Tables and fields

A table groups one category of items. A field describes one property of that item. For example, each record in Books represents a book. Title and Status are fields.

Start with two fields

Create Title as a Text field. Create Status as a Select field. Give Status three options: To read, Reading, and Finished. Set Title as the Record Label Field.

Check: Add a book and choose Reading. Its title identifies the record. Its status works in filter rules. Add more fields when you need them. The book-list walkthrough shows the full task.

Create and name a table

Use the table tabs to create, rename, reorder, or delete tables. Table names are human-readable. You can change them later. Eidos maintains stable internal IDs. Saved views and relations do not depend on the table name.

For records with notes or articles, enable Include Markdown content when you create the table. Eidos adds a Text field for record content. You can change this table-wide Content field in Table settings at any time. When you create a .eidos file in Lite, expand Advanced options to enable content for the initial table. A table without a Content field remains a structured table. File properties such as a mapped file path are read-only and cannot store record content.

Choose concise names and use them consistently. A table named Projects should contain one project per record. Do not mix projects, clients, and free-form notes in one table.

Choose the Record Label Field

Every table has exactly one Record Label Field. Eidos uses it for record titles, Gallery cards, Kanban cards, and Relation links.

Open the table menu and select Table settings to change it. Good label fields are recognizable and distinguish records clearly. Changing the label field does not rewrite Relation IDs. Linked labels refresh from the newly selected field.

If you delete the current label field, select a replacement first. Eidos does not allow a table without a record label.

Pick a field type

Field type	Use it for	Important behavior
Text	Titles, notes, codes, and free-form values	Searchable. Preserves entered text
Number	Measurements and decimal values	Finite decimal number
Integer	Counts and whole numbers	Exact signed 64-bit value
Select	One controlled state or category	One option. Can have a default option
Multi-select	Tags and multiple categories	Ordered option list. No default option
Checkbox	Yes/no state	Can remain empty
Rating	Star ratings	Stored as an integer value
URL	Web address	Clickable only after Host policy checks
Date	Calendar day without a time zone	Use when time-of-day does not matter
Date & time	Exact moment	Stored canonically and shown in a selected time zone
File	Attachment and image references	File access depends on Host capabilities
Formula	Value calculated from fields in this table	Read-only result
Relation	Records in another table	Stores stable target record IDs
Lookup / rollup	Values read or aggregated through a Relation	Read-only derived result

Choose the narrowest type that expresses the data. Use Select for a status, not Text. Use Date for a birthday, not Date & time. Use Relation for a person, not a copied text name.

Configure Select options and a default

Field properties let you add, rename, recolor, reorder, and delete options. The option name is the stored logical value. The option color is only a visual presentation.

For a Select field, Default option sets the value for new records:

• No default leaves an omitted field empty.
• Choosing an option assigns it when a creation action omits the field.
• Explicitly supplying another value overrides the default.
• Existing records do not receive the default value.
• CSV import does not infer the default.
• Renaming the chosen option updates the default automatically.
• Deleting the chosen option clears the default setting.

Multi-select does not support default values. An implicit list can hide whether a user selected a tag deliberately.

Connect tables with Relation and Lookup

A forward Relation points from this table to records in a target table. The stored value is an ordered list of stable Row IDs. The editor resolves the target’s current Record Label to show it.

Use a Lookup to show or aggregate a field reached through that Relation. A Lookup is derived. Edit the source record or the Relation rather than typing over the Lookup result.

Before you delete a related table or field, check the dependency report. Hidden views and derived fields may still depend on it.

Calculate values with Formula

Formula fields calculate a result from fields in the same table. The editor previews and checks the expression before saving its definition. Formula results are read-only and refresh when input fields change. See Formula expressions for supported functions, syntax, and examples.

Double-click a Formula cell to open the Formula editor beside that cell. You can also select the cell and press Enter or Space. The selected record becomes the preview example. You can check changes to the expression against that row. Opening the editor from Field settings uses sample rows from the Runtime.

Use Formula for repeatable derivations, not for values that require manual overrides. Use Lookup for data across a Relation.

Rename, reorder, convert, or delete fields

• Rename changes the shown name and physical field name. Runtime rewrites supported references by stable ID.
• Reorder changes column order, not record values.
• Hide belongs to a View and does not delete the field or its data.
• Convert changes field types. Review the preflight impact before you apply the change.
• Delete permanently deletes stored values and can affect dependent formulas.

Conversion overview

Read each row as the current type and each column as the target type:

• ✓ is available when every stored value passes validation.
• ⚠ is available but can lose or round information. Eidos shows a preview and asks for approval.
• • indicates the field is already that type.
• — is not available in the Type menu.

From → To	Text	Number	Integer	Checkbox	Select	Multi-select	Rating	Date	Date & time	URL
Text	•	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Number	✓	•	⚠	⚠	✓	—	⚠	—	—	—
Integer	✓	⚠	•	⚠	✓	—	✓	—	—	—
Checkbox	✓	✓	✓	•	✓	—	✓	—	—	—
Select	✓	✓	✓	✓	•	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Multi-select	✓	—	—	—	⚠	•	—	—	—	—
Rating	✓	✓	✓	⚠	✓	—	•	—	—	—
Date	✓	—	—	—	✓	—	—	•	✓	✓
Date & time	✓	—	—	—	✓	—	—	⚠	•	✓
URL	✓	—	—	—	✓	—	—	✓	✓	•

These field types use dedicated setup flows instead of the Type conversion menu:

Field	General conversion	How to change it
File	—	Create a File field and move attachments manually
Relation	—	Use the Relation configuration flow
Formula	—	Use the Formula editor and set its result type
Lookup / rollup	—	Use the Lookup editor and aggregation settings
Row ID / Created time / Updated time	—	System fields are immutable

Rating is an Integer format. It accepts whole numbers from 0 through 5. Text and Select conversions require standard values for the target type. For example, Text to Checkbox accepts only lowercase true or false. For detailed conversion rules, see the Runtime 1.0 specification.

Schema changes use revision checks. If another edit modified the file after generating the plan, Eidos refreshes the plan. It does not apply stale plans.

A useful task table

A practical Tasks table can contain:

Field	Type	Configuration
Title	Text	Record Label Field
Status	Select	Todo, Doing, Done. Default: Todo
Assignee	Relation	Links to People
Due	Date	No time-of-day
Tags	Multi-select	Controlled tag names
Days open	Formula	Calculated from creation time
Team	Lookup	Read from Assignee’s related record

Next, learn how to create and edit records.