Build apps

Records

The data of your app lives in records: the rows of its tables. People add, edit and delete them in the app's views; automations and the REST API can too.

#Every change is kept

Every change to a record is saved as a version. Open a record and choose History to see who changed what and when, and Restore any earlier version. Restoring saves it as a new version, so nothing is lost.

Deleting a record only moves it out of sight. Open it again from its link and choose Restore record.

#What happens on save

Each time a record is saved (from a form, an inline edit, an import, an automation or the API), appTown:

1. checks it against the table's security rules for the person saving;
2. fills defaults and auto numbers on new records;
3. checks required, unique and validation rules, and reports every problem at once;
4. calculates formulas;
5. saves a new version, shows the change live to everyone who has the app open, and starts any automations waiting for it.

#Live updates

Views update by themselves when someone else changes a record: there is no refresh button. This works on every device.

#Editing many records

In table views, tick rows to change them together (set one field on all of them) or delete them. Double-click a cell to edit it in place; checkbox cells toggle with a click.

#Test data

The builder's preview never shows or changes your real records. It works on a separate test data set (marked with a Test data sash in its corner), so you can try the draft (add, edit, delete) safely. App users never see test records, and automation test runs use them too. You can also import a file into the test data.

#Files

Files, images and signatures are uploaded to private storage (up to 20 MB each) and only shown to people who may see the record.