Hi all,
Searched here a bit and could not really find anyone asking this.
We have a table on a Doc that contains all our contacts with columns like First Name, Last Name and Last name prefix. The display column is a formula column that adds (concatenate) these fields to show a full name.
Since we use this table on all docs we have 2-way sync on and with the help of a form or canvas fields people can add or manipulate existing rows, when adding rows the Full name formula column always stays empty untill the table has synced the edits and then syncs again to retreive any new data from the source, which seems weird to. Why does the formula not just calculate instantly.
The problem is that we use the Full name typically in multiple other places and so we have to wait a lot before we can do anything after adding a person untill those syncs have happened.
I hope this explanation is clear and maybe someone knows a clever way to fix that issue.
Thanks in advance!
I’ve had a similar experience where I had a calculated field that would take a long time to properly calculate, and it made it seem as if it was dropping data. Given enough patience, however, the fields eventually become consistent, and the world is happy.
The support team explained to me that they have a very specific order of operations, and they maintain this sequence for the purposes of consistency (i.e., every change is handled in the same way so that the behavior is consistent). Edits are queued and then 2-way synced in sequence, which the system does before calculating at the field level. The order of operations is purposeful, if not ideal.
Your question, though, is reasonable. Could Coda calculate the Full Name field immediately for display and then again post-sync? I can’t think of any downside except the additional row-level calculation.
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Thanks for your reply!
Exactly, my issue is not that for safety and stability reasons there is a set order of actions but the formula field is literally a concatenation of data that is already there, that should nog have to wait on multiple sync actions or having to sync at all I think.
I suspect there might be a clever workaround. It would be nice if Coda support actually monitored these forums. I think you should reach out directly to support@coda.io and then post the response here if it’s helpful.
I think I get the issue you’re referring to and there is a decent workaround.
In cross-doc tables (2-way sync tables) you can created columns/fields specific to the doc into which the table is synced. So you can recreate your “Full Name” field therre and have it calculate instantly, and then back in the source doc it the full name field will remain unchanged and calc as normal once the new record syncs there.
I use this ability to create new fields/columns in the destination doc quite widely for a variety of reasons.
Ah I could try and do that! I hope I wont have issues later in the data pipeline where we compare values but that should work since it would be the same value.