Columns and Variables

Column references (as the name suggests) refer to a specific table column and retrieve column values. When the formula is calculated for a particular table record, the column reference is substituted with a real value taken from the specified column (field) of that record. Column references are enclosed in square brackets and contain the name of the column to which they refer, like [Client Name], [Budget].

To insert a column reference into your formula, click [ to list all columns of a table and insert the column you need. You can also type the first letters of the column name after the [ sign, and the columns starting with those letters will be displayed in the dropdown.

Column references are not case-sensitive. However, when typing the column name, make sure it is entered exactly as the column is named in the table.

If you use a reference to a certain column and then change the column name, the name in the formula will be automatically updated. Thus, there is no need to manually update all formulas referring to the modified column.

User Properties

If your database uses the User Properties table, you can easily refer to User Properties information related to the current user wherever needed. Simply refer to a column from the User Property table by its name with the "User" prefix. To insert a column, click [ to list columns, user properties, and variables, and insert the user property column you need. You can also type the first letters of the column name after the [ sign, and the user property columns starting with those letters will be displayed in the dropdown.

For example, User[Department] will return the "Department" column value from the record linked to the current user.

Variables

Variables can also be used for creating formulas. In fact, variables were designed to be used in formulas. Variables behave much like column references: a variable always starts with the "Var" prefix followed by the variable name enclosed in square brackets (for example, Var[Tax Rate]). To insert a variable, click [ to list columns and variables, and insert the variable you need. You can also type the first letters of the variable name after the [ sign, and the variables starting with those letters will be displayed in the dropdown. Variable names are case-insensitive, similar to column references.

When working with variables, remember that initially, all variables are treated as simple text values. If you want to use them in formulas that process other data types, you should first convert the variable into the necessary data type.