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    Airtable extensions overview
    • 23 Aug 2023
    • 4 Minutes to read
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    Contents

    Airtable extensions overview

    • Updated on 23 Aug 2023
    • 4 Minutes to read
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    Article Summary

    Extensions help to extend the functionality of an Airtable base. From base schema and chart which offer ways to visualize your work, to page designer, Google Cloud Vision, translate, and send SMS, which help to provide actionable outcomes. Extensions not only enhance your existing Airtable use cases but also introduce completely new ways of building your own extension workflows.

    Introduction

    Plan availabilityAll paid plans
    Permissions
    • Owners/Creators - Can create, delete, and modify extensions
    • Editors - Can edit the configuration of previously configured extensions
    Platform(s)Web/Browser, Mac app, and Windows app
    Related reading
    Airtable terminology

    Extension - Extensions are modular components that add visuals or functionality to a base, and were shown in the base's dashboard. Users can create custom extensions, or they can use extensions created by Airtable or other open-source extensions.

    Adding an extension to a base

    1. Click on the Extensions button in the upper right corner of the base where you want to create the extension
    2. Click the + Add an extension button
    3. This will open a menu where you can browse and search for the extension of your choice
    4. Click the Add button next to the extension you want to add to the base
    5. Continue configuring the extension you've added. Each extension has different setup steps covered in other support articles.

    Adding another extension dashboard

    1. Click on the Extensions button in the upper right corner of the base where you want to create the extension dashboard
    2. Click on the dropdown arrow next to the name of the current dashboard
    3. Click the + Add a dashboard button
    4. Name the new dashboard and start adding extensions

    Understanding other extension options

    1. View the extensions dashboard in fullscreen
    2. Close the extensions panel
    3. More options - Clicking the dropdown next to the name of an extension will reveal the options to rename an extension, edit it's description, share the extension, manage settings, reload the extension, read about the extension, duplicate the extension, move it to another dashboard (in the same base), disable the extension, or delete the extension.

    Creating a shareable extensions dashboard

    You might find yourself in a situation where you'd like to share a base's extensions dashboard, but without allowing access to the base, or extension configurations themselves. In this scenario, we recommend creating a read-only shareable extension dashboard. You can create a link to a sharable extension dashboard to share your dashboard information with others, without worrying about people editing your extension configurations.

    Creating a read-only sharable extensions dashboard can be done in a browser following these three steps:

    Step 1: Enable the share link
    1. Click the Share button in the upper right portion of an open base
    2. Click Share publicly 
    3. Click the toggle to enable the publicly shareable link (Do this with caution and remember that this can expose content within the base to anyone who has the link)
    4. Click the toggle to Show extensions added to this base

    Step 2: Preview the base share link

    From the Share configuration window click the Preview icon to navigate to the publicly accessible base URL.

    Step 3: View the fullscreen dashboard and copy the URL
    1. First, choose the extension dashboard you want to share if your base has multiple dashboards
    2. Then, click the expand icon to view the extensions dashboard in fullscreen
    3. Copy the URL from your browser, the URL should end with &bip=full
    4. Repeat as necessary for multiple dashboards



    FAQs

    Why is an extension I have installed paused?

    For larger bases, when may pause certain extensions if they could slow down the base during loading. You can still resume using them if you click the ‘Load extension’ button on each extension, or the ‘Load all extensions’ banner at the top of the Extensions dashboard.

    Can I create a custom extension?

    With the Blocks SDK, you can use React to create your own real-time, interactive extensions that live in Airtable. We host your code, so you don't have to worry about servers or setup. You can create your extension in your own development environment and import your favorite npm packages.

    The full API Reference and tutorial guides for the Blocks SDK can be found on our developers site . 

    How can I manage all of the extensions on a base?

    We cover the ins and outs of managing extensions on a base in this support article.

    What happens to my extensions when I downgrade?

    If you downgrade to the Free plan, then existing installations of extensions in your bases will be disabled. This means that you will be unable to view or interact with these extensions.

    If, in the future, you decide to re-upgrade your workspace plan to a paid plan, the disabled extensions in your bases will be reenabled with the same settings that they had at the time when you downgraded

    How can I install an unlisted extension?

    In most cases, you'll need to contact our support team for assistance. Remember that these kinds of extensions have not been reviewed by Airtable. Make sure you only add unlisted extensions from developers you trust.

    How do I publish a script to the Extensions Marketplace?

    Our Extensions marketplace includes scripts written by Airtable customers. With the introduction of script templates, any user - even without technical knowledge - will be able to leverage the power of the Scripting Extension by installing pre-built scripts created by Airtable and members of Airtable’s growing community.

    For full details about developing an extension and our review process, please visit our developer documentation.

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