Viewing Records
How portal users view records in CollabPortals, including the data table layout, sorting, and user-based filtering.
Overview
When portal users log in, they see a data table showing records from the tables you've made visible. Records are automatically filtered to show only data linked to the logged-in user.
Data Table Layout
Records are displayed in a familiar table format with columns for each visible field. The table includes:
- Column headers - Field names from your Airtable table
- Rows - One per record
- Pagination - Navigate through large datasets
- Sorting - Click column headers to sort
Navigation
If your portal has multiple visible tables, users see a sidebar or navigation bar with table names. Clicking a table name switches the view to that table's records.
The navigation only shows tables where View permission is enabled. Hidden tables don't appear.
Automatic User Filtering
Records are automatically filtered based on the logged-in user:
- CollabPortals identifies the user's record in the user table
- For each visible table, it finds records that have a direct linked record field pointing to the user's record in the user table
- Only matching records are shown
This means each user sees a personalized view of the data, and they can't see records belonging to other users.
Automatic filtering relies on linked record fields between your data tables and the user table. If a table has no link back to the user table, users will either see all records or no records, depending on your configuration.
Field Display
How fields appear in the table depends on their type and permission:
- View-only fields - Displayed as plain text
- Editable fields - Displayed as plain text in the table view (editing happens in a form)
- Hidden fields - Not shown at all
Different field types have different visual treatments:
| Field Type | Display |
|---|---|
| Text | Plain text |
| Number / Currency | Formatted number |
| Single select | Colored badge |
| Multiple selects | Multiple colored badges |
| Checkbox | Check icon |
| Date | Formatted date string |
| Rating | Star icons |
| URL | Clickable link |
| Clickable mailto link | |
| Attachments | Thumbnail previews |
| Linked records | Record names as badges |
See Supported Field Types for the full list.
Sorting
Users can sort records by clicking on column headers:
- First click - Sort ascending (A-Z, 0-9, oldest first)
- Second click - Sort descending (Z-A, 9-0, newest first)
- Third click - Remove sort
Pagination
Large datasets are paginated. Users see navigation controls to move between pages. The page size is set automatically for a comfortable viewing experience.
Empty States
If a user has no records linked to them in a table, they'll see an empty state message. If they have Create permission, they'll also see a button to create their first record.
Action Buttons
Depending on table permissions, users see action buttons:
- Create button - Appears if Create permission is enabled
- Edit button - Appears per row if Edit permission is enabled
- Delete button - Appears per row if Delete permission is enabled
Next Steps
- Creating Records - How users add new records
- Editing Records - How users modify records
- Table Permissions - Control what's visible
- Field Permissions - Control which fields are shown