Forum Discussion

ChrisBaker2's avatar
ChrisBaker2
Qrew Member
2 years ago

When using the Quickbase JSON API is there a way to add a new created relationship field to the form similar to when creating a normal field?

I need to add ~500 fields using the API and when creating a regular field you can add them to the form in the order they are created with a boolean in the JSON body, however about half of these field...
Gary1's avatar
Gary1
Qrew Cadet

Have you already created the fields and you just want to get them onto a form? Or do you want to create the fields and add them to the form automatically? Also, are they lookup fields or summary fields?



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gary
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ChrisBaker2's avatar
ChrisBaker2
Qrew Member
2 years ago

I want to both create the fields and add them to the form in one post request. All of these fields are reference fields, so there has to be a dropdown menu that lets you pick the parent record.



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Chris Baker
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  • Gary1's avatar
    Gary1
    Qrew Cadet
    2 years ago

    I don't think this is possible with the JSON API. The creation of lookup fields is vastly simplified, but at the cost of full field customization.

    That said, this is possible using the good ol' XML API (or URL alternative). If you're interested, let me know and I'll pass along the details.



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    gary
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    • ChrisBaker2's avatar
      ChrisBaker2
      Qrew Member
      2 years ago

      Yeah that's fine, anything that works I will take a look.



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      Chris Baker
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      • Gary1's avatar
        Gary1
        Qrew Cadet
        2 years ago

        It's a two-step process per field.

        First, use this endpoint to add the new field:

        https://helpv2.quickbase.com/hc/en-us/articles/4418302265236-API-AddField

        At minimum, you'll want to pass mode, type, and add_to_forms. Type must match the field type of the intended lookup field in the parent table.

        Also, make sure your legacy form is set to "Auto-add new fields". (I have no idea what will happen with the new form styles.)

        <mode>lookup</mode>
<type>text</mode> // must match intended lookup field!
<add_to_forms>1</add_to_forms>

        Second, use this endpoint to update the the lutfid and lusfid attributes of the newly created field:

        https://helpv2.quickbase.com/hc/en-us/articles/4418310972052-API-SetFieldProperties

        <lutfid>8</lutfid> // the field ID of the reference field in the same table
<lusfid>6</lusfid> // the field ID of the source field in the lookup table

        lutfid and lusfid are not in the XML API documentation, but they are visible when you call API_GetFieldProperties on a lookup field. For some reason, they are ignored when passed to API_AddField, but they are accepted when passed to API_SetFieldProperties.

        I tested this out and it all works: the field is created, it's a lookup, and it appears by default on the legacy form. 

        IMO, this method is going to require a lot of overhead to script/automate. If I were in your shoes and this was a one-time operation, I would consider using the JSON API to create the fields (very easy) and manually add them to the form (painfully monotonous). 

        Good luck!



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        gary
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