Why can't I create a form for User-Specific columns?

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1

I have 4 user-specific columns + the Row ID & when I select that sheet in a form, no user-inputs appear. I’m a beginner, am I doing something wrong? Thanks for your help.

2

Have you tried inputting anything in those user-specific columns? In my experience I have always used user-specific inputs for things outside of a form, then capture them later in my form using Columns.

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3

User Specific columns are kind of pointless for a form because a form always writes a new row. Also a user specific column can contain values for multiple users. You are probably better off writing your form values to regular columns. You can still add user specific columns to the sheet for use later.

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4

Hi @Jeff_Hager ,

What if I want to create a new item that will be shared, with most of the fields visible to everyone but I would have personal notes or a illustration picture I want to add just for myself
In that case I feel setting this column to user-specific makes sense.

Currently the user specific column does not show in the list of available columns in the “add form”, so users have to create the item, then go back to edit in order to add their personal customisations.

OR

I would need to add a normal column + a user-specific column and juggle in edit + view screen between normal and user-specific columns

First approach is not ideal for users, second one requires extra config and extra columns that complexifies the solution

Let me know your thoughts

Thanks in advance

5

That completely makes sense and I can see that being the use case sometimes. I was just generalizing that in most cases, I think user specific columns wouldn’t be needed if a user is creating a new row. But of course, that doesn’t cover all cases as you mentioned above.

I think it comes down to being largely a technical limitation. User specific columns require a row id so an underlying hidden relation can be created to a separate underlying hidden table (containing row id, user email, and column value) to store those user specific values and properly link it back to the correct row. When you are in a form screen, you don’t have a row yet, and thus you don’t have a row id that’s assigned yet. Because of that, a user specific column value would be left in limbo because it would not be attached to a specific row and wouldn’t have a way to to connect back to the new row which doesn’t get a row id assigned until it’s submitted and saved to the table.

I’m guessing glide would have to rework the entire row id assignment process as well as maybe the user specific column process just to make user specic columns available in a form.

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6

Would it work if you use a set column as “on submit action”?

7

Hi @ThinhDinh sorry overlook your question
Set column on submit would require a field to get the image from and copy
I ended up removing the user-specific columns

Thanks for your help/feedback both cc @Jeff_Hager

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8

But… there is always a but inside the bit!
Since there is not a Glide autorecovery of data in case of unexpected offline during the edit of dozen of rows, the User column might be necessarily as a safe measure.
You can edit the data on those and when the line turn on again they will reappear (theoretically), then with the action on submit you can reverse the user columns into the real columns.
I don’t remember who I have to thanks for this, but it is a pretty good solution (waiting for an official and definitive rollback).