If you copy text and paste it into a linked record field (C and V), either a link to an existing record will be created or a new record will be created in the linked table to match the pasted-in text.
Pasting text that contains commas
If you paste a text string containing one or more commas, Airtable will read those commas as separators, and create an appropriate number of links. For example, if you copy the text string Golden Grazeland, Bucolic Highlands, Sweeping Valleys and paste it into a linked record field, it will create 3 links:
- Golden Grazeland
- Bucolic Highlands
- Sweeping Valleys
If you'd prefer to create a single linked record containing all three phrases, you'll need to wrap the entire text string in double quotation marks, like "Golden Grazeland, Bucolic Highlands, Sweeping Valleys".
If you wish to create a link to a record with a comma in its name, you will need to delimit the desired record name with double quotation marks.
NOTE
If there are extra spaces before or after the pasted text, it will create a new record on the linked table (as opposed to linking to the record with the same name). Make sure to remove extra whitespace!
Using a formula to add quotes in bulk
If you need to copy and paste a larger number of text strings (that contain commas) into a linked record field, you can save time by using a formula to add quotes around the text. In the example below we'll use this formula to do just that:
'"' & {Name} & '"'
Now that each text string is wrapped in quotes, we'll use those values to copy and paste over to the linked record field.
If you use this formula, make sure to replace the field name (shown as {Name} in the formula above) with the actual name of the field in your base.