How can I create a formula URL button which opens a specific form for data entry?

Typically in Quickbase, forms usage is determined at either the role level, or at the report level. You can, however, use a Formula - URL button to call upon specific forms regardless of forms usage settings. This is useful if you've created multiple data entry forms, each with their own layout, that you wish to call upon at various stages of the record entry process.

This article describes how to build a Formula - URL button using an example that assumes the following:

- You've set up a relationship between two tables in your application, and 

- You want to use a Formula - URL button to open a form for the details (child) record in that relationship. Create a new Formula - URL field in the master table. The formula you'll add to this button follows this format:

URLRoot() & "db/" & 

[_Your_Table_Alias_Here_]

 &"?act=API_GenAddRecordForm&_fid_

xx

="&

[Record ID] 

&"&dfid=

xx

" &"&z=" & Rurl()

You'll need to replace some of the values in this formula in order to make it work in your application, as follows.

[_Your_Table_Alias_Here_] --Enter the table alias value of the child table. Click here to learn how to find the table alias.

fid_xx,--Replace xx with the field ID of the reference field in your child table. To obtain this value from the child table, show the Field ID and Info columns in the list of fields in the table. Find the reference field that ties your child table back to this master, and make a note of the field ID of this field; you'll replace the xx in fid_xx with this number.

[Record ID]--Enter the fid for the key field in your master table. If you haven't changed the key field, this will be the [Record ID] field. To determine which field is the key field, look at the list of fields in the master table. You'll see a key icon next to the key field. Replace the [Record ID] section of the formula with the fid for this field.

dfid=xx-- Set the xx to the Form ID of the form you want to call up. To obtain the form ID, access the list of forms for the child table then edit the layout of the custom form you wanted to use. In the address bar's URL you'll see the dfid value.

Once you've built the formula, add the button to your master form. When you click this button, you will be adding a related child record using the form of your choosing. You can add additional Formula URL buttons to call up as many different forms as you like.