Adding kanban views in Airtable

Learn about kanban views in Airtable, a way to view Airtable records as grouped stacks of cards.

From an open base:

1. Open the “Views” sidebar on the left side of screen if it isn't already open.

2. Click + Create new..., then click Kanban.

3. Name the view, select whether the view is Collaborative, Personal, or Locked (Paid plans only), and click Create new view. 

4. This will open the kanban view's configuration menu. Select an existing single select, user, or linked record field, or create a new one. Click Done once you've selected or created the appropriate field.

Customizing kanban cards in Airtable

After creating a kanban view:

1. Click Customize cards button in the view menu near the name of the kanban view.

2. Toggle on/off the various fields in the base to show or hide those fields on each card.

   1. You can also search for a field in the “Find a field” box in bases that contain many fields.

3. Lastly, you can click Hide all or Show all to show or hide every field on each card.

Changing grouping fields in Airtable

From an open base containing a kanban view:

1. Click Stack by (your_field_name) in the view menu next to the name of the kanban view.

2. Choose a different grouping field or create a new one.

3. Click Done.

Wrapping kanban card titles in Airtable

1. Click Customize cards from an open kanban view’s configuration bar.

2. Toggle on the option to “Wrap long cell values” at the bottom of the menu that appears.

Additional Airtable kanban field options

• Filtering

• Sorting

• Coloring

• Sharing

Understanding Kanban stacking vs. multi-level grouping

Kanban views in Airtable support single-field stacking, which means records can only be grouped by one field at a time. This differs from grid views, which support multiple levels of grouping.

What Kanban views support:

• Stack by one single select field

• Stack by one user field

• Stack by one linked record field (only when "Allow linking to multiple records" is toggled off)

What Kanban views don't support:

• Secondary or multi-level grouping

• Stacking by multiple fields simultaneously

• Stacking by a computed field, such as a lookup, rollup, formula, or count field (see "Stacking by a value that lives in a computed field" below)

While Kanban views don't support secondary grouping, you can use these workarounds to add visual distinction within stacks:

• Color by field - Use the "Color records" option to color cards by a single select field or custom conditions. This adds a visual layer of organization within each stack.

• Filter elements - In Airtable interfaces, add a Filter element to allow users to dynamically filter Kanban cards by additional criteria.

• Sort within stacks - Configure sorting rules to organize cards within each stack by date, priority, or other fields.

• Multiple Kanban views - Create separate Kanban views stacked by different fields to view data from different perspectives.

Stacking by a value that lives in a computed field

Kanban stacks come from a single select, collaborator, or linked record field (linked records limited to one record). Lookup, rollup, count, and most formula fields won’t appear when you choose a stacking field.

If the value you want to stack by is computed, copy it into a single select field with an automation, then stack by that field. This works best when the computed field has one value per record.

1. Create a single select field in the same table. Add an option for each value the computed field produces, spelled exactly the same. The automation adds any missing options, but creating them first lets you set their order and colors.

2. Click Automations, then Create automation, and add the When record updated trigger. Choose the table, then select the computed field under Fields.

3. Add an Update record action for the same table. For Record ID, click the blue + and insert the record ID from the trigger. Under Fields, choose your single select field, click the blue +, and insert the computed field.

4. Name the automation and turn it on.

5. Fill in your existing records. The automation only runs when the value changes, so copy the computed field’s column by clicking its header. Then click the single select field’s header and paste.

6. Create a Kanban view, or open an existing one, and choose the single select field as the stacking field.

The single select field now follows the computed field, so change values at their source, not on the board. If someone drags a card to a different stack, the card and its source won’t match until the computed value changes again. If your plan includes field editing permissions, limit who can edit the single select field. The board then won’t let people move cards between stacks.