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Workflow
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Calculations & Logic
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Search & Queries
Reporting & Dashboards
E-Commerce & Payments
Builder Guide
Builder Basics
Objects & Connections
Plan Your Connections: Complex Example
Working With Objects
About Connections
Plan Your Connections: Simple Example
Connection Types
Plan Your Objects
Use Connections in Your App
Connecting Records Together
Special Objects
Connections: Troubleshooting & FAQs
Fields
Numeric Equation Functions
Field Types
Validation Rules
Date Equation Settings
Numeric Equation Settings
Formulas
Equations
Conditional Rules
Text Formulas
About Fields
Text Formula Functions
Records
CSV Format Guide for Importing
Delete Records
Import Records
Export Records
Importing Connections
Working with Records
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Pages
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Deleting a Page That's Being Linked to
Working with Pages
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Table Column Settings
Maps
Source: Which Records Will the View Display
Calendars
Table Settings
Details
Menus
Using Action Links
Reports
Lists
Rich Text
Combining Fields from Connected Records in Views
Using Record Rules
Forms
Using Display Rules
About Views
Using Submit Rules
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Tables
Users & Logins
Users and the Page Menu
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Single Sign-On with Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Custom
Manage User Records
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Live App Security Settings
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Accounts
How do I cancel my Knack account?
I'm over the storage limit for my account. How do I add more storage or get under the limit?
Need account access or to transfer account access because account owner or colleague left the company
I'm over the record limit for my account. How do I add more records or get under the limit?
Is there an option to pay via invoice, check, wire transfer, or something other than a credit card?
How do I freeze or pause my Knack account?
Where can I find a copy of my receipt or invoice?
How do I add more API calls to my account?
Managing Apps
How do I change the favicon for my app?
How do I backup or export my apps and data?
How can I track what users are doing in my app?
How do I remove the "Powered by Knack" logo at the bottom of my app?
How do I give Builder access to a colleague or developer for one of my apps?
How do I white label my app?
How do I copy an app from my account to another account?
App Building
How do I show multiple dates on a calendar?
How do I add a logo to my app?
How do I find the most recent date from a connected object?
How do I create a field that always shows today's date?
Can I share or connect data between apps?
How do I create an "If, Then" or conditional equation?
How do I merge my apps, or copy pages, objects, or other app elements between my apps?
The menu isn't showing for my app on mobile devices. How do I fix that?
Is there a way to have new users be automatically logged-in after they register?
How do I bulk upload or import multiple files?
How do I move or copy fields or data from one object to another?
How can I show a customer's payment history if I'm collecting payments through my Knack app and through cash or check?
Is there a way to add a display rule to multiple columns at one time instead of having to update each column individually?
Do I need a separate user role object for my Vendors, Customers, Employees, Contacts, etc?
How can I set up my app so users see only their own data?
Can I combine two date fields into a single date field? For example, combining a start and end date into a single field?
Does Knack offer a service for building apps or have developers I can hire?
How do I bulk upload or import multiple images?
How can I change the color of something in my app?
Is it possible to display more than 100 records at a time on a table, list, or search view?
Can I?
Can I migrate or transfer data from Zoho, Quickbase, or TrackVia?
Can I add chat or messaging to my app?
Can I sell my Knack apps?
Can I use Knack on mobile devices?
Do you have a sandbox or developer environment?
Can I send SMS or text messages using Knack?
Can I integrate Knack with other data, products, and services?
Can I create invoices and accept payments?
Can I have an app in a language besides English?
Can I email PDFs or other attachments to users with Knack?
Can I add Google Analytics to my Knack app?
Can I migrate my Access, Filemaker, SQL, or other databases?
Can I prototype for others?
Can I customize the look and feel of my Knack pages?
Can I use a barcode or credit card scanner with Knack?
Other
Does Knack offer access to beta features?
How secure is Knack?
Does the signature captured through a signature field constitute a legally binding signature?
Does Knack offer a partner program?
How does Knack work on mobile devices? Is it mobile-friendly? Can users download my apps?
Is Knack GDPR compliant?
Storing sensitive data (credit cards, social security numbers, etc.)
