Control - Foreign
Function: The control [Foreign] is an extension of the control [Relationship]. It helps to use fields in other worksheets and save them in the records of the current worksheet and update them synchronously, or display them only when the user opens the record.
Use Case: The worksheet Order is associated with the worksheet Contact, and you want to display the fields [Telephone] and [Position] of Contact directly in worksheet Order.
The control [Foreign] relies on the control [Relationship]. You need to learn more about Relationship first.
How to set the control [Foreign]
1. Add the control [Foreign]
On the form editing page, select the control [Foreign] in the left area and drag it to the middle.
2. Set the field to be displayed
For example, if you want to display the field [Telephone] of Contact in the current worksheet, as shown below, select [Contact] for [Associating Records], and select [Telephone] for [Display fields] in the right setting area.
A: Edit the field name to be displayed in the current worksheet.
B: Select [Contact].
C: Select [Telephone].
The same, you can set to display the field [Position] of Contact in the current worksheet, and save it.
After setting
What if unable to select the associated record?
As shown below, when setting the control [Foreign], what if unable to select the associated field?
Please add a control Relationship to the current worksheet and set it, checking [Single row] for [Associated quantity].
3. Set the type
There are two types, which are [Display Only] and [Storage Data].
Display Only:
If checked, the foreign field is displayed only in the view or on the record detail page.
Since the data is not saved, it is not available for searching, filtering, sorting, or statistics, nor is it available in the controls [Formula] and [Concat].
Storage Data:
If checked, the foreign field will be a field of the current worksheet and updated in real time. The data can be saved, and is available for searching, filtering, sorting, and statistics, as well as in the controls [Formula] and [Concat].
Notes for synchronizing foreign fields
- There is a delay in synchronizing data. It is not real-time synchronization.
- If the field changes, up to 1000 associated records in the associated worksheet can be updated accordingly.
- For example, there are 1500 orders related to Ada. The filed [Telephone] in Contact is displayed in the worksheet Order via the control [Foreign]. If Ada’s phone number changes in Contact, the phone number in up to 1000 orders can be updated and that in the other 500 orders will not be changed in real time.
When to select [Display Only] or [Storage Data]?
If the foreign field is not involved in searching or filtering, you can select [Display Only]. It can not only show the latest data, but also facilitate data synchronization.
If the number of foreign fields to be synchronized is less than 1000, you can select [Storage Data]. It can maintain the full capacity of the fields.
Difference between [Dynamic Default Value] and [Foreign]
Both the dynamic default value and the foreign control can help display the fields in the associated record, but the difference is that the foreign control is related to the associated record in real time and update automatically once the associated record changes. Dynamic default value, on the other hand, only helps display the content of the associated record when editing, not in real time.
Example: The unit price of the product is frequently adjusted, and the unit price in Product worksheet is up to date. When you create an order, once the order takes effect, the unit price can no longer be changed. In this case, you cannot choose the foreign control to help display the unit price in an order, otherwise the unit price will change every time you open an order. Instead, you can choose the amount control and set a dynamic default value.
The difference between these two methods is shown below.
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