Reference Fields Explained

Every table must have a Reference Field, which is a special field used to uniquely identify each record in the table.

• A Customers table might use a Customer ID (Auto Counter) as the Reference Field to ensure each customer is uniquely identified.
• An Invoices table might use an Invoice Number as the Reference Field, providing unique and easy-to-find references for each invoice.

Why Reference Fields Matter

Reference Fields help clearly distinguish each record. For example, if you have a table called Projects, you might choose Project Name as the Reference Field because every project will have a unique name. This helps you easily identify each project.

Reference Fields are particularly useful when linking tables. For instance, if you create a child table called Tasks, each task can be linked to a specific project by selecting the project’s name from a list.

Choosing the Right Reference Field

Your ideal Reference Field should:

• Always have a value for every record (Required).
• Have unique values for every record (Unique).

Allowed field types for Reference Fields include:

• Text
• Text Area
• Rich Text
• Number
• Money
• Date
• Date Time
• Auto Counter
• URL

If your table doesn’t currently have a suitable field, you can add an Auto Counter field, which automatically generates unique numeric identifiers for each record.

Setting the Reference Field

For New Tables:

When creating a new table, Gridfox will add a reference field (text field) by default to help you get started. We’ll also add a Status, Assigned To and a Notes field.

Changing the Reference Field:

You can change the Reference Field anytime:

1. Ensure all existing records have values in the new Reference Field.
2. Open the field settings and check Is Reference on the new field.

Note:

• When setting a new Reference Field, the previous one remains unique and required. You can manually uncheck Is Required and Is Unique in its settings if desired.