Will Knack sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)?
Which browsers do you support?
How do I batch download all of the images and files In my app?
Imports
I'm seeing an odd character when importing data. How can I get rid of it?
How do I update existing data using an import?
My import is failing or getting stuck. What do I do?
Can I undo or reverse an import?
I'm having trouble importing into a specific type of field. What can I do?
Some of my fields aren't importing correctly. How can I fix that?
I'm having trouble importing into a connection field. What can I do?
Can I import something other than data? Like objects, pages, views, etc?
My import is taking a long time. Can you take a look?
I'm getting an error when importing. What do I do?
Do the validation rules on fields trigger when importing data?
Can I schedule or automate imports?
Can my users import data from the live app, instead of going through the builder/back-end?
I am importing data for the first time. How do I do that?
Can I import data into more than one object at the same time?
How To Guides
Add Functionality to Your Live App
How To Create Discount Codes
Create an Add To Favorites Feature
How to Access Private Records Without a Login
Accept Payments in a Live App
Manage Your Records
Use an Edit Form to Create Records If They Don't Exist
Track Which User Last Updated a Record
Copy a Record Using Record Rules
Track When Records are Created and Updated
Create a Version History for Records
Use Zapier to Insert Connected Records
Work with Connected Records
How to Show Multiple Fields in Your Connection Drop-Down
Showing Parent-Child Records in the Live App
Forms
How to Create Dynamic Dropdowns in Forms
Add Read-Only Fields to a Form
How to Change the Layout of Forms
Create a Multi-Part Form
How to Allow Users to Add New Options in Forms
How to Add Instructions to a Form
How to Customize the Text on a Submit Button
How to Automatically Capture a User’s Location on a Form
How to Use URL Variables to Pre-Populate a Form
Customize Views
How to Add a Map to a Details View
How to Add Connection Links to Views
How to Add Inline Editing to a Table
Create a Print-Friendly Invoice Page
How to Click on an Image to Go to Another Page
How to Add Groupings to a Table
Users & Logins
Force Users to Reset Their Passwords
Save a User's Payment Method
Create a Single Login Page for Multiple User Roles
Add Read-Only Access For Users
Show Records Connected To The Logged-in User's Company Or Other Group
Show Records Connected to the Logged-in User
Create an Admin User Role to View All Records
Workflow & Automations
Add a Pipeline to Your App
Create a Registration Form with Limited Availability
Add Stages to Your App
Store Multiple Images or Files for Individual Records
Use Multiple Image Sources for a Single Image Field
Create a Button or Link that Updates a Field to a Custom Value
Notify a User That an Item is Ready for Review
Add Assignments to Your App
Using Mailchimp
Approve New Records Before Displaying Them
Workflow Tools
Add Notification & Reminder Emails to Your App
Add Status Indicators to Your App
Logic, Equations & Formulas
Start an Auto Increment Field from Any Number
Display a Message When a Deadline is Approaching
Generate Simple Numeric Barcodes Automatically
How to Set a Random ID
Calculate Age in Years from a Birthday
How To Number Line Items
Show Upcoming Birthdays
How to Extract the Start and End Dates from a Date Field
How to Display Multiple Date Formats Using a Single Date Field
Reports, Queries, and Summaries
App Walkthroughs
Build an Inventory Manager App
Build a Quiz App
Build a Warehouse Manager App
Build a Member Directory
Build an Orders App
Build a Map Directory or Store Locator App
Images & Files
Manage Your Account
Manage Your Account
About Knack Accounts
Account Plans and Billing
Managing Your Apps
Managing Your Account Settings
Sharing Apps with Shared Builders
App Settings: Map Provider
Script Attack Protection: Whitelisted Custom Code Elements and Attributes
Script Attack Protection: Protected Areas
Security & Infrastructure
Security Best Practices
Knack Status
Data Locations
Builder Security Settings for All Knack Plans
Builder Two-Factor Authentication
Performance
Table of Contents
- All Categories
- Builder Guide
- Objects & Connections
- Working With Objects
Working With Objects
Updated
by Ro Chittick
About Objects
Knack uses objects and fields to define your data.
