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    Airtable field actions
    • 06 Apr 2023
    • 3 Minutes to read
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    Contents

    Airtable field actions

    • Updated on 06 Apr 2023
    • 3 Minutes to read
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    Article Summary

    The following article details a variety of actions users can take when using Airtable fields. 

    Introduction

    Permissions
    • Owners/Creators
    Platform(s)Web/Browser, Mac app, and Windows app 
    Related reading
    Airtable terminology
    • Field - A field contains details or metadata for each record in a table. Fields come in a variety of types, storing data in the form of text, single- or multi-selects, images, checkboxes, numbers, user tags, and more.
    • Field type - A field type specifies the kind or format of data stored in a given field.

    Adding and deleting fields

    To add a field to a new or existing base:
    1. Visit your Airtable homepage.
    2.  Click Create a base or open an existing base.
    3.  Once inside a base, click the + icon to the right of your desired table.
    4.  Select a field type and click Create field.
    NOTE
    In addition to choosing a field type, you can name fields and add individual descriptions. New fields can also be created by clicking a field header and selecting either Insert left or Insert right.

    To delete a field from a base:
    1. Visit your Airtable homepage.
    2.  Open your desired base.
    3.  Click the field header of the field you want to delete.
    4.  Select Delete field.

    Searching for fields 

    To help users navigate larger bases, Airtable offers the ability to search for individual fields by name.

    To search for fields in a grid view:
    1. Visit your Airtable homepage.
    2.  Open your desired base.
    3.  Press Cmd F or Ctrl F, enter your desired text, and any related results will appear highlighted.
    NOTE
    You can also search for specific fields using the search icon in your base's top right corner.

    Hiding and unhiding fields

    Hiding fields in Airtable allows users and collaborators to focus on the information that’s most important to their work.  When a field is hidden, it is not deleted and none of the values in that field are affected—it's only hidden from the particular view being used.

    To hide fields in a grid view:
    1. Visit your Airtable homepage.
    2.  Open your desired base.
    3.  Click Hide fields and toggle on any field(s) that you no longer want to appear visible.
    NOTE
    Pro and Enterprise plan users who want to ensure that field visibility in any views used for view share links or embedded views is not unintentionally changed can lock views, which will prevent collaborators from altering a view's configuration until it's been unlocked by someone with creator permissions.
    To unhide fields in a grid view:
    1. Visit your Airtable homepage.
    2.  Open the base with hidden fields.
    3.  Click Hide fields and toggle off any field(s) that you no longer want to appear hidden.

    Freezing and unfreezing fields

    When working within a grid view, you can freeze or lock a field to keep it continuously visible while scrolling through a table horizontally.  

    To freeze a field in a grid view:
    1. Visit your Airtable homepage.
    2.  Open your desired base.
    3.  Hover over the dividing line next to your desired field.
      1. A blue bar appears with the indicator to Drag to adjust the number of frozen columns.
    4.  Click, hold, drag this past the field(s) you want to freeze, and then release your mouse.
    To unfreeze a field in a grid view:
    1. Visit your Airtable homepage.
    2.  Open your desired base.
    3.  Hover over the dividing line next to the frozen field.
      1. A blue bar appears with the indicator to Drag to adjust the number of frozen columns.
    4.  Click, hold, drag this past the field(s) you want to unfreeze, and then release your mouse.

    FAQs

    Can hidden fields be reused within additional views?

    You can copy the configuration of hidden or visible fields from one view to another using the copy view configuration feature.

    Can the primary field be hidden?

    Yes, the primary field can be hidden, but grouping cannot be turned on to do so.

    Is there a limit to the number of fields that can be frozen in a single view?

    No more than three fields can be frozen in a single view.

    Can fields be permanently frozen?

    While fields can't be permanently frozen, you can create a locked view to lock in a view's configuration options.

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