In relation field search, it would be extremely useful to allow displaying values from additional fields alongside the primary field (e.g., ID).
Example setup:
- ID Number (renamed primary field):
4576925445 - Name (text field):
My Name
In large datasets, searching by ID is more reliable since names can repeat. However, when multiple records share similar ID prefixes, users are forced to either:
- Manually verify each result, or
- Type the full ID to find the correct one
This slows down selection significantly.
Suggestion
Add an option to configure which additional fields are displayed in the relation picker results.
Expected behavior
- User types part of the ID (e.g.,
4576) - Results display:
4576925445 — My Name
- User can visually identify the correct record without typing the full ID
Extended improvement (optional but ideal)
Allow searching not only by the primary field (ID), but also by any of the visible fields (e.g., Name).
Additionally, improve how search works on these secondary fields.
Current limitation in other tools:
- Searching by ID → partial match works (e.g.,
4576) - Searching by Name → requires exact/full match
- Example:
- Works:
My Name - Does NOT work:
My N
- Works:
- Example:
Suggested improvement:
- Enable partial / incremental search on secondary fields as well
- Example:
- Typing
My Nshould already returnMy Name
- Typing
Reference behavior (from other tools)
Some apps provide a settings button inside the relation field UI, where users can:
- Select which fields are displayed in the dropdown
- Enable search across those selected fields
Benefits
- Faster and more accurate record selection
- Better usability for large datasets
- Reduced friction when working with numeric identifiers
- Consistent and more intuitive search behavior across all fields
This would significantly improve the efficiency of relation fields in real-world usage.
Below is a screenshot from another app demonstrating this behavior.
