Link records to each other
A relation field on one type points at records of another type: a contact’s company, a deal’s contact, and so on. This page shows how to fill those fields and how the link looks from the other record.
Where links live
Section titled “Where links live”A link is stored on the record whose type has the relation field. A contact type with a company field holds the link to the company. The company has no field of its own for contacts; instead, Mesy works out which contacts point at it and lists them. So a link you make on one record shows on both records, but you edit it on the one that owns the field.
A relation field holds either one record or many, depending on how your admin set the field up in the Schema tab of Admin.
Link from the record that owns the field
Section titled “Link from the record that owns the field”In the record panel, the Related section lists each relation field of the type with its linked records as chips. To link a record:
- Click Add followed by the field’s name (for example Add company), or the edit control on the field’s heading.
- Type in the search box, whose placeholder reads Search followed by the target type’s name.
- Use the arrow keys or click to pick a match. The list reads No matches. when nothing fits.
- The chip appears in the field. A single-record field closes the picker; a many-record field stays open so you can add more.
On a many-record field, each chip has a Remove control. Removing a link shows a message reading Cleared followed by the record’s name, with Click to undo. On a single-record field the search box’s placeholder reads Change followed by the type’s name, and picking a match replaces the current link.
The same field also appears in the table as a column. Click the cell to open the same picker there.
Create the linked record on the spot
Section titled “Create the linked record on the spot”The picker has a Create a new control (its tooltip reads Create a new followed by the type’s name). It opens a New form for the target type, prefilled with whatever you had typed as the name. Fill in the fields and click Create; Mesy creates the record and links it in one step.
Link from the other side
Section titled “Link from the other side”The record being pointed at also gets a Related section, with one group per type that points at it. The group is named after that type, and each linked record shows as a chip. Click Add followed by the type’s name to search for an existing record of that type and link it. Behind the scenes Mesy writes the link into that record’s relation field, so it shows there too.
Choosing Create a new here opens the same New form with the relation field already pointing at the record you’re on.
On the full record page, the same groups sit in the right-hand column. An empty field shows Link followed by the type’s name. A group of records pointing at this one shows Add followed by the type’s name.
Follow a link
Section titled “Follow a link”Click any chip to open that record’s full page. A chip for a record you can’t see reads Unknown.
When a required relation is empty
Section titled “When a required relation is empty”If your admin made a relation field required, clearing it fails and Mesy shows a message ending in is required. Any other failed link change shows Update failed. Change reverted. and the previous value comes back.
A record with no links
Section titled “A record with no links”A record whose type has no relation fields, and that nothing points at, shows No related records. under Related.