Forum Discussion

JennasonQuick_B's avatar
JennasonQuick_B
Qrew Trainee
5 years ago

Creating user list or email list field

I have parent table (customers) with a child table (Contacts).  Contacts contains a user field and an email field

I'm trying to combine all of the contact users into a single user list in the parent table (customers).  The purpose of this field is to use as an email distribution list for notifications

It doesnt appear you can do a summary on a group of user fields.   And I've tried doing a summary text field with the user fields converted to text...but then how would I change a text list into a user list in the parent table?

Alternatively I tried the same approach with the email address field in the contact table... converted to text and created a summary field up in the parent table.  But then I don't believe there is the concept of an 'email-list' field correct?

Is my only option to try and add to a user list field on the parent level via automation/pipeline each time a new contact is addded to the customer?

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Jennason Quick Base Admin
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Formulas and functions
Tables and fields
  • MarkShnier__You's avatar
    MarkShnier__You
    Icon for Qrew Legend rankQrew Legend
    5 years ago
    There is often a need to summarize non-numeric data up to a parent level when the child level data is not taxed fields.

    So the technique is to make a formula at the child level which converts that field to a tax field then use the combine text summary field to get that up to the parent record and then parse it apart on the parent record.

     so for example

    on the child record 

    ToText(Userid])

    Then on the Parent record you can make a field to convert the Combined text summary field to text so you can see what it looks like.  It will be a semi colon delimited string - actually space semicolon space delimited. 

    Then you will need a formula to turn that into a UserList field 

    The formula would somethng like this

    (not tested for syntax)

    var text UserString = ToText(Combined text summary field]);
    touserlist(
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,1,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,2,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,3,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,4,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,5,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,6,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,7,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,8,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,9,";'))),
    touser(trim(Part($UserString,10,";'))))








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    Mark Shnier (YQC)
    Quick Base Solution Provider
    Your Quick Base Coach
    http://QuickBaseCoach.com
    mark.shnier@gmail.com
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  • ChelseaCarpente's avatar
    ChelseaCarpente
    Qrew Trainee
    5 years ago
    Hey @Jennason Quick Base Admin

    Just to clarify the ultimate purpose of all this work: Is your goal to create a QB notification? Or a distribution list that would be exported and copy/pasted into an email address field?​

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    Chelsea Carpenter
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    • JennasonQuick_B's avatar
      JennasonQuick_B
      Qrew Trainee
      5 years ago
      Hi Chelsea-  My ultimate goal is to create a user list field at the parent level (customers) that is a collection of the user fields on all child records (contacts).    I would then use this user list field as the recipient of QB notifications at the customer level

      Im playing around with Marks suggestion and also with using a simple pipeline that appends the user to the multi-user field each time a new contact is added... just struggling a bit with figuring out the correct jinja syntax to do that  (in case there are any jinja experts out there)

      Thanks.

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      Jennason Quick Base Admin
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      • ChelseaCarpente's avatar
        ChelseaCarpente
        Qrew Trainee
        5 years ago
        Okay, I don't know if this helps, but I did a similar thing - except the notification kicks off from the parent table.

        On the parent table, I have a multi-select text field called "Contact(s)". Input type is From Another Field, and that references the child table.
        I then created separate Contact Email fields (I made 5 because that's the max we expect), these are Formula - Email fields:
        var text EmailList = ToText([Contact(s)]);
Trim(Part($EmailList, 1,";"))

// Taking values from multi-select field Contact(s) and parsing into separate email fields​
        (Just update the 1 to the 2-5 for the other fields)

        It'd be easy enough to now pull those Contact fields into your child table as regular lookup fields, and you can then address your notification to go to Contact Email 1-5 (in this example).

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        Chelsea Carpenter
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