A field is the base equivalent of a spreadsheet column. Each field holds a particular category of information related to the record (row) in which it exists—for example, if you had records for each of a number of different items, you might have a field in which you store information about the price of each item.

The field header bar

At the top of each table in the base is a row of field headers that display the names and field type icons of the fields in your table.

You can scroll left and right to look through the different fields.

If you drag downward on the table, you can reveal the summary bar for the fields, which provides different types of summarizations of all the cell values in a given field.

Tapping on the field header will bring up a menu with a variety of possible options. From here, you can customize the field type, change the summary function, insert a new field to the right or to the left, or duplicate the field.

Adding a new field

To add a new field, tap the "Add a new field" button at the very bottom of the screen.

After naming your new field, you can select the appropriate field type by tapping on the "Field Type" button in the middle of the screen.

This will bring up a menu of all of the possible field types. Tap one of the icons to select that field type.

You can also move around a field on the customize fields menu by tapping and dragging on the hamburger icon on the right-hand side of the field you wish to move. Moving around a field like this will change the order in which the fields appear within the record. This can be useful for prioritizing certain fields over others.

Editing a field

To edit an existing field, tap on its card. You'll be given a variety of customization options, depending on the type of field. When you're done customizing the field's settings, tap the "Save" button in the top right corner.

Deleting a field

To delete a field, go into the edit field menu and tap the "Delete field" button at the bottom with the trashcan icon.

Customize fields

You can add and customize fields through the "Edit Table" menu. To get to the "Edit Table" menu, you can tap the dropdown arrow to the right of the name of the relevant table.

Alternatively, you can access the "Edit Table" menu by tapping the dropdown next to the title of the base (which will bring you to the "Edit Base" menu) scrolling down to the list of tables, and then tapping the table you wish to edit.

You can also get to the "Customize Fields" menu from within an expanded record, by tapping the title of the record at the top of the screen...

...Or by scrolling all the way to the bottom of an expanded record and tapping the blue "Customize Fields" button.

Tapping the "Customize Fields" button (however you decide to access it) will bring you to the blue "Customize Fields" menu. From here, you can change the field types and settings of existing fields, or add new fields. Note that editing the field settings or adding new fields within this menu will change the underlying "blueprints" for the entire base—that is to say, all fields for all views will be changed.

You can also edit a field's description via the "Customize fields" menu. Navigate to the field you would like to customize and tap into the "Field description" box. You can either add a new description or modify a previous description to help your collaborators better understand the purpose of the field.

After a view description has been made a small information icon will appear. You can then tap on that field's name and choose "View description."

Hidden fields

To show or hide fields in a certain view on mobile navigate to the "</> Hidden fields" button near the top of the screen. Pressing this button will open a modal where you can toggle which fields to show or hide.

On iOS, users can also choose to show or hide hidden fields in expanded records.