Search Bar Reset Behavior

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a search bar that finds matches across multiple tables and columns, with results displayed below the bar. I’m using a helper table that contains a single row, where the first column is a user-specific text column. When a user types in the search bar, it updates that first column, and the search results show accordingly on the page.

Normally, I understand that user-specific fields don’t reset automatically after refreshing the page. However, I’ve encountered something interesting.

I downloaded a template from the Glide team that includes a search bar using a helper table, and I noticed that the search bar does reset every time the page is refreshed. Surprisingly, that’s the behavior I actually want for my search bar, but I can’t figure out why it’s happening in the template. I’ve tried building the search bar from scratch in a new Glide app, but it’s not resetting—keeping the previous value the user entered, as expected for user-specific fields.

So, I’m a bit confused about how the search bar in the template is resetting after page refresh. Is there a known trick or specific setup that makes this happen, and how can I reproduce it in my own app?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Are you previewing as a specific user? Are you signed into the app?

I am signed-in. But the behaviour is happening in the preview layout too.

If a user is signed in, or if you are previewing as a specific user, then user specific values will persist across sessions.
If you are not signed in, or previewing as “anyone”, then they won’t.

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You’re absolutely right! However, the template doesn’t behave as expected. Take a look at this: on the right is my new app, working as Glide intended. On the left, you’ll see the template provided by Glide. Notice how strangely the template behaves compared to the expected functionality.
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It’s very small, so quite difficult to see exactly what is going on.
But, a question: are User Profiles configured in the template?

Open the image in Chrome, you will be able to zoom in the image.

Yes, User Profiles are configured in the template.

It looks normal to me.
I will say that you are switching between users very quickly. When you switch users in the builder it’s quite normal for it to take a few seconds to load any user specific data for the new user, and recalculate row owners, etc.

I tried slowly, same behavior. By slowly I meant 1 to 2 minutes between my actions.

Do you have a link to the template?

I do!

Playing around with the template, I honestly think it’s a bug or something is corrupt specifically with the search table or possibly the entire template itself.

I’m way more concerned with the fact that changes to any columns in that table are not being saved. Even adding a non user specific column, filling it with a value, and then refreshing the page causes it to clear out. The Search table is not saving anything. I think if you rebuilt the entire search table and tab using a new table, it might begin to work as it should. Even then, it’s hard to say if other things are corrupt. I was unable to duplicate any table and every time I added a new column, I was booted out of the builder. Something is not right.

Overall, I 100% expect a value in a user specific column to be retained even if you refresh the app. The ONLY time that does not happen is if a user is not signed in. A user specific value cannot be linked to a specific user when the user is not signed in, so it just kind of floats out there until the app is refreshed. If a user is signed in, then a user specific value can be linked to that user, so it is saved to the table.

Something isn’t right with the template, but your new app is working as expected.

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That answer satisfies me!

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This would not apply to a page being refreshed but you can consider custom actions for your navigations or close/exit buttons that clears the user specific columns as you desire.

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I had a zoom call with a Glide Team member and he was able to reproduce the problem with that template. So he also think something is messing up when converting the template to a Glide App.

GG @Jeff_Hager

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