A view is a mirror of a table that you can visualize however you want. Learn how to create and customize your views in Coda.

Views allow you to visualize the same base data in multiple displays and locations, all while keeping the data in sync. With views, you can change the format of your data from a standard table to whatever layout your team might need, such as a calendar, a timeline, or cards. You can also filter the data differently in each view, so you can focus on relevant pieces of the dataset without permanently removing the rest. This article covers the different ways of creating views, how to change the display type, and how to further modify your views.

Create views

In Coda, we have two types of tables: base tables and views. When we use the word “table,” we could be referring to either type. When you create a brand new table, you’re creating a base table. You can then create views of that base table. A view is essentially a connected “mirror” of that base table. It allows you to visualize the table data in new ways - with different formatting or filtering - while keeping the data connected. Any change to the data in one view reflects in the base table (and in all other views), meaning your information is always up to date across locations.

💡 Not sure whether you should create a new table or a new view? Check out this helpful resource for guidance.

There are two main ways to create views: as tabbed views or as standalone views.

When you create a view as a tab, this adds a tab to the top of the existing table. Clicking this tab will reveal a different view of the data. You and your teammates can easily and quickly toggle between the various views, without having to scroll or navigate to a different place in the doc. You can add as many tabs as you need, all in one central place.

When you create a standalone view, you create a separate - but still connected - copy of the table, which you can then move to other locations on the page or doc. This can be useful, for instance, if you want to be able to see multiple views simultaneously (such as in a dashboard setup), or if you want the view to live on a separate page in the doc.

You can think of these two options as different ways to organize your data, depending on whether you want the views consolidated in one place or spread across multiple locations. In most cases, you might use a mix of view types across your doc. Regardless of which approach you use, you will be able to modify and use the view in all the same ways.

Create views via tabs

To create a view as a tab, follow the steps below:

Hover over the table, and click the + (plus icon) that appears above the column headers
Select the display type
Give the new view a name
1. Tip: You can then use the name to refer to this particular view in formulas and across your doc.

Once your tabs are created, you can right-click on any tab at the top of the table to rename, duplicate, or delete the tab. You'll also see the option to Show row count for each of the tabs. Additionally, you can reorder your tabs at any time by simply clicking and dragging into the desired order.

Now that you’ve created the tabbed view, you can follow the steps in the rest of this article to modify and customize the view as needed.

Create standalone views

If you want to create a separate (but still connected) view of an existing table, you can do so in one of two ways:

Create a new table via your preferred method (slash command, Insert menu, or + icon on the left edge of the page). You’ll then be asked whether you want to start blank or connect to an existing table. Under the Connect to an existing table section, select the table you want this new view to connect to.

Copy the existing table (or any existing views of the table) by clicking on the three-dot menu to the left of the table’s title and selecting Copy. This will copy the table to your clipboard, and you can then use the standard keyboard shortcuts to paste the copy wherever you want on the page. When prompted, choose the Create connected view option.

Voila! You have created a new standalone view of the data.

Convert standalone views into tabs

You also have the option to convert an existing standalone view into a tabbed view. To do so, click and hold on the three-dot menu to the left of the title of the standalone view. Then drag and drop this standalone view onto the connected view where you want to add a tab. You'll then see a tab automatically added.

convert standalone view to tabbed view.gif

Change the display type of views

Once a view has been created, you can change the way the data is displayed via display types.

To change the display type, start by clicking Options in the upper-right corner of the view. Then from the menu, select See all options. Note: If you are using a tabbed view, make sure the correct tab is selected before opening these options.

At the top of the right panel, you will see a variety of display types, such as table, cards, detail, calendar - plus a three-dot menu indicating there are even more options! Select the view type you would like.

Change display types (with tabbed views).gif

If your table has tabbed views, you can even set different display types for each of the tabs by following the steps above!

Available display types

Some are pilers, some are filers - we know not everyone operates the same. Thankfully, Coda provides numerous display types, allowing you to view data in a way that works best for you. We also notice that some display types work better for different types of data. Below is a list of the different display types currently available.

Table: The table is the foundational building block of Coda.
Cards: Cards view transforms rows into tiles. Cards are great for displaying images in your data.
Detail: The detail view is similar to how you would file papers in folders, tabs on the left for easy navigation, and a large display of content adjacent. Detail view is great for comprehending and reading data.
Calendar: Calendar views turn your data into a calendar that can be viewed by day, week, or month. Great for scheduling content, launches, and staying on top of those OKRs! Calendar views require at least one date column.
Timeline: A timeline view visualizes your table’s data in a time-oriented bar chart. Most popular amongst PMs and Gantt chart lovers. Timelines require a date column and a second column that is either a date or duration column type.
Chart: Chart view transforms your table into data visualizations, great for presenting high-level overviews of your data. Popular chart options include bar, pie, and bubble.
Form: Forms are a unique view type in that they allow you to collect data into your table in a seamless way. Forms can be published so people who do not have access to your doc can still add data to your table.
Word Cloud: Great for visualizing words in your data. In the word cloud view, the frequency of each word determines its size and prominence in the visualization.
Board: Boards are quite similar to cards, but leverage grouping to create columns or “bundles” of data. Also referred to as Kanban and popular for project management, tasks, and to-dos!

