Relation Picker System

The Relation Picker lets you select related records when working with forms. When you see a pencil icon next to a form field, that's a relation field that connects to records in another table. Instead of typing IDs, the Relation Picker provides a user-friendly way to browse and select related data.

Schema vs. forms: The picker is for choosing related rows in create/edit forms. Defining relations, incoming links from other tables, and Create Inverse (reverse property name on the current table) are done in table schema Relations — see Table Creation Guide.

How to Use Relation Fields

Select Related Records: 1. Click the field with the pencil icon 2. Choose records from the list that appears 3. Click "Apply" to confirm your selection

For Single Selection (like choosing one customer): - Click a record to select it - Clicking another record replaces your selection

For Multiple Selection (like choosing multiple categories): - Click records to add/remove them from your selection
- Selected records show a checkmark

Additional Actions

The picker only selects existing records. To create a record, use the related table's own page, then reload the picker.

Filter Records:
- Use Filter to narrow the available records; the picker has no separate quick-search field - Use the same filtering system as described in the Filter System guide

Browse Pages: - The list is a table with cursor pagination; use Previous / Next to move through pages - Moving between pages does not clear your selection - The table header shows the total number of records matching the current filter, not just the current page; paging keeps that total unchanged

View Record Details: - Click the external-link icon next to any record to open its detail page - This doesn't affect your current selection

Common Examples

Blog Post Categories: - "Categories" field shows pencil icon - Click field see list of all categories - Click multiple categories they get selected with checkmarks - Click "Apply" field shows "3 categories selected"

Order Customer: - "Customer" field shows pencil icon
- Click field see list of all customers - Click one customer previous selection is replaced - Click "Apply" field shows the selected customer's name

Product Supplier: - "Supplier" field shows pencil icon - Click field see many suppliers - Click Filter button search by location or name - Select supplier field shows the chosen supplier

Tips

Finding Records: - Use the Filter button if you have many records to choose from - Look for meaningful names (the system shows name, title, or other identifying fields) - Use the external-link icon to open a record's detail page before selecting

Working Efficiently: - For multiple selections, you can select several records before clicking Apply - Click Apply to keep your choices. Closing without applying discards draft changes; reopening restores the last confirmed selection.