QuickBase Straight Up

The QuickBase team has put out a new release, so it’s time to put on our learning hats and see what we can do with the new features.

We’ll start with three features that you can learn in 30 seconds (each!).

So you create a field called “Street Address” and some user enters their whole life story, and then when you print out labels, their “address” spills over onto 3 other labels. How do you keep them from entering too many characters? Now it’s easy. When you are setting up a text field, just set the “Maximum length” to 30 characters (or whatever length you think is appropriate).

One caveat - “Maximum Length” does not mesh very well with Append-Only fields, since the expectation is that you will be adding more and more text to an append-only field as time goes on. If you create an append-only field with a maximum length and you enter more than the prescribed number of characters, QuickBase gives you a friendly error message, and, correctly, does not save the record. However, it displays the text that you have entered in the grey portion of the field, as if it were saved. This could be confusing for users.

Many of us use more than one application, and sometimes we’d like a single page with an overview of all our critical data. QuickBase nerds have been able to create such a page for a long time, by using the “text” sections in an application dashboard. But now all of us can do the same thing. On your “My QuickBase” page, just click on the reports tab. Click on “Add Report” and you can select any report from any application that you have access to, and place it on your Reports tab.

One of the best ways to backup a QuickBase App is simply to copy it (see here for more). But many users have been prevented from copying because their application had so many file attachments that copying the application (with all the files) would have bumped up the monthly bill.

Now when you copy your application, if you choose to copy with data, Quickbase asks if you want to include file attachments. “Just say no” and you can backup without having to worry about angry questions from your comptroller about why the QuickBase bill increased.

QuickBase is now optimized for the iPhone (and likewise, the iPod Touch). This is significant, as users have long hankered for QuickBase access away from their office. But don’t read more into this than there is. The iPhone screen is 320 x 480 pixels, roughly a quarter the size of even the most limited QuickBase screens. And the iPhone keypad is btr fr shrt txt than for extensive work. Bottom line: optimization for the iPhone gives you visual access to your data when away from a computer, but think of it as a reporting tool only. Even very minor data entry is a real chore. If you need to do data entry while you’re on the road, bring your tablet or laptop with a wireless device.