AppSheet data types

Introduction and Overview

In this lesson, we discuss the various types of data that can be stored in table columns and how they are used in AppSheet.

Types of Data in AppSheet

• There are 35 data types available in AppSheet, which can be grouped into 10 categories.

• The categories include text, numeric, temporal, change, enumerated, communication, mappable, content, show, and other.

Text Data Types

• Long text: Used to store one or more lines of text.

• Name: Used to store the name of a person or place.

• Text: Used to store a single line of text.

Numeric Data Types

• Decimal: Used for numbers with a fractional component.

• Number: Used for whole numbers or integers.

• Percent: Used for storing percentage values.

• Price: Used for storing currency values.

Temporal Data Types

• Date: Stores a specific year, month, and day.

• DateTime: Stores both date and time information.

• Time: Stores specific hour, minute, and second values.

• Duration: Stores a period of time as hours, minutes, and seconds.

Change Column Types

• ChangeCounter: Implements a counter when values in a column change.

• ChangeLocation: Records the location when values in a column change.

• ChangeTimestamp: Records the timestamp when values in a column change.

Enumerated Column Types

• Color: Adds color codes to data entries displayed in the app.

• Enum/EnumList: Allows users to select single/multiple values from an allowed list of values.

Progress Column Type

• Indicates the progress of a data item using Harvey balls.

Reference Column Type

• Creates references or relationships between tables.

ID Column and Column Types New Section

This section explains the ID column in the orders table and discusses different column types available in AppSheet.

ID Column

• The ID column is used in the orders table.

• It stores a unique identifier for each entry in the table.

Column Types

• There are different column types available in AppSheet.

• Each column type has its own purpose and functionality.

• Some common column types include Yes/No, Communication, Mappable, Content, Show, URL, and App.

Yes/No Column Type

• The Yes/No column type stores a True/False value.

• It can be customized to display specific values when True or False.

• For example, it can be used to indicate whether an order has been shipped with values like "shipped" or "not shipped".

Communication Column Types

Email

• The Email column type stores an email address.

• It enables app users to send emails by clicking on it.

Phone

• The Phone column type stores a phone number.

• It enables app users to call or send text messages via the app.

• Note that phone numbers are recognized in North American format by default.

Mappable Column Types

Address

• The Address column type contains complete postal or street addresses.

• If address components are stored separately (e.g., street name, city), AppSheet automatically creates a computed address column that concatenates these values for mapping purposes.

LatLong

• The LatLong column type contains comma-separated latitude and longitude values.

XY

• The XY column type contains XY location coordinates plotted on a background image.

Content Column Types

Drawing

• The Drawing column type allows users to create free-form sketches in the app.

Image

• The Image column type displays or captures images of types like JPG, PNG, and GIF.

• Images can be sourced from URLs or files in the spreadsheet's source file system.

• They can be captured using the device camera or selected from a local camera roll.

Thumbnail

• The Thumbnail column type is similar to the Image type but expects small icons or thumbnails.

• Thumbnails are captured in the same way as images.

Signature

• The Signature column type captures a user's signature using a touch-based signature pad.

• The signature is stored as a small image in the cloud data provider system.

File

• The File column type includes files or PDFs in the app.

• It requires either the name of a locally accessible file or a publicly accessible URL to the file (e.g., Google Drive).

Video Column Type

• The Video column type loads publicly accessible URLs to videos or MPEG files in the app.

• It also supports YouTube embed URL format.

Show Column Types

• Show column types are empty columns used to improve data input form presentation.

• They are only permitted in form views and serve specific purposes.

Other Column Types

Page_Header

• Use this show type to create new pages within forms.

Section_Header

• Use this show type to create new sections within the same form page.

Text

• Use this show type to display descriptive text in forms.

URL

• Use this show type to display clickable URLs in forms.

Image

• Use this show type to display static images in forms.

Video

• Use this show type to display MP4 videos in forms.

URL Column Type

• A column of URL type contains web addresses that users can click on to view content in a hosted web browser.

• Users also have the option to open the content in an external native web browser on their device.

App Column Type

• The App column type is used to navigate to a different view within the current app or another app.

• It requires a deep link, which is a specially formatted text value that can be constructed manually or using AppSheet expressions.