Fields & Formulas

The Fields & Formulas tab allows you to find dependencies for a selected field or global function.
This means you can identify all the formulas that use a specific field or global function.

It has two sub-tabs: List, described below, and Dependency tree, which draws the same dependencies (see below). The chosen sub-tab and the last selected field are remembered for each database.

Why This is Useful

When modifying or deleting a field or global function, this feature helps you verify its impact on the rest of the database.

The List sub-tab presents two collapsible sections:

• Scripts of Table.Field: the code of the selected item itself — a field's formulas and triggers, or a global function's code —, each script preceded by the badge of its level, its code collapsed below it; "No scripts found for this field" if there are none;
• Dependencies (N), or No dependencies: the scripts that use the selected item.

Dependency Impact Levels

There are three levels of impact, represented by three different badges:

The number displayed inside the badge represents the number of direct dependencies; in the list, the number inside a dependency's badge counts that dependency's own dependencies. Since version 3.2.0, this number is counted the same way everywhere — list, tree and badges — without the field's own scripts.

Understanding Dependencies

A field can have multiple dependencies, and each dependency may also have its own dependencies.
This hierarchical structure helps in understanding how changes to a field or function affect the database.

A click on a row of the list expands its own dependencies, a second click collapses them; a chevron, on the left, marks the rows that have some. A click on a row's badge selects that field in Fields & Formulas (except for a global function or the "After Open" trigger).

Direct use

Select a Table or Global Functions Line:

• Click in the box on the left: the list shows the tables, preceded by two entries, the database's "After Open" trigger and its global functions. Clicking a table expands its fields.

Select a Field or function:

• Type a few letters in the box on the right: the list keeps only the items that contain them, across all tables. Clicking a field or function selects it.

Fields and tables that come from other databases of the same team also appear, with a dedicated icon. Dependencies coming from another database already loaded by Ninox (another database that uses a field of this one) also appear in the list and in the tree, preceded by the name of their database; they do not open from here: a message ("This element belongs to another database…") invites you to open their database.

Using the Field Editor

In Ninox's "Edit fields" window, each field used elsewhere carries its dependency badge.
Clicking this badge opens the Ninext panel on Fields & Formulas, with the field selected. The Edit field page details these badges and moving from one field to another.

Accessing the selected Field or Function

Click the red button, to the right of the lists. It only appears in Ninox's edit mode ("Edit mode"), and is grayed out as long as a change remains to be saved or canceled in Ninox. For a field, Ninext highlights it in the Ninox form, with a wrench: clicking this wrench opens the field's edit window. If the field is not visible on the form, Ninext offers to open the fields editor.

For Global Functions, the global code editor opens, highlighting the relevant function.

Direct Access to the Script

• Click the bold part of a result row (here "Show as"): Ninox's editor opens on the code that contains the dependency, with the relevant part highlighted.
• The red button that appears on hover, on the right of the row (in Ninox's edit mode), follows the same rule as the one at the top. For a row that belongs to a field (its formula, one of its triggers, its "Show as"…), it selects that field in its form, and bears a wrench in a frame; for the others (table trigger, view column, print report, global function, "After Open"), it opens the script's editor, and bears only a wrench.

Long lists

A long list is displayed in batches of 100 rows. At the bottom of the list, +100 shows the next 100, and All (N) shows the remaining N.

The badge on field hover

In Ninox's edit mode ("Edit mode"), hovering a field in a form shows a badge in the top right corner of the field. It brings together, without having to select the field first:

The counter's color gives the level of impact, like the badges above; a grayed-out "0" indicates a field that nothing depends on. The badge can be switched off in the Ninext Settings, "Additional Tools" section: Dependency badge on hover.

The dependency tree

The Dependency tree sub-tab draws the dependencies of the selected field, in both directions:

• on the left, upstream, the fields its formula reads;
• in the center, the field itself;
• on the right, downstream, the formulas that use it.

Numbered bands (-2, -1, 0, 1, 2…) mark the levels. When you hover a cell, its chain lights up and the rest fades; in a cell's code tooltip, the name of its direct parent is highlighted. A global function can be expanded too, towards its own dependents (from 3.2.0 onwards).

In a cell:

• the badge re-centers the tree on this field, which becomes the selected field;
• the Fx icon shows the code on hover and opens its editor on click; the red button follows the same rule as in the list;
• the round + badge (Expand) unfolds the cell's dependencies, − (Collapse) folds them — this is how a global function is expanded; upstream, a second badge shows or hides the children outside the chain;
• the crossed-out eye (Hide this cell) hides the cell.

Beyond 10 items in a column, a "… +N" cell shows the others.

Clusters. Cells that share the same parents are grouped in a frame, a cluster. Grab its handle to reorder it or move it to another column; once the cluster has been reordered or moved, a circular arrow appears in its corner and puts it back in its original place. A cluster shows 5 cells; its −5, +5 and All (N) buttons show fewer or more of them, an arrow brings it back to 5 cells, and its footer says how many remain hidden.

The toolbar offers:

• Copy as image: a window offers Copy (clipboard) or Download PNG;
• the eye, which shows or hides the hidden cells: it only appears if at least one cell is hidden, with their number;
• zoom out, the zoom percentage, zoom in and Fit to view;
• Fullscreen, which you leave with its button or with the Esc key.

For each field, the tree remembers its hidden cells and the layout of its clusters. When you switch to another field, it keeps the current zoom and centers the new field; a schema refresh changes neither the zoom nor the position.

The same tree is shown as a preview when you hover the dependency counter of the badge.

The navigation history

The footprints icon, at the top of the Ninext panel, opens on hover or on click the list of the last fields, global functions and reports visited through Ninext — "After Open" trigger included. An item visited again moves to the bottom of the list, with no duplicates; a click selects it again. The list keeps 50 entries for the day; Clear all navigation history empties it. This history, reserved for administrators, can be switched off in the Ninext Settings, "UI Enhancements" section: Schema navigation history (administrators).

Do not confuse it with the Visited records button, which has the same icon but sits in Ninox's top bar: offered to all users, it lists the recently opened records (see Visited records).