I’d like to request an enhancement to how Linked Record fields function within Softr’s database and forms. Currently, when you link to another table, the dropdown or search shows all records from that table. I propose adding a conditional filtering option to limit the choices shown based on the value of another field in the current record.
This functionality is a key feature in backends like Airtable and would significantly improve the user experience and data integrity of many Softr apps.
The Problem:
When building relational databases, we often need to present users with a filtered or “context-aware” list of options. Without this, users are faced with overwhelmingly long dropdown lists, which increases the chance of selecting the wrong record.
Use Case Example:
An app for managing client projects with three tables:
Clients: A list of all clients (e.g., Client A, Client B).
Team Members: A list of all employees and the Client they are assigned to (e.g., John Smith → Client A, Jane Doe → Client A, Peter Jones → Client B).
Projects: A list of projects, each linked to a specific Client.
When I create a new “Project” for Client A, I want to assign people to the project team from the “Team Members” table.
Current Softr Behavior: The “Assign Team Members” linked record field shows me all team members: John Smith, Jane Doe, and Peter Jones. I could mistakenly assign Peter Jones (who works for Client B) to a project for Client A.
Desired Behavior: The “Assign Team Members” field should be filtered to only show team members who are also linked to Client A. In this case, the dropdown choices would only be John Smith and Jane Doe.
Proposed Solution:
When configuring a Linked Record field in the Softr database or in a form block, add a “Conditional Filtering” option. This would allow us to set a rule like:
Show records from [Linked Table] where [Field in Linked Table] matches [Field in this current record]
Applying this to the example above, the filter for the “Team Members” field in the “Projects” table would be:
Show records from the “Team Members” table where the “Client” field matches this project’s “Client” field.
Why This is Important:
Drastically Improves User Experience: It makes forms and data entry faster and more intuitive by presenting users with only the relevant options.
Ensures Data Integrity: It prevents users from making logical errors, like assigning resources from one client to another.
Enables More Complex Apps: This is a foundational feature for building sophisticated project management tools, CRMs, and internal portals where relational data needs to be context-sensitive.
Achieves Parity with Other Tools: This is a standard, powerful feature in Airtable, SmartSuite, and other modern database tools that many Softr users rely on.
Hey @tglatt When Softr released filters for rollup fields last week, I responded by saying I hope filters are coming for related/linked fields. I got a reply from Softr implying this is on the way. Fingers crossed. This is definitely a needed feature.
Sure would like to see some movement here. How are you supposed to create a client portal if linked record fields can’t be filtered to only show records related to the client in forms, etc - and not all clients? Unless I’m missing something.
Thanks for the suggestion regarding Global Data Restrictions. It’s a great feature for securing display blocks like lists and tables.
Unfortunately, our core challenge is with the linked record dropdown fields inside a form. These fields currently display all records from the source table across all clients, and the Global Data Restrictions don’t apply to them. This creates a confusing user experience where a user from one company can see a list of another company’s records when trying to create a link.
Our ideal solution would be the ability to apply a conditional filter directly to the linked record field within the form itself. For example, we’d want to set a filter on a “Select a Business Model” dropdown to only show models where the Company Link matches the Logged-in User’s Company. This would allow us to properly scope the data for a secure, multi-tenant application.
I should add that we have switched to the native softr database. Very pleased with the performance over airtable, but there are some
I think best solution right now - considering Softr’s limitations, would be to use a third party form like fillout and then you can use conditional filters to filter the records on fillout.
I see Softr has added OPTIONS to the Related Record field, including Sort and Filter. I haven’t seen any announcements or documentation for this yet. Not sure if it is fully rolled out, but my initial feedback is as follows - The AI “Help me create conditions“ feature is not working for me. I’ve asked the AI to “Filter people related to the organization“. It doesn’t seem to create anything. When I try to manually create a filter I do not see any way to filter dynamic records. For example I have an Organizations field and a People field. When I select an Organization I want the People field to only show people related to the selected Organization. This doesn’t seem like it is possible, which for me is one of the bigger use cases of filtering on related fields. Hopefully this functionality is coming.
I’d like to request an enhancement to how Linked Record fields function within Softr’s database and forms. Currently, when you link to another table, the dropdown or search shows all records from that table. I propose adding a conditional filtering option to limit the choices shown based on the value of another field in the current record.
Re forms filtering we do offer this already for many datasources I believe it should already work….
Thanks for following up on this @artur Here is one of my use cases I have a table called Event Participants that contains a Related Organization’s field which is linked to the Organizations table and a Related Person’s field which is linked to the People table. When I select an Organization I want the People’s field to only display people that are related to the selected organization.
Apologies if I’m misunderstanding the requirement but I think this is already possible. There are various areas where you can filter the options shown for the linked record drop down:
I believe you are right sara_h. In airtable this is defined at the database level, not the interface/frontend level. I didn’t even think of looking at the front end settings in Softr. I just tested it and I believe the options available in the drop down were properly restricted those related to the user’s organization.
@TobyMacLeod - do you think this is the solution for you as well? If so I will make this as solved.
@sarah_h Thanks for your feedback. You are right, it can be done through the font-end. I agree with you that it would be nice to be able to apply multiple filters.
When building an app I spend quite a bit of time in the back-end working on the data, so it would be nice to have the filter functionality on the database. From my perspective the data is the foundation of any app, so keeping the filtering functionality at the data level makes more sense - it centralizes things.
@tglatt Thanks for following up on this. As noted above, I do believe there is a big benefit to having this functionality at the data level, as opposed to just on the front-end. And multiple filtering options would be beneficial.