Further customize views

In addition to changing the display type, there are many ways to modify and tweak the way that your view - and the data within your view - appears.

Adjust the additional display elements: Besides the overall display types, there are smaller elements that you can customize for each view, such as hiding column headers, showing Add row buttons, etc. Learn more here.
Add color and formatting: Use conditional formatting to automatically add formatting and color to the rows of your view. Each view can have different conditional formatting rules.
Change which columns are visible: Hide or show different columns in different views, depending on what info is most relevant. Learn how here.
Group, sort, and summarize table data: Check out this article for more info.
Filter data: Within views, you can also filter the information being displayed, allowing you to focus on small subsets of data. There are several different methods for filtering tables, including the filter builder and the filter bar, which you can learn all about here.

See connected views

Sometimes, it may be useful to see all the different views of a table. This gives you a high-level view of your data, allowing you to understand how your tables are connected and how many views exist in your doc. You can see table and view connections in one of two ways:

To the right of the title of your table, you will see a link icon. Click on this icon to open the table connections. In the panel on the right, you will see the base table and a list of all connected views (both tabs and standalone).
To see all of the tables and their views at a doc level, use the doc map. This can be accessed by clicking the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the doc, selecting Doc settings, and selecting Doc map. To see more information about a specific table and its views, click Details on the right. This panel will also show more details about the doc, including the buttons, controls, formulas, and when it was last edited.

FAQs

Can I copy and paste my data without creating connected views?

Yes. To do so, copy the table and paste into the canvas where you would like the new table. You will immediately be prompted with a Paste Options window, where you can select to Create duplicate or create Connected view. If you would like to paste without creating another view, choose Create duplicate. The new table will not be connected to the original table. Learn more about copy/pasting tables here.

Can I turn a tabbed view into a standalone view, or vice versa?

Yes. You can convert a standalone view into a tabbed view by following these steps:

Click and hold on the three-dot menu to the left of the standalone view's title
Drag this view onto the connected view where you wish to add a tab
Once you drop this view, you will see a new tab automatically added

Converting a tabbed view to a standalone view requires a more manual approach. We recommend copying the table where the tabbed view lives and pasting it as a connected view. Then, you can delete any other tabs from this newly created view, until you are left with just that single view.

Can I change the order of my tabbed views?

Yes, you can change the order by clicking and dragging tabs into the desired position.

Can I create a link that opens to a specific tab?

Absolutely! If you want to share a link to a specific tab, right-click on that tab at the top of the table, then select Copy link. When someone then follows this link, the page will open to that selected tab.

How do I delete a tabbed view?

To delete a tabbed view, simply right-click on the tab at the top of the table and select Delete.

Note that you may encounter a tab where the Delete option is greyed out. This indicates that the tab you’re attempting to delete is actually the base table upon which all other views are based. Therefore, you cannot delete this view without deleting the entire table and all of its views.

What happens to tabbed views when they are synced via Cross-doc?

When you sync a table with tabbed views via Cross-doc, tabs will not be included. Instead, you will see just the single view of the data - based on whichever view you selected to sync. If needed, you can add the tabs in the Cross-doc sync table by manually recreating them.

How do I filter a view?

You can learn more about filtering tables and views here!

Can I reference a view in my formula?

Yes, you can! Both views and parent tables will show up in the formula builder. If you refer to a view in your formula, any filters applied to that view will also be respected in the formula.

Note that if you are referencing a tabbed view in your formula, the reference will appear as “[Parent Table Name] > [Tabbed View Name]”. If you are referencing a standalone view name, on the other hand, this reference will appear as simply [View Name].

Is it possible to create dynamic titles for my views?

Yes! Using an easy workaround, you can create dynamic titles for your views and tables. Check out this guide to learn how.

Are tabbed views better than standalone views for doc performance?

No - whether you create views as tabs or as standalone tables, they will have the same impact on performance. Learn more about doc performance here.

Can I combine two tables or views into one?

There isn't a built-in way to combine two tables (or views) into one single table. One alternative is to copy and paste all rows from one table into another, then delete the first table.

However, when someone wants to combine two tables into one, this is typically a sign that they actually need a different table schema. Often, they may want to instead start from one big table and create filtered views from there.

For example, let's say you have two tables: one for 2023 entries and one for 2024 entries. If the tables have the same attributes (columns), the easiest way to approach this is to combine the data into one main table, typically by manually copying the rows from one table to another. This will be your base table. You can then add a column to this table that indicates the year for each row. From there, you can create connected, filtered views for each year.

Related resources

Create connected table views