Circular Definition Error in Expressions

AppSheet AppSheet Q&A
1

I’m encountering a circular definition error in the expressions of my AppSheet application. I have two tables, “Exams” and “Results”, where “Results” has a column “ID_EXAM” referencing the “Exams” table and another column “PATIENT_NAME” referencing the “Patients” table. I’m trying to automatically populate the “ID_EXAM” in the “Results” table based on the “PATIENT_NAME”, but I keep getting a circular definition error.

I have verified that my tables are correctly configured and that there are no direct or indirect circular references in my expressions. I’ve also tried simplifying the expressions and checking the documentation, but I’m still facing the issue.

Any guidance on how to troubleshoot and resolve this circular definition error would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

2

Hi @masory19

My guess is that, in the Results table, you pick an exam in the ID_EXAM column;then pick a patient in the PATIENT_NAME column; and try to force, for whatever reason, the value of ID_EXAM.

Can you tell us the ID_EXAM expression you use: Is it formula, Initial value, suggested value, valid_if expression? Also, is it a real column or a virtual column?

Also, can you share a screenshot of the circular expression error? Thanks

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3

Hello, if this is the case, the expression ID_EXAM uses a formula, it is a virtual column. Thank you.

4

Can you please share the detail of the expression used, along with a screenshot of your table structure? Thanks

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