Lookup files field using relationships

Ideas & Features
1

Just checking if its in scope for the Files Update. Allowing to lookup files from one entity to another using relationships.

1 Like
2

Pinging this as files are in focus.

I know the spec said you won’t support lookups, BUT I have use case that is quite flexible.

Showing a cover image from a linked entity in cover image.

For example:
Project with multiple versions (each version is an entity) . Allowing a formula to pull the latest version, and then having the gallery based on the files in version and not of the project.

Another example:
Product with different variants.
A lookup from the variant photos into the product to show all variants in the gallery (if the gallery will support slideshow, not sure)

Another example
Deal with most recent attachment from last meeting as gallery cover. Or the main contact person as the cover.

I feel like there are lots of different cases this can support.

It does raise the question if the “Download all” should include the looked up files or not. I think yes, but not sure.

3

As we have started adding more & more files to different entities in Fibery, we are starting to run into an issue of tracking where files actually are in a hierarchy of entities.

We track Projects that each have multiple Tasks. Some files are relevant to the project as a whole (construction documents, plans, ect.) and those are linked to the project. Some documents are more relevant to a specific task and therefore are linked to that task. However, I am finding that it is hard to keep track of what documents have been collected and assigned to specific tasks for each project.

I think it would be super helpful to add files as a Lookup-able field. I’m imagining that you could have a read-only version of a normal files field that would consolidate all of the files for sub-entities. It would be great to have all of the same visualizations of the current (and upcoming files fields), but a compact list with file name/link and entity name would be an excellent MVP.

4

Hard agree with this one. I think it’s a duplicate of this no? Lookup files field using relationships

One question I have for you is around permissions. Should users with access to the entity have access to files in the lookup even though they don’t have access to the source (like primitive fields, text, number, etc), or should access be restricted to the files if they don’t have access the source entity (like rich text fields)

1 Like
5

Whoops, I looked for an existing feature request but missed it. @Chr1sG could you merge this?

Regarding permissions, I would think that files should be restricted or filtered based on the tasks you have access to, even if you have access to the project. In our case, access to a project is not automatically extended to tasks. This matches the behavior of lookups currently, where the value of lookup fields is different for each user depending on their access.

If you did want to subvert permission for some reason, it might be nice to be able to create an unfiltered lookup style view via formulas, but that seems less necessary to me.

6

Hi Fibery Team! :slightly_smiling_face:

I’ve noticed a limitation in how data can be synced. Currently, it is impossible to use a Lookup field to pull data from a File column.

The Setup:

  • Space A (Creatives): Contains all creative assets (File columns). Both the Creative Team and Managers have access to this space.

  • Space B (Finances): Contains sensitive financial data. Only Managers have access to this space; the Creative Team is restricted.

The Problem: Managers spend their time in Space B analyzing performance and spend. To make decisions, they need to see the creative file (from Space A) right next to the financial metrics (in Space B).

Since I cannot “Lookup” a file from Space A into Space B, Managers are forced to:

  1. Constantly switch between spaces to see what a specific creative looks like.

  2. Or, re-upload files to Space B.

Problem: re-uploading is illogical, doubles the disk space usage, and creates a mess if the original file in Space A is updated.

Proposal: Please allow File types to be selectable in Lookup fields. This would allow Managers to pull the visual asset into their private financial workspace, creating a seamless and logical workflow without duplicating data or compromising space-level permissions for other teams.:upside_down_face:

7

Hi! I’ve also noticed a similar limitation related to Avatar fields :melting_face: .

At the moment it seems impossible to use a Lookup field to pull an Avatar from a related entity.

Example use case:

  • I have an App database where each app has its icon stored in an Avatar field.

  • I also have a Tasks database linked to the App.

Ideally, I would like the Task avatar to automatically inherit the App avatar via Lookup, so that every task related to the app displays the same icon.

Currently this is not possible, which means:

  • task avatars must be set manually, or

  • the icon has to be duplicated again in another field.

This breaks consistency and makes visual navigation harder, especially in views where avatars are used as quick visual identifiers.

It would be great if Avatar fields could also be supported in Lookup fields, similar to other field types.

8

Hey! I think this is a duplicate of this one: Lookup files field using relationships

9

Yes, I looked for an existing feature request but missed it. Could you merge this :grinning_face: ?