Managing and sharing interfaces
- 23 Aug 2023
- 5 Minutes to read
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Managing and sharing interfaces
- Updated on 23 Aug 2023
- 5 Minutes to read
- Print
- DarkLight
Article Summary
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Learn how to share interfaces with other users and manage previously configured share settings. This article is intended for users with creator access or Enterprise admins.
Introduction
| Plan availability | All plan types with additional sharing options for paid plans |
| Permissions | Please consult this support article for a breakdown of Interface Designer permissions.
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| Platform(s) | Web/Browser, Mac app, and Windows app |
| Related reading | Consider looking over our guide on building new interfaces |
| Airtable terminology | Interface - An interface is a curated representation of base data created using Interface Designer. Interfaces are fully customizable and can contain various visual elements, data sources, and permissions. Interface page - Interfaces break up information into one or more interface pages. And while an interface always contains at least a single page, creators can add more pages. |
Working with interfaces
When it comes to Interface Designer, there are three main ways Airtable users can work with interfaces:
- Base collaborators with creator permissions can build new interfaces.
- All base collaborators can view and interact with published interfaces.
- Interface-only collaborators can view and interact with published interfaces without having access to the underlying base. (Paid plans only)
Interface Designer allows creators to control when their interfaces are visible to other collaborators by controlling when those interfaces are published. Collaborators without "Creator” permissions can only see published interfaces. This allows creators to experiment as they please because they can control which interfaces are published, republished, or unpublished with just a few clicks.
Note
Unlike share views, interfaces can only be shared with users that have a verified Airtable account. Additionally, Enterprise organizations with SSO enabled must provision users for them to be able to access interfaces associated with their organization's instance.
Walkthrough of sharing interfaces
Step 1: Finding the interface to share
There are two ways to navigate to an interface depending on where you are in Airtable:
- From the home screen: Navigate to or search for the interface that you would like to share and open it.
- From inside a base: Click on the Interfaces button in the upper right portion of the screen. Then, choose the interface you want to share. In general, you can open any interface and adjust which interface(s) to share later.
On the published interface page you will find the Share button in the lower left corner. Clicking this will open up a share dialog with options to configure.
Step 2: Choose which interface(s) to share
Choose to:
- Share only a single interface
- Share many interfaces
- Share all interfaces
We discuss the Manage access option in a different section below. Click Next when you have chosen the appropriate interfaces to share.
Step 3: Choose who to share the interface(s) with
A new configuration window will appear. Here you can:
- Choose to Invite by email
- Set the emails or user groups (Enterprise only) you want to share the interface with
- Choose the given permission level
- Add a custom message
- Choose whether to send those users a notification letting them know they now have access to the interface
- or Invite by linkNoteInvite by link is only available to base creators/owners.Creators can choose to Allow access to the connected base. It's important to understand that this will invite the user as an interface and base collaborator. Depending upon the permissions set, this may incur additional costs.
- Click + Create new link
- Set the permission level
- Choose whether to allow access to the underlying base (You will not see this option if you are a user with interface-only permissions)
- Set an email domain restriction (1 maximum)
NOTE
Share links differ from the unique interface browser URLs. Sometimes, there may be a sidesheet or expanded record open, these will also include the specific record you are viewing. So, not only can you share a particular interface, but you can also share a specific record in that interface via the URL. These URLs are especially helpful for use in Airtable automations.
Managing interface access
If you are an Airtable Business or Enterprise Scale plan admin, then you are also able to manage interface access in Admin Panel.
Otherwise, users can manage interface access from the same share flow shown in the section above. The only difference here is that you will click Manage access. This will bring you to a window showing a list of collaborators and their permission levels. From this screen you can:
- Search for collaborators by name or email
- Click the dropdown > button to see individual interface details and change access permissions
- See the total number of interfaces they have access to that are connected to this base
- See and change the permissions of access for users
- You can only change permission level access for other interface users at or below your permission level, otherwise, users with base or workspace access must be changed from those respective locations' share menus
- You can remove access to an interface for your own user account, otherwise, you'll need base or workspace access in order to remove other users' interface access at or below your own permission level
- Additionally, by clicking Requests you can manage any open requests for access
FAQs
How do I delete or unpublish an interface?
Instructions are listed here. To delete an interface, make sure you're in "Edit" mode. Click the ... three-dot icon next to the interface name, and then select Delete.
I changed the look of one of my interfaces, why is that not showing up for my other collaborators?
If you made a change to an interface or layout, you must first Publish the changes for that interface in order for other collaborators in a base to see those changes.
If I share an interface with another individual or team, can they see the underlying data?
Not necessarily. It depends on whether the option to allow access to the base was checked when the invitation was sent. Ultimately, only base collaborators can view the underlying base.
Can Creators restrict sharing access on a specific interface?
What happens if someone who is not a base or interface collaborator tries to navigate to an interface URL?
If you share an interface URL with someone who is not an invited collaborator, they will have to request access to see the interface.
Can I duplicate an entire interface and all of its pages?
Yes, interface creators can duplicate an interface and all of its pages or even individual pages. In edit mode, click the ... icon/spillover menu next to the name of the interface or specific page that you want to duplicate. When the spillover menu opens, you'll see the option to Duplicate appear. As mentioned below, it's only possible to duplicate the interface or interface page in the same base not to another base.
Can I duplicate or copy an interface into another base?
We do not support duplicating an interface or an interface page into another base at this time.
What happens to changes made to my published interface if I don't publish those changes?
Any changes made to an interface in editing mode will automatically be saved. So you can choose to publish changes to an individual interface whenever you are ready.
Can I embed an interface page?
No. Currently, bases and share view embeds are the best Airtable features for embedding Airtable content in external locations.
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