Ascend Documentation

Appearance

Property Types ​

Properties (also called columns) define what type of data each column in your database can hold. Choosing the right property type ensures your data is organized, searchable, and useful.

Property Categories ​

Properties are organized into categories to help you find what you need:

  • Suggested - Most commonly used types
  • Basic - Text, numbers, and selections
  • Date & Time - Dates and timestamps
  • Person - Team member assignments
  • Media & Links - Files, URLs, emails, phone numbers
  • Advanced - Formulas, relations, and computed values

Basic Properties ​

Text ​

Icon: Aa | Use for: Names, descriptions, notes

Plain text content of any length. Great for titles, descriptions, and free-form notes.

Features:

  • Can enable "Wrap Content" to show multiple lines
  • Searchable
  • Can be used in formulas

Example uses: Product names, task descriptions, meeting notes

Number ​

Icon: # | Use for: Quantities, prices, scores

Numeric values including integers and decimals.

Features:

  • Can format as currency, percentage, or plain number
  • Can set decimal places
  • Can be used in calculations and formulas
  • Supports sorting and filtering by value

Example uses: Prices, quantities, scores, ratings

Auto ID ​

Icon: + | Use for: Unique identifiers

Automatically increments for each new row, starting from 1.

Features:

  • Read-only (cannot be edited)
  • Unique for each row
  • Never reuses numbers, even if rows are deleted
  • Perfect for invoice numbers, ticket IDs, etc.

Example uses: Order numbers, ticket IDs, invoice numbers

Select ​

Icon: ▼ | Use for: Single choice from options

Choose one option from a predefined list.

Features:

  • Create custom options with colors
  • Type to search and filter options
  • Can create new options on the fly
  • Options are shared across all rows

Example uses: Status (To Do, In Progress, Done), Priority (High, Medium, Low), Category

How to configure:

  1. Click the property header
  2. Select "Edit Property"
  3. Add options with the "+" button
  4. Assign colors to each option
  5. Drag to reorder options

Multi-select ​

Icon: ▼▼ | Use for: Multiple choices from options

Choose multiple options from a predefined list.

Features:

  • All the features of Select
  • Can select multiple options per row
  • Shows as colored tags
  • Can filter by "contains" or "does not contain"

Example uses: Tags, platforms (Web, Mobile, Desktop), skills, categories

Status ​

Icon: ● | Use for: Workflow tracking

Special type of select designed for tracking progress through stages.

Features:

  • Predefined status groups (Not Started, In Progress, Complete)
  • Color-coded by status type
  • Can customize status names and colors
  • Optimized for Kanban-style boards
  • Can group by status

Example uses: Task status, deal stage, application status

Default statuses:

  • Not Started: Gray
  • In Progress: Blue
  • Complete: Green

Date & Time Properties ​

Date ​

Icon: 📅 | Use for: Deadlines, events, milestones

Date values with optional time and end date.

Features:

  • Can include time (e.g., "Dec 25, 2024 2:30 PM")
  • Can be a date range (start and end date)
  • Supports relative dates in filters ("today", "this week")
  • Can set reminders
  • Timezone-aware

Display formats:

  • Full: December 25, 2024
  • Short: 12/25/2024
  • Relative: 3 days ago
  • With time: Dec 25, 2024 2:30 PM

Example uses: Due dates, event dates, deadlines, birthdays

Created Time ​

Icon: 🕐 | Use for: Tracking when items were created

Automatically records when each row was created.

Features:

  • Read-only (automatically set)
  • Shows date and time
  • Useful for sorting by creation date
  • Can filter by date ranges

Example uses: Audit trails, sorting by newest, tracking submission dates

Last Edited Time ​

Icon: 🕐 | Use for: Tracking when items were modified

Automatically updates whenever a row is edited.

Features:

  • Read-only (automatically updated)
  • Shows date and time of last change
  • Updates even if you just change one cell
  • Useful for finding recently updated items

Example uses: Finding recent changes, audit trails, activity tracking

Person Properties ​

Person ​

Icon: 👤 | Use for: Assigning team members

Assign one or more team members to a row.

Features:

  • Select from your team members
  • Shows profile pictures
  • Can assign multiple people
  • Can filter by person
  • Can mention people in comments

Example uses: Task assignee, project owner, reviewer, responsible party

Created By ​

Icon: 👥 | Use for: Tracking who created items

Automatically records which team member created each row.

Features:

  • Read-only (automatically set)
  • Shows the person who created the row
  • Useful for accountability
  • Can filter by creator

Example uses: Audit trails, filtering your own items, tracking submissions

Last Edited By ​

Icon: 👥 | Use for: Tracking who last modified items

Automatically records which team member last edited each row.

Features:

  • Read-only (automatically updated)
  • Shows the last person to make changes
  • Updates with any edit
  • Can filter by editor

Example uses: Tracking changes, accountability, collaboration insights

Files & Media ​

Icon: 📎 | Use for: Attachments and images

Upload and attach files, images, videos, and documents.

Features:

  • Drag and drop to upload
  • Multiple files per cell
  • Image thumbnails
  • File size and type shown
  • Download or preview files
  • Supports all common file types

Example uses: Product images, attachments, documents, screenshots

Supported formats: Images (JPG, PNG, GIF), Documents (PDF, DOCX), Videos, and more

URL ​

Icon: 🔗 | Use for: Web links

Store website URLs that open in a new tab when clicked.

