Linking Entities with Lookup Array

A Lookup Array creates a one-to-many relationship.
You use it when one record needs to connect to multiple related records - for example, one Offer with several OfferItem entries.

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Step 1: OfferItem → Offer (Lookup)

Steps:

1. Go to Developer toolbox (available only when in Edit mode)

2. Click on Database

3. Hover over OfferItem

4. Click on +

5. Select Field Type: Lookup

6. Type in the Display Name textbox: Offer ID

7. From the Table Name dropdown menu select: Offers

8. From the Display Key dropdown menu select: ID

9. Click Save

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What this does:

• You're adding a field inside OfferItem that links every item to a specific record in Offers.
• By choosing Table Name: Offers, you tell Autorun which entity you want to reference.
• Lookup Values: ID means the user will select from the list of Offer IDs when creating an OfferItem.
• Without this lookup, Autorun wouldn’t know which Offer each individual OfferItem belongs to.

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Why it's needed:

• Lookup is the backbone of parent → child structures.
• Every OfferItem must have its parent - the Offer.
• This enables filtering, grouping, connecting data, displaying OfferItems on the Offer page, and so on.

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Step 2: Offers → OfferItem (Lookup Array)

Steps:

1. Go to Developer toolbox (available only when in Edit mode)

2. Click on Database

3. Hover over Offers

4. Click on +

5. From the Field Type dropdown menu select: Lookup Array

6. Type in your preffered name in the Display Name textbox: Products

7. Select from the Table Name dropdown menu: OfferItem

8. Select from the Lookup Values dropdown menu: Offer ID

9. In the selection box Include Fields select: Total, Price, Quantity, Name

10. Scroll down to Table Order and type in: -1

11. Scroll down to Col Span and type in: 2

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What this does:

• You’re adding a field inside Offers that automatically collects all related OfferItem records.
• Table Name: OfferItem means “fetch all OfferItem records that are connected to this Offer.”
• Lookup Values: Offer ID tells Autorun which lookup field in OfferItem is used for the connection.
• Include Fields defines which columns will be shown in the embedded table.
• Table Order and Col Span are just visual settings for how the table appears in forms.

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Why it's needed:

• Lookup Array allows you to instantly see all products (OfferItems) inside an Offer without manual filtering.
• This is the standard way to build a parent → child overview.
• One Offer may have dozens of OfferItem records - the Lookup Array handles this automatically.
• Later on, it enables inline editing, totals, summary values, and more.

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In short

• Lookup Array = one record collects multiple related records (Offer → OfferItems).