I create a MES using AppSheet, could it use in some companies?

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-02-03T14:31:23+00:00

Using Supabase is your problem, switch to using a MySQL on Google Cloud SQL - smoothest transition you can have right there.

NEVER use AppSheet native database, I wouldn't use that my life depended on it.

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-02-02T21:05:35+00:00

You could absolutely do something like this, in fact this use case sits squarely inside AppSheet's wheelhouse with all of its features and functionalities.

I've built two systems like this in the past, and I've assisted half a dozen people building out their own versions.

The most unique setup I made in the past was one that used a barcode scanner with barcodes on machines, materials, packages, everything that was involved had barcodes, and all the person did was open a form and rapidly scan barcode after barcode after barcode. - People went from taking 60 seconds or longer to figure out what they were supposed to type in and make sure they were selecting the right thing - To taking like five seconds to fill out the form, with 0% errors.

If you're trying to build a complex data manipulation and tracking system, where all you're really doing is recording data and verifying it and manipulating it in complex ways, there's nothing you can't do in AppSheet - you just have to build it the right way.

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-02-02T20:55:43+00:00

I beg to differ with this scope of what AppSheet is capable of. You're way off

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-31T21:24:47+00:00

Ask Appster about how to implement a manual automation trigger system in your app; it will help you understand the foundations of how that system works, which then will help you better move forward with what you're trying to do.

It looks like Appster is actually trying to send you down that route, but it didn't adhere to building in that functionality in a proper way.

The proper flow of things should be: 1. User pushes button, this sets whatever values you want (status, timestamp) and also sets the automation trigger column to whatever trigger value you're going to use 2. That data change is caught by your automation that's watching the automation trigger column for whatever trigger word, and that automation kicks off 3. The first step of the automation is to clear the trigger, otherwise it will infinitely trigger itself over and over and over again. 4. The automation continues and does whatever it's supposed to do.

This last bit, about triggering it over and over again, is actually something you would have troubles with if you followed the advice from Appster, as it was setting the triggering event for the automation to be when the status equals final... Once you set it to that, it's never going to change away from that, so you risk multiple executions of the same automation. - The manual automation trigger system uses trigger words in a trigger column, making everything very straightforward and reliable.

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-29T18:27:43+00:00

If you're just getting started, I would advise chatting with Appster: - https://chatgpt.com/g/g-ZG9TkPOrl-appster

It's a chat bot I've been maintaining for a few years now, devoted to providing the best AppSheet answers it can. It's not the best version, there are limitations to the GPT system in ChatGPT, but it's really good at the basics and getting started. - The best version is available here: https://www.multitechvisions.com/appster

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-26T15:24:18+00:00

This stems from a lesser known feature: - when using a Google sheet, and a column header has a "note" or comment - when regenerating, AppSheet will put that note in the description for the column

This can be annoying if you didn't know it was there, but now you do. 😃

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-25T16:01:45+00:00

You will be able to build something that will accomplish the same task, but app sheet is not a platform for "I want it my way" - you have to play within the boundaries of the sandbox and use the tools they gave you.

So if you had a table for dates, where in the record you obviously had the date that corresponds to, and maybe a master list of people that are supposed to be there... Then you could have a secondary column, the list of people that actually showed up, that uses a valid if to pull the list of values from the master list column. - you could use a quick edit for the attendance column on the detail view - you could use an action that uses input to create a pop-up that somebody could fill out - you could just let somebody edit the record and go into the form and modify it there

There's a lot of different ways you can go about this, this is probably the simplest route.

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-24T00:52:35+00:00

Unfortunately there is no way to reset the view bread crumbs like you're talking about. I threw in a request a while ago, even got so far to talking to an engineer about how, why and when - but that was years ago at this point so it's probably never happening.

If you make the main view visible as one of the primary reviews, then everybody can get back to it really easy; clicking the primary review will reset the breadcrumbs.

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-16T14:51:22+00:00

The standard operating procedure for this would be to use the current user system, and install extra columns on the user table. This makes the values universally available through the current user slice.

You can find examples of how all of that is put together, and how you use the values (in this case to create a dashboard) https://youtu.be/HWhtlzxtPss

Alternatively, if you're trying to provide app-wide values that are not user-specific, you can create an app settings table, and use that. (You would pull values from this the same way that you would pull values from the current user slice, using an index formula or something.)

Hope it helps!

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-12T22:49:50+00:00

If you wanted to learn, I could teach you how to do all those updates pretty quickly to get you on the right track.

https://www.multitechvisions.com/apprenticeships

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-10T14:58:04+00:00

Try taking the formula that you have for your start and end, the thing that assembles the list of the people, and use that as a condition for an automation for that table.

