Forum Discussion

DavidBrogdon's avatar
DavidBrogdon
Qrew Assistant Captain
7 years ago

I need a searchable text log field?

I am needing a way to log changes to a PN field, While also making sure that it is usable in current formulas and also possibly searchable for future reference?

At the moment I have a text field [PN] and a Multi-text, edit-logged field [PN Log], along with a form rule that says "When the record is saved and [PN] is changed, change the field [PN Log] to the value in the field [PN].

This seems to work well for logging, but I am really needing something searchable. Any advice, tricks?

Thanks.
APIs and custom code
Forms
Formulas and functions
  • JohnRogers3's avatar
    JohnRogers3
    Qrew Trainee
    7 years ago
    Make a table just for logging for all tables and all future logs you need. Used the API_AddRecord. With adding a new record to your log table you can send any data over you want to log, different data from diff tables, and make a status field in your new log table so you can type the status (which tables the log is getting sent from). This will be searchable in anyway you want with any of the data you send to this new awesome table.
  • QuickBaseCoachD's avatar
    QuickBaseCoachD
    Qrew Captain
    7 years ago
    @ david....  just to offer a different solution .. are you looking for a way to include that field on searches using the filter box at the top of reports, but not wanting to clutter up the table report with the ugly log field?
    • QuickBaseCoachD's avatar
      QuickBaseCoachD
      Qrew Captain
      7 years ago
      So if you have been around long enough you may remember that when searching a table report, the filter used to apply to all searchable fields.  So if you had 1,000 fields and only 8 on the report, it would search all 1,000 fields.

      The Quick Base brain trust decided that it served the "greater good" (sounds like a Spock Quote .. "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few")  in terms of app response time and no doubt their server hardware budget, to change the behavior for filtering table reports to only search the fields on the report.

      Alas, what about other fields to search (ie filter) that are too clutter-some to be on the report like maybe a phone # or a fax # or an ugly log field.

      No problem,

      Create a formula rich text field field perhaps called [.] ( just a dot) or [Search target] and add it as the last column of the table report.


      var text URL = [my ugly log field];
      var text Words = "";

      "<a href=" & $URL & ">" & $Words & "</a>"

      So this will be a field named [.] which is about as skinny as they come and no one will notice.  It is a hyperlink to no where and there are no words to click on so it will be blank to the naked eye.

      But it is a searchable field on the table report and it will hence be searched by the filter box.  :)


      .
    • DavidBrogdon's avatar
      DavidBrogdon
      Qrew Assistant Captain
      7 years ago
      That is a very creative approach to the problem. Thanks for the additional info.