Column groupings are great in the layout editor because they coalesce all the grouped data into one drop-down to vastly simplify finding data in complex tables/relations.
To be useful where they are most needed (maintaining complex data elements and structures) please consider these functions (selected via a right click on the header title):
Coalesce all headers together. This is done in layout but not in the data editor. When adding an item to an existing grouping - the option should be there to coalesce it into its sibling grouping. If there are multiple similar named groupings - either automatically assign it to a grouping or let the user select (coalesce left or coalesce right). Currently I do a lot of dragging which is slow in tables with lots of columns.
Duplicate a grouped set of columns and rename with a different header. This is super important now that Glide has actual reporting where you set up one set of reports and want to duplicate them for another (typically a different reporting period). In my case I want to duplicate Q1 reports into a Q2 reports and I have to individually duplicate/rename/change. Sadly error prone and just slow.
And of course - move the entire group as noted above. Excellent case for good code/app/data housekeeping and app management!
But that reminds me of an āissueā I have with filtering. When I use filter column and find the column I am looking for I: select the column and then get rid of the filter. I, would expect, that the selected column would be the one I filtered and then selected which would give me the context of where it is in the data layout (especially when I have 100+ columns).
But it doesnāt. Glide defaults back to whatever random column I had selected before I did the filter. I shouldnāt lose the filter context when the filter is removed (selected column and area within the table I was looking at).
Not sure if there is another trick for this use case.
To use the trick you might have to rename all the columns you want to group togetherā¦ it could be simply putting the letter āAā in front of all the column names you want to moveā¦ then search for āAā and then move them around.
It would be nice if the highlighted column would stick regardless of filter view. Itās been brought up to the team before.
Putting up a feature request is good practice because the team does look at those. For this specific case I know itās been discussedā¦but if you make a request Iād vote for it
I have made the changes to my column grouping name, but I am not seeing the changes reflected in the Layout of my Glide app. Do you know why this could be? Iāve also changed the āLabelā for the Pageās General and Options settings.
Do you have a screenshot? What do you expect to see? If you change the name of a column the only thing that would change would be the name of that column in the data editor and searches.
Column grouping does not affect the user interface (design) of the app.
Grouping columns in the Data Editor is visible and useful in two places in the app builder:
In the Data Editor: columns are grouped, and by clicking on the group header you can collapse the columns together in an accordion so they take up less space on your screen. The purpose of column grouping in the Data Editor is to organize the columns and aesthetics.
In the Layout Editor in the configuration panel on the right hand side: when pointing a component to a column, grouped columns will appear grouped in what appears to be a folder. This is practical to locate a column quickly, especially if the table contains dozens or hundreds of columns. When you change column groupings, you do not see the changes reflected in the configuration panel?
Is this related to column grouping? Would you mind sharing a screenshot of what you mean and the issue.
Thank you! That is very helpful to understand. I found the fix to changing the label in the layout too, I was changing the label in the navigation instead of the collection. All fixed! Thanks everyone for your help
Rename a column heading so itās similar to the column you want it to be next to. Then search the columns to filter down to just those few columns. Then drag the column you want to move, next to the column you want it to be near. Then you can rename it back to what it was.
Make collapsed columns stay collapsed until you expand them. Also add an āExpand allā button. Every time you open the Data Editor or show the data preview in the Layout Editor, every column is expanded, which takes away a lot of the value of collapsing them.
