Button fields allow you to add actions to your SmartSuite views and records, allowing the user to control when the action fires. The Open URL action is available now, opening a configurable URL that you specify in a new tab when it's clicked. You can specify a static URL, or generate a dynamic one using values contained in other fields in the record.
This URL Formula option makes it possible to create links to other sites that require an Id that you have stored in the record, or even link directly to a Web search using the record's title. The Open URL action will soon be joined by a list of additional action types that will allow you to send email, perform record operations or even trigger SmartSuite automations.
Adding a Button field
From Grid View
From Grid View
Click the + menu icon after the last column header or open the Column Menu by clicking on a column header's dropdown icon and then select "Add Field to the Right."
Select "Button," and a window will open to configure the field. You can search the name for a quick find.
From Record View
From Record View
The fastest way to add a field from an open Record View to is simply click the + sign next to a current field to add a new field below.
See a Button field being added in Edit Record View below:
Field Properties
The button field's Properties page allows you to configure the display format, button label, button color, and the action you want to take.
Open URL Action
The Open Url action allows you to open a web page in a new tab when the button is clicked. Urls are either static or dynamically-created with a formula. Click on the Static URL or URL Formula button to select the type.
Static URL
Choose static URL if the address you want to take the user to never changes. Clicking the button will open a new browser tab and load the specified URL.
URL Formula
Choosing URL Formula gives you the ability to customize the Url using the SmartSuite Formula Builder. The Formula Builder offers you the same functions you'll find in the Formula field type, allowing you to combine field values, operators, functions, and text to dynamically create the link.
If the entry in the formula builder is invalid, you'll know at a glance with an Invalid syntax message displayed at the bottom corner of the text box.
To see more details on our Formula Builder, check out our Formula Field article.
Examples
The URL Formula can be as simple or as complex as you need. You can just use a link that is in another field or even create your own custom links based on information inside the records, or you can perform logic to generate a URL that is appropriate for the type or status of the record.
For example:
Say I have a list of guidelines inside SmartSuite that I want to follow based on a task type. What I could do is create a separate SmartSuite view for each set of guidelines filtered by type, and I can actually construct a formula that could say: if task type is Branding, have the button take me to the branding guidelines view; if task type is Content, take me to the Content guidelines view.
You can see in the example that since I only specified links for the Branding and Content types, the other buttons are left unclickable as they don't contain a link to anything.