle

[Steve]

The only action type that can be used with an overlay button on deck, gallery, and table views is Data: Open a form to add a new row to this table, as used by the system-provided Add action. Overlay buttons for those view types with other action types will not display.

Can you provide more details on this:

NPKyle:

Some of those actions bring me to forms with the label column (a REF column type) automatically filled in with the info from the parent record selected in the dashboard view, BUT for 2 of the tables those same buttons leave that identical REF column blank.

[NPKyle]

I have a dashboard with parent records in the first view and the other views comprise of several tables of sub-records for each parent. Each of those other tables have the same 2 columns:

1. ‘Key’ column using UNIQUEID()
2. ‘Label’ with the ‘Ref’ column type that refers to the parent record its collecting data for.

All 4 tables have system generated ‘+ Add’ actions in their respective view in the dashboard to ‘Open a form to add a new row to this table’. For 2 out of 4 of those tables, the actions brings me to a form with the label column that refers to the parent record already completed, matching the parent record that was highlighted in the dashboard (Interactive), perfect! However for the other 2 tables, those actions take me to a form with the ‘Label’ field blank, leaving the user to select the correct parent record from a list instead of having it already completed. I want to avoid the mistakes that this might bring. Why is the same system generated actions giving me inconsistent results between tables?

I appreciate you shedding some light as to why my actions were disappearing, however even when selecting ‘Display Prominently’ it was still missing, is this a restriction too? It seems like an action that uses the LINKTOFORM() deeplink should work!

Thanks for your time!

[Steve]

NPKyle:

I have a dashboard with parent records in the first view and the other views comprise of several tables of sub-records for each parent.
[…]

Thank you for the detail. Unfortunately, I’ve had the same experience and have been unable to figure out when and why those Ref fields get filled in. You might do well to ask support@apsheet.com directly.

NPKyle:

I appreciate you shedding some light as to why my actions were disappearing, however even when selecting ‘Display Prominently’ it was still missing, is this a restriction too? It seems like an action that uses the LINKTOFORM() deeplink should work!

The only action display type that works in deck, gallery, and table views is overlay, and only with the Data: Open a form to add a new row to this table action. Display prominently displays the action in detail views, and should work just fine with LINKTOFORM().

[Mike_T]

This looks to be true for Detail view as well?

I’m trying to add a App: go to another view within this app in a detail view. While I click through all of the “Data:” actions the button/action appears in the detail view in the emulator. When I click on App: actions…it disappears.

For some context.
I have a Schedule table. I’m trying to get the User to “Check IN” by tapping an action button on the detail view of the schedule. There is a Check IN form for another table. I want to bring over the Schedule ID to the Check IN table and then the user can complete the rest of the form. For some reason the action button does not appear on the detail view of the Schedule. Yes, the detail view is on a slice of the Schedule but the “parent” table is selected in the Action.

[Lynn]

I @Mike_T
Is the action included in the slice?

[Mike_T]

Lynn, you are an angel!

Why did I not see this!!! Appsheet’s next project is to create a no-brain, no-code platform so even the most simple minded like me can figure it out!

Thank you!!!

btw…somehow I got it to work using a card view but now that you’ve solved my issue, i’m switching back!

[NPKyle · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the help. I winded up creating some behaviors with the LINKTOFORM() action and attached them to the parent table and I was able to achieve what I was looking for.

[Lynn]

@Mike_T
Happy to help, been there done that.

[Steve]

Lynn:

been there done that

Ditto!