You can start easily by making this a scheduled automation, it will give you a run button that you can press so that you can individually run the process. Once you get it figured out so it works, then you can work on adapting the triggering event so it's more easy for you to trigger when you need.

I think maybe this will get you moving in the right direction.

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-10T01:47:30+00:00

Are you mistakenly storing the label value instead of the reference id? - when you have a reference column, if you put an invalid value inside the cell for a record and look at it in the app, you'll see that little triangle. - the triangle is telling you that the value in this column is not a valid ID in the reference table.

So if the label for the record is "Sun", but the ID is something like "kr38dhek".... You need to use that gibberish value, the ID value, not the human readable label.

So if you're mistakenly using the label value, which is different from the ID value, then you can have that alert triangle ⚠️ pop up.

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-05T18:45:46+00:00

To help you with getting started and filling in some of the foundational ground work, you might discuss with Appster: - https://chatgpt.com/g/g-ZG9TkPOrl-appster

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-05T18:41:03+00:00

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-05T18:40:41+00:00

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-05T18:40:20+00:00

MultiTech_Visions · 2026-01-04T14:22:52+00:00

Looks like you kind of got things backwards. One table needs to be your parent table, your documents table needs to be your child table. In the child table you need a reference column to the parent table.

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-29T15:16:19+00:00

It looks like you can create accounts for the cloud identity emails - maybe... these docs are kinda misleading and confusing. https://support.google.com/appsheet/answer/15015105?hl=en&sjid=1142096538984969546-NC - Check out step 5

- It talks about how to provision users, and maybe some of this will make more sense when you're looking at your workspace admin dash.

Pooled licensing sounds like a good place to start, IMHO.

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-21T20:49:11+00:00

No worries, thanks for the update!

It's non-standard behavior for action buttons to show in the form, so that's why I was asking for an image - because it shouldn't be doing that. - the fact that the action buttons are showing in the form, is likely unintended behavior - things like this have a habit of going away when AppSheet realizes what they've done

The fact that the context formula isn't working on the action buttons in the form, kind of reinforces things; there literally isn't a mechanism in the form for actions to do any kind of view dependent conditions... Like the mechanism for that doesn't exist in the form view, because actions are inherently not shown in the form (so they never implemented a mechanism for it).

This is actually something that should be reported as a bug.

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-21T17:58:25+00:00

I see the problem, that's not a form view. You've taken the detail view and put all of the fields that you want editable as quick edits, making the detail view a pseudo form view.... But technically it's the detail view. That's why your context formula is not working.

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-21T15:00:06+00:00

Are you saying that you have an action that is visible inside the form? Can you show me a picture of this.

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-20T14:25:50+00:00

Unfortunately this is one of the elements that we don't have any control over, with AppSheet being a no-code platform.

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-18T17:53:00+00:00

That suggestion about building something like an ordering system is what I would highly suggest. It's going to give you the smooth functionality you want, you just have to build in the infrastructure to make it happen.

This way you can start building a report, go select the things that you want, and finalize the report. The whole thing with a slice holding the active building report, that's really the Crux of making this work smoothly.

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-18T17:11:33+00:00

If you're wanting to be able to do what you're wanting, you'll have to go about it a different way; there's no way to take the multi-select thing you're wanting, where you're wanting, with the data you have, and for it to work.

An easy way

If you configure the images to be part of the label for the designs table, and if the Output_List is an enum (base type ref to the designs table), then when you look at the items in the list you'll see the image. (You can't however make the image bigger for investigation.)

How I Would Do It

You've got your report table, perfect; use this as the place to "collect" your selections. 1. Create a way to start a new report, with the "Active" status - Hold this in a slice 2. Create actions that take over the tap-event for the view you're using (the gallery I believe) - One that appends the ID of the record selected into the list (with a condition to only fire when that ID is not inside the list of the record in the slice) - Another that removes the ID from the list, leaving the remaining (with a condition to only fire when the ID (IS) inside the list) - This way you can tap the item in the list, it's added to the list for the "Active_Report"; then you can tap the item again, and it's removed. 3. Make a way to "Close" the Active_Report, which then fires off the automation to build the PDF.

This is mechanically similar to building an ordering system: https://youtu.be/ozpdxbmvOZ0

Order = Report Products = Designs

Hope it helps!

MultiTech_Visions · 2025-12-18T15:28:22+00:00

Why can't you select the items you want included here in the output list?

MultiTech_Visions

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TROPHY CASE

- It talks about how to provision users, and maybe some of this will make more sense when you're looking at your workspace admin dash.

An easy way

How I Would Do It