Quickbase Tips

Quick and simple tips for every Quickbase application

Quickbase can really change the game for your business by democratizing software development and putting the power of tool creation in the hands of the business teams that need them the most. It's also very versatile, so you can use it for anything from a fully loaded CRM to a dead-simple To Do List app. Here are some of our favorite tricks that we use in just about every application.

Document your app with field comments

Over the lifetime of an application, it’s very easy to forget what a field is used for — especially if it doesn’t have any tooltips or is only used a portion of the time. To compensate for this, use the Comments section of the field settings every time you create a new field.

Something I like to record in the comment section of every new field is the Date Created, Created By, and Details — where “Details” captures the broader context of the field and how it’s intended to be used.

Log your edits to text fields

Did you know that you can store a running history of every change made to a text field? By checking the “Log the edits to this field” checkbox in the field settings of any text field, each record will automatically record all changes made over time — along with the user’s name and the date of the change.

Here are my personal favorite logging settings:

Show the name and date on their own line
Show new entries at the bottom of the field
Show full names instead of usernames
Show the time in addition to the date

Group your reports into similar categories

Tired of looking at an unorganized mess of reports? Grouping your reports according to role or use-case can be immensely powerful — especially for tables with many different reports.

To organize your reports into existing groups or create new ones, click the Organize button in the Reports & Charts section of your table view, then click Done Organizing.

Use Radio Buttons instead of Drop Downs

Drop-down select fields are great most of the time, but sometimes you need a different way to show users what options they have on a form. That’s where radio buttons come in.

A radio button on the form is just a multiple choice field with some display settings changed. To switch from a drop-down to radio buttons:

Open the form in the Form Builder.
Highlight the form element.
Check the “Display choices as radio buttons” option on the right-hand side.

Don’t get stuck on problems that don’t matter

Always remember: perfect is the enemy of great. Sometimes you won’t be able to solve a problem exactly the way you want to on your first try. Publish something that works for 80% of your users, and revisit it later with fresh eyes.

Or better yet — reach out for help! The Quickbase Community is a great place to find others who have been in your position before. And if you’re really stuck and need a hand right away, reach out to us for expert-level support.