Your question is not stupid at all—it’s a common scenario in AppSheet, especially for apps involving data collection like Work Orders. While AppSheet doesn’t natively support uploading multiple files or images in a single field, you can design your app to allow multiple uploads in an intuitive way.
Here’s how you can achieve this:
Approach: Use a Related Table for Attachments
The best way to handle multiple images or files is by creating a child table for attachments. This approach makes your app more flexible and scalable.
Steps:
- Create a Child Table for Attachments
Add a new table to your data source (e.g., Google Sheets, Excel, etc.) with the following columns:
Attachment ID: A unique identifier for each attachment (use UNIQUEID() in AppSheet).
Work Order ID: A reference column to link the attachment to a specific work order.
Attachment File: A column of type “File” or “Image” to store the uploaded file or image.
Attachment Type (optional): To specify if it’s an image or file.
- Set Up a Relationship Between Tables
Go to your main Work Orders table and create a column:
Name: Attachments
Type: “Ref” (Reference) and mark it as Is a List.
Source Table: Your newly created attachments table.
This establishes a one-to-many relationship between work orders and attachments.
- Enable Adding Attachments in the Form View
In your Work Orders table, include the Attachments column in the form.
Ensure the “Attachments” field displays a related table view, allowing users to add multiple attachments.
- Customize the Attachment Input
In the Attachments table, enable users to upload files or images in the respective field.
Add a form view for attachments so users can add multiple files/images seamlessly.
- User Workflow:
When submitting a work order, users can:
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Fill out the main form.
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Click “Add” or “New Attachment” in the related attachments section.
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Upload as many files/images as needed.
Alternative: Use Multiple Columns for Uploads
If you prefer not to use a related table, you can add multiple file or image columns directly to your Work Orders table. However, this approach is less flexible and not recommended for apps requiring many uploads. For example:
Add columns like Image 1, Image 2, File 1, File 2.
Set their types to “Image” or “File”.
Include these fields in your form view.
Tips:
Storage Location: Ensure your files/images are being stored in a cloud service supported by AppSheet (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.).
Display Attachments: Create a gallery or table view to display uploaded images/files for better user experience.