Features:

  • Clickable links
  • Validates URL format
  • Shows link icon
  • Opens in new tab

Example uses: Website links, documentation, references, social profiles

Email ​

Icon: ✉️ | Use for: Email addresses

Store email addresses that open your email client when clicked.

Features:

  • Validates email format
  • Clickable to compose email
  • Can copy to clipboard

Example uses: Contact emails, support addresses, team member emails

Phone ​

Icon: 📞 | Use for: Phone numbers

Store phone numbers with optional formatting.

Features:

  • Validates phone format
  • Clickable on mobile devices
  • Can copy to clipboard
  • Supports international formats

Example uses: Contact numbers, support lines, emergency contacts

Advanced Properties ​

Checkbox ​

Icon: ☑️ | Use for: Yes/no, true/false, done/not done

Simple toggle for binary states.

Features:

  • Click to toggle on/off
  • Shows checkmark when checked
  • Can filter by checked/unchecked
  • Useful in formulas

Example uses: Completed tasks, feature flags, yes/no questions, archived items

Formula ​

Icon: ƒ | Use for: Calculated values

Compute values automatically based on other properties.

Features:

  • Use functions and operators
  • Reference other properties
  • Auto-updates when dependencies change
  • Read-only (shows calculated result)
  • Supports text, numbers, dates, and booleans

Common formulas:

  • Concatenate text: prop("First Name") + " " + prop("Last Name")
  • Calculate total: prop("Quantity") * prop("Price")
  • Days until: dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days")
  • Conditional: if(prop("Status") == "Done", "✓", "○")

Example uses: Full names, totals, time remaining, conditional formatting

Relation ​

Icon: ↗ | Use for: Linking to another database

Create connections between databases to link related records.

Features:

  • Select which database to link to
  • Can link multiple records
  • Two-way relationship (shows in both databases)
  • Can filter and search linked records
  • Use with Rollup to aggregate data

Example uses: Link tasks to projects, customers to orders, products to categories

How it works:

  1. Create a Relation property
  2. Select the target database
  3. Click a cell to link records
  4. The linked database gets a matching relation property

Rollup ​

Icon: Σ | Use for: Aggregating data from relations

Calculate values from related records (requires a Relation property first).

Features:

  • Sum, average, count, min, max, and more
  • Works with any Relation property
  • Auto-updates when related data changes
  • Can use in other formulas

Common aggregations:

  • Count: Number of related items
  • Sum: Total of a numeric property
  • Average: Average of a numeric property
  • Earliest/Latest: First or last date
  • Unique: Count of unique values

Example uses: Total order value, number of tasks, average rating, earliest deadline

Configuring Properties ​

Adding a Property ​

  1. Click the "+" button at the right of the header row
  2. Type a property name
  3. Select a property type from the grid
  4. Press Enter or click away to create

Editing a Property ​

  1. Click the property header
  2. Select "Edit Property"
  3. Change the name or type
  4. Configure type-specific settings
  5. Click "Save" or press Enter

Deleting a Property ​

  1. Click the property header
  2. Select "Delete Property"
  3. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deleting a property removes all data in that column permanently!

Reordering Properties ​

  1. Click and hold a property header
  2. Drag left or right
  3. Drop in the new position

Hiding Properties ​

  1. Click the property header
  2. Select "Hide Property"

Or use the Properties panel:

  1. Click "Properties" in the toolbar
  2. Toggle visibility for each property

Property Settings ​

Text Properties ​

  • Wrap Content: Show multiple lines instead of truncating

Number Properties ​

  • Format: Number, Currency, Percentage
  • Decimal Places: 0-10
  • Prefix/Suffix: Add symbols like "$" or "%"

Select/Multi-select Properties ​

  • Options: Add, edit, delete, and reorder options
  • Colors: Assign colors to each option
  • Default: Set a default option for new rows

Date Properties ​

  • Include Time: Show time picker
  • Date Range: Allow start and end dates
  • Format: Choose how dates display
  • Reminders: Set up notifications (if enabled)

Formula Properties ​

  • Formula: Write the calculation
  • Output Type: Number, Text, Date, or Boolean

Relation Properties ​

  • Target Database: Which database to link to
  • Allow Multiple: Link to one or many records

Rollup Properties ​

  • Relation: Which relation property to use
  • Property: Which property from related records
  • Calculation: Sum, Average, Count, etc.

Best Practices ​

Choosing Property Types ​

✅ Do:

  • Use Number for quantities and calculations
  • Use Select for predefined choices
  • Use Status for workflow tracking
  • Use Date for deadlines and events
  • Use Checkbox for yes/no questions

❌ Don't:

  • Use Text for numbers you'll calculate
  • Use Text for dates you'll filter by
  • Create too many properties (keep it focused)

Organizing Properties ​

  1. Put important properties first (left side)
  2. Group related properties together
  3. Use consistent naming across databases
  4. Hide rarely-used properties to reduce clutter

Performance Tips ​

  • Limit formulas - They recalculate on every change
  • Use rollups sparingly - They query related databases
  • Hide unused properties - Reduces rendering time