Manual List Builder

Configure a list — step by step

This walkthrough builds a Pending Leave Applications list — every record where status = "submitted", sorted by submission date, with a date-range filter and a search box.

Before you start

You need a table with some real fields. The example uses Leave Applications with applicant_name, start_date, end_date, days, status, reason, created_at.

Steps

1. Create the list

  1. Open Build -> Lists and click New list.
  2. Name it Pending leave applications.
  3. Source table: Leave Applications.

2. Pick the columns

Switch to the Columns tab. Add fields in the order you want them to appear:

  1. applicant_name
  2. start_date
  3. end_date
  4. days
  5. status — display as a badge (set the column display in field properties)

Skip reason and created_at from the list — they're better suited to the detail page.

3. Add the base filter

Switch to Query → Visual builder. Add one rule:

  • Field: status
  • Operator: equals
  • Value: submitted

This becomes the always-on WHERE clause. The user never sees this filter — it's a baked-in scope on the list.

4. Add runtime filters

Switch to Filters. Add three filters end users can interact with:

  1. Date range on start_date — labelled Period.
  2. Dropdown on status — labelled Status. (Yes, even though the base query restricts to submitted; this is for if you reuse the list elsewhere.)
  3. Global search on applicant_name, reason — labelled Search.

5. Set sorting

Switch to Sort.

  • Default sort column: start_date
  • Direction: ascending (oldest pending requests first)
  • ☑ Allow runtime sort (so users can click column headers).

6. Pick row behaviour

Switch to Settings → Row actions.

  • ☑ Make the first column clickable → opens the detail page.
  • ☐ Show action buttons — keep it clean, the click handles it.

7. Pagination

Per-page: 25. Enable global search if you skipped that earlier.

8. Preview

Click Preview. You should see real records (or a sample) rendered with your columns and filters. Try the date range filter — confirm it narrows correctly.

9. Run the Checklist

Open the Checklist tab in the Assistant drawer. You should see all green ticks. If anything fails, fix it before publishing.

10. Publish

Click Publish. The list now appears under its source table in the side menu (or wherever you point a menu item to it).