Airtable has revolutionized the way companies approach project management. The tool has a lot of interesting features and customizations, making it a big hit in many organizations. Airtable’s offering of various ways to visualize data and its ease of use contribute hugely to its popularity.
Currently, Airtable has nine types of views, of which six are available in the free version. In this article, we’ll look at the various types of views you may create using the free version of Airtable.
What Is an Airtable View?
Airtable views provide ways to view records in unique ways. You can create multiple views for a single underlying database, with each view having unique configurations.
In Airtable views, you’re able to configure what fields you want to see, filter the records based on certain conditions, sort the records, and of course, decide how you want to view the recorded data.
How to Create an Airtable View
Tocreate a view on Airtable, just go to the View sidebar, and select the desired view type. Here, you can also hover on the name of the view type for a brief explanation. Once your view is created, you can configure it based on your needs by selecting the right fields, filtering the records, and choosing the desired sort condition.
1. Grid View on Airtable
Grid view is the default view on Airtable. This is similar to a spreadsheet, where each record is represented by a row and each field is represented by a column.
Grid views are ideal for viewing your data in a simple, tabular format. With a grid view, it is easy to make bulk changes to multiple records or fields. It is also convenient for migrating data from other spreadsheet tools or software.
2. Form View on Airtable
A form view builds a form that can be used for adding new records. You can customize these forms by selecting the desired input fields, marking any mandatory fields, limiting dropdown options, etc.
Form views are perfect for situations where you need tocollect data from external users. you’re able to easily share the view with the collaborators, who can then enter the data and submit it, thus creating a new record in your database. A form view can be shared with any number of people without sharing the Airtable base itself.
3. Calendar View on Airtable
As the name suggests, a calendar view shows your data in a calendar format. For this, it is necessary to have at least one date field in your database. If you have multiple date fields, you can choose which date field to use for the created view.
Calendar views can be useful for visualizing time-sensitive information such as deadlines, and project timelines. You can also drag and drop your records from one date to another to easily overwrite the date field.
4. Gallery View on Airtable
A gallery view showcases each record in the form of a card. Here too, you can choose what fields you want to view on each card. Gallery views have an image field configuration that lets you choose a relevant image field to be showcased on each card.
Gallery views are perfect for image-heavy databases, product repositories, and portfolios. For using a field as an image field, configure the field type as “attachment”. You can then easilydrag and drop images directlyonto the card from anywhere on the internet or your computer.
5. Kanban View on Airtable
In a Kanban view, you’re able to group your records based on a single-select field or a user field. The view shows each record as a card, categorized into a column based on the configured grouping.
Kanban views are great for project management, as you can group cards based on their status. If you have multiple collaborators on your base, you can also group based on the user field to view cards assigned to each user.
6. List View on Airtable
A list view shows all your records linearly. Here, you can set multiple levels of connected records and set a prefix field to each record for a condensed visualization.
List views are optimal when you need to present clean and simple data. It is also preferable to use list views on smaller screens, such as mobile phones, as the data is easily readable.
Make the Most of Airtable With the Right Views
With all the customizations it provides, Airtable views can be uniquely configured to show exactly what you want to see. This truly highlights Airtable’s adaptability and allows users to get the most out of the platform.
While Airtable is one of the leaders in smart database management, check out other tools that also offer excellent project management capabilities.
