Organise fields into groups

Field groups

organise related Fields into named sections when you create or edit a Collection’s records. Each named group can have its own icon, colour, visibility conditions, and starting state. Grouping changes how a record is presented while it’s being created or edited; it does not change the Fields’ stored values or validation rules.

You need Configure permission

Permission

The level of access — No Access, View Only, View & Edit or Not Enabled — granted through a Role for a specific area of Kinabase, such as records, tasks or configuration.

for the Collection to create or change field groups.

Organise related Fields

Place Fields under headings that match the information people need to enter.

Control when a group shows

Use Record values to show or hide a named group as someone completes the record.

Keep longer records manageable

Choose which named groups start collapsed, while allowing people to expand them when needed.

Open the Fields settings

1. Open the Collection.
2. Open the options menu (⋯) and select Configure, or right-click the Collection in the sidebar and select Configure.
3. Under Setup, select Fields.

Create a field group

1. Click More actions below the Field list.
2. Select Add group.
3. Enter a Group name.
4. Click Add group.

The new group appears with the default section above it. The default section contains every Field that has not been placed in a named group.

Move Fields into a group

Drag a Field by its handle and drop it into the required group. You can also:

1. Open the Field’s Actions menu.
2. Select Group.
3. Choose a named group, the default section, or New group….

To move several Fields together, use Ctrl-click on Windows or Command-click on macOS to select them. Select Group on the selection bar, then choose their destination. The Field menu labels this action with the number selected, such as Group 3 fields.

You can reorder Fields within a group by dragging them. To create a Field directly in a section, select Add field at the bottom of that section.

Edit a group

Select Edit on the group heading, or open the group’s menu and select Edit. You can then:

• Change the Group name.
• Choose an icon and colour.
• Configure conditions on the Visibility tab.
• Configure the starting state on the Display tab.

Click Save when you have finished.

Group names must be unique. A named group also cannot use the current name of the default section.

Set visibility conditions

1. Edit a named group and open Visibility.
2. Select Hide this when… or Only show when….
3. Click Add condition and build the condition from a Field on the Record.
4. Click Save.

If you add several conditions, all of them must match. A group with no conditions always shows.

The condition picker does not offer Fields inside the group, because hiding the group would also hide the values that decide whether it should return. Kinabase also refuses changes that would create a circle between groups, where each group’s visibility depends on a Field in another.

Start a group collapsed

1. Edit a named group and open Display.
2. Select Start collapsed when a form opens.
3. Click Save.

The group opens as a collapsible heading when you create or edit a record. People can expand it to view and complete its Fields.

Reorder or delete groups

Drag a named group heading to change the order of the groups. You can also open its menu and select Move up or Move down.

To remove a group, open its menu and select Delete, then confirm with Delete. Its Fields move back to the default section; no Field or Record data is removed.

Work with the default section

The default section is called General until you rename it. Select Edit on its heading to change its Group name, icon, or colour. Clear its name and save to return to General.

The default section stays first and cannot be moved or deleted. It has no Visibility or Display tabs. When you create or edit a record, its Fields appear first without a heading, so its configured name, icon, and colour are only shown in the Fields settings.

Understand validation and hidden Fields

Collapsing or conditionally hiding a group does not clear its Fields. Their values remain part of the Record, and the Fields continue to validate and submit.

If a hidden Field has an issue that blocks saving, Kinabase reveals its group and keeps it open until the record is saved. This gives the person editing the record somewhere to correct the issue.

Kinabase warns before an always-required Field moves into a group with visibility conditions. You can keep the Field outside the group, make its requirement conditional, or confirm the move.

Read our Configuring fields guide for help creating, editing, and validating Fields.