Attribute descriptions

Attribute descriptions

Column names in databases can be confusing. They're named by engineers for use in code, not for people. We already humanize the names in the UI (and let you override the display name to something completely different), but now we're adding another level of customization: descriptions.

You can set attribute descriptions in the data source configuration menu. After that, we'll show you the description whenever you (or your teammates) hover over the column header in a table or view. We have plans to incorporate these descriptions into the list layout too, for users who prefer that layout type.

Automatically-set primary attributes

"Primary attributes" is a concept we introduced a few months ago. It lets you pick a column for each table to act as the identifier, which is shown across Basedash. We show the primary attribute as the value for foreign keys, as the title in list layout, and as the sticky column in table layout.

We used to always default the primary key of the table, but we now scan the column names for some good candidates, including "name" or "email" to use as the default. If we can't find anything good, we'll use the primary key as the fallback. You can always override the default primary attribute in your data source configuration.

This should make list layout a lot more usable by default without having to configure your data sources. Give it a try!

Other improvements and fixes

• Added read-only "Name" fields in data source configuration panels
• Added read-only "Base table" field to view builder
• Added view deletion confirmation dialogs
• Updated the default primary attribute to look for certain column names, instead of the primary key
• Updated "favorite" icon in the disabled state
• Updated "Edit view" button icon and text
• Updated label in connect data source flow for "Display name"
• Updated table headers to show the display name
• Fixed deleted records not disappearing in the UI right away
• Fixed edits not working in views where the primary key column is hidden
• Fixed duplicate tables in the table selection sidebar
• Fixed icon color in dropdowns on hover
• Fixed icon color in sidebar when selected
• Fixed local cache being cleared when switching workspaces