AppSheet interpreting a virtual field to be part of a key when it is not.

[pbalerio]

After an AppSheet consistency check, two Virtual Columns of an app are being interpreted as being part of a computed key. They are not  and I have not changed anything in the app.

This is requiring the user to enter values to these Virtual Cols and the form breaks catastrophically.

The Computed key is the concat of columns [DateTimeStamp] and [Ripaq_Id] (Type "text")

One of the virtual columns that appsheet  "thinks" is part of the key is a formula of Ripaq_Id 

SWITCH(Left([Ripaq_Id],1),
"E","Ripa",
"P","Panel",
"2","Tacho","")

The other one is a select of values from another table.

Any hint?

I asked Gemini and says "AppSheet's consistency checks can sometimes lead to unexpected interpretations of column roles, and you've encountered a frustrating issue..."
Gives some clues to solve it but nothing has worked...

[pbalerio]

Additional information.

• The two virtual colums were part of the ValidIf of the key column and this seems to be the cause.
• Thus I think that AppSheet Consistency Check is only recently verifying this condition. which was previously ignored.
  
  
• This consistency check seems to be unnecesary when the columns are virtual.

[Marc_Dillon]

So do you have an actual key column on that table? You should. Just manually switch the key to that column and delete that computed key VC.

A similar thing, every time I regenerate columns on a table with first and last names, it's always wanting to create a new computed name VC for me. So annoying. Have to delete it every time. Just one of those weird annoying things that Appsheet does.

[pbalerio]

Hi Marc, thanks for your interest.

I think I did my case a little more complicated:

• Two columns are rightly part of the table key.  ([date] & [QR reading])
• the VC is a formula of the QR reading
• I use the VC in the ValidIf  of the QR reading.

The consistency check includes the VC in the computed key, makes it Shown, greyes the Editable (checked) and makes it required.

As I understood, until the last version of the consistency check AppSheet did not check that the columns of a validIf of a key were themselves, part of that key.

The problem in my app was solved with a circumvention. I manually deleted the VC away from the form's View (UX)

Now it is principles: a VC should never be necessary in a key.
I never quit on principles 😏