Business logic

Application builders compose formulas in our formula editor. The editor provides several helpful features throughout the process of building a formula, including:

• Line numbering
• Color-coding
• Commenting
• Search and auto-complete
• Drop-down list for finding fields and functions
• Real-time error checking

Formula API call

Formulas also have their own API call. Call them from JavaScript or from server-side solutions you host to determine their values. This is helpful for developers who want to keep their core logic in Quickbase and use the results externally.

Keeping track of formula references

Quickbase generates reference lists and dependency diagrams to help builders manage formula references across their apps.

Builders can also search and replace text strings in formulas across their entire application.

Automated workflows

Automated workflows in Quickbase are primarily built using our Pipelines Designer. This is a very flexible tool, allowing you to do things like set up conditions and loops to address any nuances or exceptions in your business process. Pipelines also incorporates Jinja, a Python templating engine, if you need to include custom business logic. You have the option to use Jinja to process and transform data.

Images and content

Incorporate images and other static content into applications using File Attachment fields. File Attachment fields can host any file type. With them, you can:

• Reference file properties such as name, extension, and presence in formulas to drive status, workflow, and permissions
• View thumbnail previews of image files in your Quickbase applications
• Embed documents on a form using an iFrame setting in URL fields
  

Access to CMSs

Use no-code connectors to process and access files stored in content management systems. Quickbase offers no-code connectors to several CMSs including:

• Box
• Dropbox
• DocuSign
• Formstack Documents
• Google Docs
• Google Drive
• Google Sheets
• MS Outlook
• MS SharePoint
• MS Teams
• MS OneDrive
  

Leveraging Partners for Document Output

You can create and send PDF or CSV versions of reports. Beyond this, document output is not a native feature of the Quickbase platform.

To produce documents directly from Quickbase data, leverage one of our partners to create custom and add-on solutions.

Quickbase is not designed to be a content delivery network. For high-traffic use cases, store images and other static content in a proper CDN system external to Quickbase.

Data entry rules

Custom form rules

Use Quickbase’s drag-and-drop form builder to make personalized and contextual UI for entering data. In the same form builder, create form rules to add business logic and dynamically control the data entry workflow. Form rules are based on our formula language, so advanced builders can fall back to the formula editor to build expressions if they would like.

One table in an application can have as many forms as you’d like. This makes form rules a specific and tactical tool for shaping your workflow.

Custom data rules

Use custom data rules to implement universal restrictions on data entry per table. These rules are set at the table level and allow you to do things like:

• Ensure that all files uploaded to a Photo field, are in the PNG or JPG format.
• Block users from requesting discounts above certain thresholds based on their role. For example, a sales rep can log a discount up to 10%, a manager up to 15%, and a finance team member up to 20%.
• Block users from entering data which is invalid according to business logic. For example, restrict an Age field to only allow positive numbers.

Form rules only apply to an individual form. Custom data rules are comprehensive. Even if a user or administrator submits data remotely via an API, the custom data rules still apply.

How custom data rules work

Custom data rules use conditional formulas. If the condition is met, then Quickbase rejects the operation and returns an error message instead. You write the error message when you set up the custom data rule. This way you can provide any information users need to address the issue.

Email notifications

Quickbase’s built-in email notification engine can send messages containing:

• Context-specific data
• Embedded forms, providing a layout that’s consistent with how users are viewing records in your application
• Embedded reports and charts

You can schedule emails to send periodically, or send emails based on record triggers:

• Add
• Modify
• Delete

If needed, specify additional conditions. This helps ensure you do not overwhelm end users with too many notifications so they can act in a timely manner. Quickbase also offers controls so you can handle changes to multiple records differently than changes to a single record.

Customize email appearance

Customize the appearance of email messages yourself using HTML and CSS. Or, choose to let Quickbase generate the HTML based on content in the triggering record.

Role-based permissions applied to emails

Before sending email notifications, Quickbase applies role-based access controls (RBAC) set up by the application builder. This ensures that users only see data they have explicitly been granted access to, based on the role they have been assigned in the application.

For example, if you have configured a report to be sent to all users of an application weekly, Quickbase automatically sends a personalized version of the report to each user. The platform takes care of this personalization without builders needing to think about permissions.

Unsubscribe options

If you are sending emails outside of your organization, you may need to provide an unsubscribe option. To do this, add a link in the email that takes recipients to a form in Quickbase. Use that form to gather and store communication preferences in one of your Quickbase applications.

Integrating with Other Email Providers

With our Pipelines feature, you can use your company’s own email provider to send notifications. Pipelines includes no-code connectors for MS Outlook, Gmail, and Mailgun.

Other Types of Notifications

Use Quickbase’s Pipelines feature to send other types of notifications. Pipelines includes no-code connectors for:

• Twilio: Send SMS messages
• Slack: Post messages or create channels
• MS Teams: Post messages or create channels
• Microsoft Outlook: Book time directly on someone’s calendar

The same trigger and criteria options available for email notifications are also available for pipelines. See the full list of no-code connectors.

You can use the generic Webhooks and JSON connectors to send a notification to other systems not on the list.

SMS alternatives

You can also use our built-in email notifications to send SMS messages through a mobile provider’s email gateway.