The easiest way to create a custom QuickBase data editing form is to use the QuickBase Custom Forms feature. Click on the "Customize" menu and then select "Forms". Here you can create custom forms for adding, editing and viewing records.


For those of you that are inclined to play with software below is a technique that ultimately allows a greater degree of customization using an XSL stylesheet. However what's described below offers less flexibility than the method mentioned above.

https://www.quickbase.com/db/6mztyxu8?act=DBPage&pagename=genericeditform.xsl

You'll need to use IE 5.0 or greater for this to work.

Now go to the QuickBase application that you want to create a custom data editing form for. Make sure the QuickBase has at least one record in it. Click on the Customize menu and select "Views". Then click on "Create a New View".

In the "COLUMNS TO DISPLAY" section choose "Custom Columns". Select the fields you want to appear in your data editing form. To do this, highlight the field by clicking on it under the "Available Columns" section. Click on the "Add to View" button to move it to the "Your Columns" area. You must select the "Record ID#" field. Do not select the other "built-in" fields:

"Date Created"
"Date Modified"
"Last Modified By"
"Record Owner"

Arrange the fields you have selected in the order you want them to appear on your form.

In the "Additional Options" section choose "Custom Options". Select "XML (structured)" in the "Format:" section and then type the following into the "Associated XSL document:" text box:

6mztyxu8?act=DBPage^pagename=genericeditform.xsl

Hit the "Display" button at the bottom left of the page.

You should see a very simple data editing form.

To be able to make use of this form you'll need to add a new field to your application of type "Formula - URL (Link)". You can name this field whatever you want.

Now click on the "Customize" drop down menu and select "Fields & Tables". Then click on the "Edit" button next to the field you just created. In the "Display Text" property enter "Edit...".

In the formula property you'll need to enter the following formula with some modification.

"https://www.quickbase.com/db/"&dbid()&"?act=API_DoQuery&fmt=structured&xsl=6mztyxu8%3Fact%3DDBpage%5Epagename%3Dgenericeditform.xsl&query={'3'.EX.'"&ToText([Record ID#])&"}&clist=3.6.7.8.9.10.11&udata=1"

The last part of the formula (clist=3.6.7.8.9.10.11) will determine which fields are present on your data editing form and in which order. The "clist" is a list of field identifiers (fid) separated by periods. Each field in your QuickBase has its own fid.

To learn how to determine the fid of a field please read:

https://www.quickbase.com/db/6mztyxu8?a=dr&r=bb

Modify the clist to include only those fields that you want to display on your custom data editing form. You must include the fid of the "Record ID#" field (in this case 3).

In most QuickBases the "Record ID#" field has a field identifier (fid) of "3". If not see the note below.

One last step is to determine the view that you want to go back to after you have submitted your edit. You'll need the query identifier (qid) of the view that you want to return to. To determine the qid of a view please read:

https://www.quickbase.com/db/6mztyxu8?a=dr&r=bq

Once you determine the qid you want to use you'll need to enter it as the value associated with udata at the end of the formula above. The end of the formula above looks like this:

&udata=1"

If you want to send them to qid 5 then the end of the formula needs to be edited like this:

&udata=5"

If you would like to go to a user-defined page called "thnkyou.html" that exists in the same application, then the end of the formula needs to looks like this

&udata=thnkyou.html"


If you want to customize the labels in the left hand column of your custom edit form you can do this by creating an application variable for each field label that you want to customize. To learn how to create application variables please read the following:

https://www.quickbase.com/db/6mztyxu8?a=dr&r=bs

The name of the variable needs to be the fid of the field. To learn how to determine the fid of a field please read:

https://www.quickbase.com/db/6mztyxu8?a=dr&r=bb

The value of the variable will become the new field label (just in your custom edit forms).

NOTE

If your "Record ID#" field identifier is not '3', let's say it's '1', then in the above formula the part:

query={'3'.EX.'"

needs to be changed to this

query={'1'.EX.'"