What is a Primary Field?
Every SmartSuite Table has a Record Title (Primary Field). This field serves as a short, descriptive representation of a record and is used as the label for the record when users need to select it.
Plan Availability & Permissions
Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Workspace Admins, Solution Creators and Solution Managers: Can create, modify, delete, and manage Primary fields in their solutions. |
Related Reading |
How is the Record Title Field Displayed in Different Views?
Grid View
Displayed as the first column in the Grid.
Only the Auto-Number field can replace it as the first column.
Always included in the view and cannot be removed from the "Fields to Display" selector.
Positioning Notes:
When replaced by the Auto-Number field, the Primary Field moves to column two.
Card and Kanban Views
Used as the title of record cards, making it the primary identifier for each card.
Calendar and Timeline Views
Displayed as the label for records.
Longer Primary Field values are truncated with a "..." indicator.
Map View
Appears in:
Dialogs that open when clicking on a map location pin.
The expandable record list on the right of the map.
Working with the Record Title Field
Record Title Properties
Text Type: Always set to Text, as it is meant to be user-friendly and identify records.
Conversion: Can only be converted to an Auto-Generated field.
Adjustable Properties
Require Entries to be Unique:
Prevents duplicate values in the field.
Prompts users to change duplicate entries when creating or updating records.
Require an Entry:
Ensures every record has an identifiable title.
Helps display records properly in Saved Views.
How to Adjust These Properties:
Open the Record Title dropdown.
Navigate to the Manual Input tab.
Select the desired options.
Changing Record Titles to Auto-Generated
Open the Record Title dropdown.
Navigate to the Auto-Generated tab.
Build a custom title by combining:
Static text.
Fields from your data as variables.
For more details, read:
Practical Scenarios and Use Cases
1. Tracking Unique Customer Data
Scenario: A sales team needs to track unique customer details such as names or company information to ensure no duplicates.
Solution: Enable the "Require Unique Entries" setting to avoid duplicate customer records. This ensures data integrity across all records.
2. Managing Event Registrations
Scenario: An event organizer wants to ensure every registration has a unique ticket ID and required attendee information.
Solution: Use the Record Title field to set unique ticket identifiers and require entries to ensure every registration is properly documented.
3. Creating Auto-Generated Project Names
Scenario: A project manager wants to streamline naming conventions for new projects using predefined patterns.
Solution: Configure the Record Title field to use Auto-Generated settings, combining static text like "Project" with variables such as dates or team names, ensuring consistency across all projects.
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