Objects are used to separate your data into common groups. You can think of an object like a spreadsheet or a database table.
Fields are used to define specific attributes of an object. Think of a field as a spreadsheet column. You'll want to add a field for each attribute you want to store for a given object.
You access your objects by clicking on the "Schema" link in the top left of your Builder:
Your app’s objects are listed in the Schema section of the Builder on the left. Click an object to access the object settings.
What Should My Objects Be?
For most apps, figuring out what the objects are is fairly straightforward. But for cases when it’s less clear, here are some good ways to think about your objects:
- Consider your fields. It can help by starting at the bottom. List all the fields your app will need to display and manage, then group them into the most logical collections. These collections are your objects.
- Think about your pages. If you're adding forms, what inputs will those forms contain? If you want to display a table of records, what will the columns be? Ask yourself if each of the inputs or columns sound like they belong to the same group. If not, you will want to store them in separate objects.
- Singular or plural? If you have data that can be plural combined with data that is singular, then you may want to break up the plural aspects into a separate object. For example, let's say you want to track job applications (single), but each application can have a job history of previous jobs (plural). In this case, it makes sense to make the previous jobs a separate object that would connect to the application object.
- Do you have repeating data? If you are repeating the same information over and over again in your records, you may want to separate that info into its own object and connect it to your original records instead. This way you will only have to update it once.
Add Objects
Add an object by clicking the green plus button at the top of the toolbox on the left side of the Builder:
This will bring up a pop-up to add your object with tabs for 3 options.
- From Scratch
- By Import
- By Template
Add an Object From Scratch
This tab lets you add your object from scratch:
This means you'll need to add all the object’s fields yourself. This is the most common way to add an object if you are not starting with an existing spreadsheet.
First, give your object a name. We recommend you use the plural version of your object name (e.g. Companies instead of Company). Knack automatically creates a singular version and will use the right version when needed.
Click the "Add Object" button and your new object will be saved and added. You can now start adding fields to this new object. A default "Name" field (e.g. Company Name) is added automatically.
Add an Object by Import
If you are starting with an existing spreadsheet, click the "Import a Spreadsheet" tab:
Knack will create a field for each column in the spreadsheet (or each column you choose to add) and import each record into the object.
Click here to learn more about importing spreadsheets.
Add an Object by Template
Click on the “By Template” tab to select from common object templates:
All the fields listed for each template will be added to your new object. You're free to update, delete or add new fields after the object is added.
Edit Objects
To edit an object select the “more options” menu (the “...” icon) next to the object's name. Then select the "Settings" option. Here you will be able to edit the name, display field, and default sort order of that object.
Rename Object: The name of the object used throughout the Builder.
Set Display Field: The display field is the field that represents this object. This field is used throughout the application when these records are displayed in connection fields for this object. By default, this will be the first field in the object.
Set Default Sort Order: The default sort order is used to order the records when no other sort order is given. This defaults to the order the record was added, but you can set it to sort by any field.
Copy Objects/Fields
An object and its fields can be copied by clicking on the more options menu (the “...” icon) next to the object’s name and selecting the "Copy" option:
You'll be given the option to copy the fields to either a new or existing object.
If you choose a new object, you'll be asked to name the new object. If you choose an existing object, you will be asked to select which existing object. Then you can select which fields to copy:
Connect Objects Together
The right column lists any connections the object has and a green plus button to add a new connection:
When you add a new connection it creates a special connection field in that object.
These fields can be used like any other field throughout your app. If you add a connection field to a form, it will operate like a "look-up," where you can select a record to connect to from the connected object.
Connections open up powerful functionality, such as:
- Displaying parent-child records in your app’s pages.
- Running formulas to find the totals and averages of child records.
- Showing records connected to the logged-in user.
Click here to learn more about what is possible using connections.
Object Records
Above the list of fields in the Schema section, you can select the database icon which will show you all the records stored in this object. This can also be accessed for all objects on the “Records” tab from the left-hand menu.
Click here for more on managing records.
Delete Objects
You can delete an object by clicking on the more options (the "..." icon) next to the object’s name and selecting the Delete option:
You'll be asked to confirm this action.