Custom Collections
Design your own no-code data tables with custom fields and validation rules, then add and browse records — no SQL, no migrations, no code.
Overview
Custom Collections is the end-user screen for the Schema & Data Engine. It lets you design your own table — called a collection — the same way you would sketch out columns in a spreadsheet: give it a name, add fields, choose each field's type, and mark which fields are required. Once saved, a data-entry form is generated automatically from that design, and every record you submit is validated server-side against the exact rules you defined before it is stored.
Visual Field Designer
Add fields one at a time — a name, a type, and a required toggle. No schema file, no migration script, no code.
Auto-Generated Form
The data-entry form is built directly from your field definitions — a choice-list field becomes a dropdown, a yes/no field becomes a checkbox, a number field becomes a numeric input.
Server-Side Validation
Every record is checked against your rules before it's stored — missing required fields, wrong types, and invalid choice values are all rejected with a clear, specific error.
Live Records Grid
Every record you add to a collection is immediately listed in a filterable grid, with a column for every field you designed.
Designing a Collection
Click New Collection in the top-right of the screen to open the collection designer.
Naming the Collection and Adding Fields
- Enter a Collection Name — anything freeform, like "Inventory Count", "Event Attendees", or "Freelancer Payments".
- For each field, enter a field name (e.g.
order_id). - Choose a field type from the dropdown — see the Field Type Reference table below.
- If the type is Choice list, enter the allowed values as a comma-separated list (e.g.
pending, approved, cancelled). - Check Required if the field must be filled in on every record.
- Click + Add Field to add another row, or the
×button on a field to remove it.
Click Save once you have named the collection and defined at least one field. The collection appears immediately in the left-hand list and is selected automatically so you can start adding records right away.
You can always add more fields later
A collection's design isn't locked in — designing it once and adding fields later doesn't break any records you've already added. Existing records simply have no value for a newly added field until they're updated.
Field Type Reference
| Type | What it stores | Form control generated |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Any string value | A single-line text input |
| Number | An integer or decimal value | A numeric input |
| Yes/No | A boolean value | A checkbox |
| Choice list | One value from a fixed set you define (e.g. pending, approved, cancelled) | A dropdown listing only the allowed values |
Every field can also be marked Required, regardless of its type — a required field left empty is rejected when the record is submitted.
Adding and Browsing Records
Select a collection from the left-hand list, then click Add Record to open the data-entry form. The form's fields are generated directly from the collection's design — fill them in and click Save.
If a value you entered breaks one of the collection's rules, the form shows the exact error returned by the server instead of saving — for example, a missing required field, a number field that wasn't numeric, or a choice-list field set to a value outside its allowed list. Correct the value and submit again.
Every successfully saved record appears immediately in the records grid on the right, with one column per field plus a Created column showing when it was added.
Not just for manual entry
Records aren't only added through this form — workflow nodes, inbound webhooks, and AI agents can also write into a collection through the same validated path. Whatever wrote the record, the same rules apply: anything that breaks the schema is rejected before it's stored.
Deleting a Collection
Hover a collection in the left-hand list and click the trash icon, then confirm with Yes. Deleting a collection removes its field design; it does not automatically delete records that were already added to it.
Tenant Isolation
Every collection and every record you create is scoped to your own tenant. Collections and records are resolved from your signed session, never from anything the browser sends directly — another tenant can never see, list, or write into a collection that belongs to you, even if they somehow guessed its ID.