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Sub Items Field

Create itemized line items in a record

Emma Montgomery avatar
Written by Emma Montgomery
Updated over a week ago

SmartSuite’s Sub Items field embeds a table within a table, creating a parent-child relationship where each Sub Item acts as a child record containing multiple fields under a single parent record.


Plan Availability

All plan types

Permissions

Workspace Admins, Solution Creators and Solution Managers: Can create, modify, delete, and manage Sub Items fields in their solutions.

Related Reading


Before diving in, take a moment to understand the Sub Item field's relationship to other entities in the Structure of SmartSuite.

What Is the Sub Items Field?

The Sub Items field adds a layer to SmartSuite's base structure, creating a parent-child relationship between the parent record and the child Sub Items.

Think of the Sub Items field as embedding a table within a table. Each Sub Item field contains multiple fields and acts like a child record nested within a parent record.

Structurally, this adds another layer beneath a table that can be visualized as:


Adding a Sub Item Field

From Grid View

  1. Open your table in Grid View.

  2. Click the + menu icon after the last column header or access the Column Menu by clicking on a column header's dropdown icon and select "Add Field to the Right."

  3. Choose "Sub Items," and configure the field in the settings window that appears.

From Record View

  1. Open a record in Record View.

  2. Click the + icon next to an existing field to add a Sub Item field below it.

  3. Configure the field in the modal that appears.


Working with Sub Item Fields

Field Types Available for Sub Items

📝 Note: The First Created and Last Updated fields apply to the Sub Items themselves, not the parent record.


Getting Started with Sub Items

New Sub Item fields include these default fields:

  1. Text (Title)

  2. Text Area (Description)

  3. Date (Date)

Solution Managers can customize the Sub Item field settings by:

  • Adding new fields by clicking the + sign.

  • Modifying or deleting existing fields.

  • Reordering fields using drag-and-drop.

  • Setting a default sort order for the Sub Items grid.

  • Removing fields from the Sub Items grid display.
    (Add GIF)

Check out quick articles on Adding Help Text to fields.


Practical Scenarios and Use Cases

Task Management

Scenario: A project manager needs to track the individual tasks within a larger project.

Solution: Use the Sub Items field to list each task as a sub-item, with details like due dates, assigned team members, and progress status.

Inventory Management

Scenario: A retail store wants to track product variations under a single record for each product category.

Solution: Add Sub Items fields to record sizes, colors, and stock levels for each product type.

Event Planning

Scenario: An event coordinator needs to manage sub-tasks like catering, decorations, and guest lists for an event.

Solution: Create a Sub Items field for each task, ensuring all event details are centralized within one record.

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