I have a Ref column (RefFieldTitle) on a Detail/Form view that is intentionally locked after initial entry, using an Editable_If expression that evaluates to false once the record has been saved. Functionally this works correctly, the field cannot be changed.
The problem is purely visual. Even though the field is not editable, it still renders with the full input box styling of an editable dropdown field: a rectangular border around the value, and a dropdown arrow icon on the right side, exactly as if the user could still open a picker. Since the field can never actually be edited in this state, both of these affordances are misleading.
On top of that, the bottom border of this specific field’s box does not render at all, while the top and side borders do. So the field ends up looking like a broken or partially loaded editable box rather than a clean read-only value. A genuinely non-editable field (for example a Show-type column) does not have this problem, it just displays as plain text with no box and no arrow.
Is this expected behavior for Ref columns with Editable_If: false, or is the missing bottom border a rendering bug? Is there a supported way to have a disabled Ref column display as plain read-only text instead of a disabled-looking input box, without giving up the Ref type itself?
All edit-disabled fields in forms retain their editable appearance except being dimmed, so this is expected behavior. If you want a Show column-like display, use a Show column instead.
Another option would be to add implementation that adjusts the Valid_If to the single value when the field is “locked” and change the “Input Mode” to Auto.
NOTE: With Input Mode as Auto, the field will show Buttons when the choices are 3 or fewer (maybe 4?) and switch to a dropdown list when there are more than 3 items to chose from.
If you ALWAYS have more than 3 items in the dropdown list, this would work perfectly. The user choses from the list. Once chosen, the field is locked, the Valid_If list is set to THAT single value and the field displayd as a Button that cannot be tapped.
Friendly reminder, please consider marking it with the ✓ (Solution) icon below the post!
By marking the response that helped you as the accepted solution, it will make it much easier for other users with similar questions to find the answer.
Thank you both for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate it, and both workarounds are clever. The Valid_If + Auto trick in particular is something I hadn’t thought of.
That said, I’d prefer not to mark this topic as solved yet, because the workarounds address my app, not the underlying issue. I see forums like this as serving two purposes: helping community members exchange ideas, and helping the AppSheet team notice things that need fixing. This post was mainly written for the second purpose.
To make it easier to act on, here are the two separate points:
Bug: On a Ref column with Editable_If = false, the bottom border of the input box does not render, while the top and side borders do (see screenshot). This looks like a rendering issue rather than intended behavior.
Design request: A locked Ref field keeps the dropdown affordances (box and arrow), which suggests the user can still open a picker. Displaying edit-disabled fields as plain read-only text, as Show columns already do, would be clearer. Even an option for this would help.
This appears to be a small, UI-level fix on the platform side. By contrast, every app builder who runs into it has to add extra virtual columns or Valid_If logic to work around it.
@Jose, could you please forward this to the AppSheet team?
AppSheet fills an important gap after Google Sheets, much like FileMaker and Power Apps did in their ecosystems. Reports like this are one way the community can help it close that gap faster.
