A Text field holds one short line of words or characters. Think of the one-line box on a paper form where you write a name or a reference.

Here is the test: is the answer a single short line with no formatting? If yes, you want a Text field. For several lines, use a Text Area field. For a formatted document, use a SmartDoc field.

Example: a Contracts table with a field called Contract Number. Each contract carries the number from the signed agreement, such as MSA-2026-014, so the record matches the paper.

The Contract Number field in a contract record, showing MSA-2026-014 in a single-line box.

The field settings panel opens. It has four tabs: Settings, AI Field Agent, Defaults and Help Text. The rest of this article takes them in that order. Save at any point with Add Field (or Update Field on a field that already exists) and come back to the other tabs later.

Every table already has one Text field: the Title, which is the table's Primary Field. See Record Title (Primary Field).

The field settings panel, Settings tab, with the Display Format preview and the three Options switches.

The Settings tab holds the preview and three rules. Top to bottom: Display Format and Options.

A preview box that reads Single line of text. There is nothing to choose here. A Text field has one format, and the words wrap to one line in every view.

Three switches, all off to start. Each one is a rule for the people who fill in records.

Require entries to be unique. No two records can hold the same value. A record with a value already in use cannot be saved, and the message reads "{field name} value should be unique". Turn it on for Contract Number, so one contract cannot be entered twice.

Require an entry in this field. The field shows a REQUIRED label, and a record cannot be saved while the field is empty. The message reads "{field name} is required". Turn it on when a blank means something is missing. A contract with no number is a contract nobody can find on paper.

Limit character entry. Turn it on and a box appears with the text "Limit the maximum number of characters that can be entered for this field." Enter the maximum in the Characters box, with the stepper arrows or by typing. A counter under the field then shows the characters used, such as 10 of 10, and typing stops at the limit. Without a limit, a Text field holds up to 500 characters, and the Characters box takes a limit up to 500. The cap applies to typing in the interface; a value written through the API can be longer.

The Options section with Limit character entry turned on, showing the Characters box set to 12.

Off by default. The field works fully without it. Turn it on to let SmartSuite AI write the value from instructions you give.

An instruction must include at least one field from the record, inserted as a chip from the blue + picker, so the agent reads that field's value. Example for Contract Number, with the Contract Document field inserted as a chip (shown here in bold). The instruction reads: "Read Contract Document and find the contract number printed on the cover page or in the header. Set this field to that number exactly as it is written. If the document shows no number, leave the field empty." A person still reviews what the agent wrote. The AI Field Agent article covers connections and instructions in full.

The AI Field Agent tab turned on, with a connection, the instruction for Contract Number showing the Contract Document chip, and Run Automatically.

Default Text is the value every new record starts with. The box holds up to 500 characters; a counter shows how many are used.

Contract Number has no default, because every contract has a number of its own. A field such as Region might default to the office that enters most records. Defaults apply to new records only; records that already exist do not change.

A note for the person filling in the record, up to 800 characters. Help Text Appearance shows it As A Tooltip (the default, behind an info icon next to the field name) or Below The Field Name (always visible).

Write it for someone who has never seen the field. For Contract Number: "The number printed on the signed agreement, such as MSA-2026-014. Copy it exactly, including the dashes."

Field Permissions. Every field can carry its own permissions, which control who can see the field and who can edit it. Open the column menu and select Edit Field Permissions. Let Legal set Contract Number while everyone else reads it. See Field Permissions.

Dynamic Record Permissions. A Text field can also drive record-level rules: who can see or edit a record based on the value it holds. Every field type except Button can drive a rule. See Dynamic Record Permissions.

Once records are filled in, the field answers "which one?" across the table. In Grid View, double-click a cell to edit it in place and press Enter to save. In a record, the field is a single-line box; type the value and move on.

The operators are is, is not, contains, does not contain, is empty and is not empty. "Contract Number contains MSA" lists the master agreements. "Is empty" lists the contracts not yet matched to paper. Spotlight uses the same operators, and Find searches the text.

Group a view by the field and each distinct value becomes a group. That is useful only where values repeat; a unique field such as Contract Number gives one record per group.

Sort A → Z or Z → A from the column menu. The sort is alphabetical, so MSA-2026-014 sorts before MSA-2026-100.

A Lookup field can show Contract Number on a linked record, such as the contract numbers on a vendor. The value also works in the filters of Count, Rollup and Lookup fields, and in Auto-Generated Titles.

A formula reads the field as text. This one builds a label for reports in a field called Contract Label:

It gives MSA-2026-014 for Acme Hosting. Formula Functions & Operators lists the text functions.

An Update records or Create a record action can write the field, and a trigger condition can test it: contains, equals, is empty. See Automation Actions explained.

A Text field can be placed on a form. See Form View.

Change a value in one record. Double-click the cell, type the new value and press Enter. In a record, select the box and type.

Add a limit after records exist. Open the column menu (⋮), select Modify Field Settings, turn on Limit character entry, enter the maximum, then Update Field. Check first, with a filter, which records already hold longer values.

Turn on unique after records exist. Turn on Require entries to be unique and Update Field. Group a view by the field first to see which values already repeat.

Change the field type. The dropdown at the top of the panel changes a Text field into another type. See Changing a Field's Type.

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Last verified 1 Nov 2026.