# Confused by screens and forms
**URL:** https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109
**Category:** Ask for Help
**Created:** [July 19, 2023, 8:32am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109 "2023-07-19T08:32:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ralf\_Westphal](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Ralf_Westphal)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2023, 8:32am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/1 "2023-07-19T08:32:37Z")
Sorry, guys, but I’m confused about which form (screen?) gets used when.
My understanding is:
- there are screens which by default contain a collection component bound to a table showing all the table’s records
- if I add another component to such a screen it becomes a _custom_ screen
- collection components have default actions: add, edit, delete
- I can create a form in addition to screens. A whole form is bound to a table and shows 1 table record
But now my questions start:
- the add and edit actions lead to a… form? or a screen?
- how can I bind the default add/edit actions to specific forms?
- the show actions do not allow for specification of a particular form (or screen). Why is that? How to show a particular form?
Here’s what I need to accomplish:
When I add or edit a record I need to store it with a custom action. That does not work with the default add/edit forms of a collection, it seems. The only way to do it is to have a special form where I can set the submit action on the form container.
So I need a way to tie this special form to the default actions of a collection.
Or what am I missing? You see, I’m confused.
I hope someone can enlighten me.
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### Author:  [@Ralf\_Westphal](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Ralf_Westphal)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2023, 9:31am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/2 "2023-07-19T09:31:57Z")
I seem to have found some clarity! 🥳
Every collection comes with 4 forms:
- a “form screen” to add new records; it allows editing record fields; it sports an on-submit action (that’s what I need!)
- an “edit screen” to edit existing records; it allows editing record fields; it also has an on-submit action (that’s what I need!)
- a “detail screen”: it does not allow editing record fields by default; it does not have submit/cancel buttons
- a “new screen”: it does not allow editing record fields by default; it does not have submit/cancel buttons
But what’s the difference between “detail screen” and “new screen”? 🤔
Then there are “independent forms” I can create myself based on a table. They act like “form screens” (or maybe also “edit screens”) but I have to add the respective buttons and actions myself. “Independent forms” cannot be shown from a custom action, it seems.
And I also found out: an “independent form” can be put on any screen just by adding a _form container_ component.
My confusion is starting to clear up. But I have to say: I don’t find the naming of the parts of the UI straightforward/consistent.
Here’s my summary:
- Glide apps consist of screens
- A screen contains components
- Components are either collections (of table records) or fields (for record columns)
- A form is a screen with a _form container_ component on it (which primarily contains fields)
- Collections have 4 forms for adding, editing, and showing a record (their form container is hidden)
- Forms can be created independent of collections
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### Author:  [@nathanaelb](https://community.glideapps.com/u/nathanaelb)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2023, 10:02am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/3 "2023-07-19T10:02:11Z")
You seem to be figuring it out. If you haven’t already done so, do have a look at some of the explanations in Glide’s Documentation.
[Glide Docs: Screen types](https://www.glideapps.com/docs/guides/intermediate/screens)
> [@Ralf\_Westphal](#):
>
> But what’s the difference between “detail screen” and “new screen”?
- Detail screen: The detail screen is attached to the single row of an item of a collection. This detail screen displays the attributes (columns) of this single row so we can see the detailed information of the item.
- New screen: The new screen is attached to a single row, up to you to decide which one. This single row can be in the current table or in a different one.
If you imagine tabs as screens stacked onto one another, a detail screen makes you go a step deeper into the funnel (a card is stacked on top), whereas a new screen allows you to skip aside from the stack and create something entirely different.
> [@Ralf\_Westphal](#):
>
> Then there are “independent forms”
[Custom forms by Darren Murphy](https://community.glideapps.com/t/how-do-i-create-a-custom-form/25014)
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### Author:  [@Ralf\_Westphal](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Ralf_Westphal)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2023, 10:27am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/4 "2023-07-19T10:27:59Z")
Thx for the explanations of “detail screen” and “new screen”.
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### Author:  [@ThinhDinh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/ThinhDinh)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2023, 11:49pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/5 "2023-07-19T23:49:55Z")
Not directly related to this, but I like the clearness of your writing. I really hope we can help you understand Glide better really soon. Maybe you’ll be an expert in no time.
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### Author:  [@Ralf\_Westphal](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Ralf_Westphal)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2023, 4:26am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/6 "2023-07-20T04:26:57Z")
Thanks for your kind words! 😊
I’m really excited about Glide and really would like to understand it in depth, the true potential and its limitations.
In October I’ll do a free workshop (4 x 2h) on Glide for non-programmer digital nomads who want to “upskill”. I believe, Glide is an ideal no-code tool to enter the world of software development for fun and profit. And I’d even add: no-design. No-code + no-design! That’s quite important because user interface design can eat so many resources w/o really adding to a software tool. (I like how “opinionated” Glide is in a very reasonable way.)
Until the workshop I need to know as much as I can 😄 to be of best service to the participants.
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### Author:  [@ThinhDinh](https://community.glideapps.com/u/ThinhDinh)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2023, 9:55am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/7 "2023-07-20T09:55:31Z")
> [@Ralf\_Westphal](#):
>
> That’s quite important because user interface design can eat so many resources w/o really adding to a software tool. (I like how “opinionated” Glide is in a very reasonable way.)
This is a very important point. I like Glide giving us a headstart on this. Too much customization also means starting many things from scratch, and if you don’t know where to start, then it can backfire.
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### Author:  [@nathanaelb](https://community.glideapps.com/u/nathanaelb)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/8 "2023-07-20T21:59:23Z")
> [@Ralf\_Westphal](#):
>
> No-code + no-design!
I hope we meet in person someday. Where are you located? I live in Berlin and am often in Paris.
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### Author:  [@Ralf\_Westphal](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Ralf_Westphal)
#### Post date: [July 21, 2023, 5:54am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/confused-by-screens-and-forms/64109/9 "2023-07-21T05:54:15Z")
I live in the south of Bulgaria - but sometimes are in Hamburg or Berlin 🙂
A Glide meetup over a beer would be nice.