How to manipulate Show Click Link If URL Input in Text Type Column?

[FerdyanH]

Hello AppSheet Community,

I have a question regarding how to display content in AppSheet. I have a column with a Text data type, and the input in this column could either be plain text or a URL. I want the following behavior:

• If the input is plain text, it stays as is.

• If the input is a URL (from the [match_stream_admin] column), I want it to be clickable as a hyperlink.

Currently, I'm using this formula in the Initial Value:

IF([match_vod_reference] = "NewOne", [match_stream_admin],
IF([match_vod_reference] = "MediaOne", TRUE, ""))

The [match_stream_admin] value is always a valid URL, but since the column is typed as Text, it doesn’t render as a clickable link.

My question is: is there any way to manipulate or format the output so the URL becomes clickable even though the column type is Text? Perhaps using Format Rules or any other workaround?

Thanks in advance!

[Suvrutt_Gurjar]

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@FerdyanH wrote:

My question is: is there any way to manipulate or format the output so the URL becomes clickable even though the column type is Text?

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I believe that is not natively possible in AppSheet. 

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@FerdyanH wrote:

any other workaround?

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Please try below.  In the TEXT column , please enter an initial value expression something like

IF([match_vod_reference] = "NewOne", "Please click on this URL Action",
IF([match_vod_reference] = "MediaOne", TRUE, ""))

Please add an inline action attached to that text column. The action type should be "External: go to a website"

The expression for the action can be something like 

IFS([match_vod_reference] = "NewOne", [match_stream_admin])

The "only if this condition is true" expression for this action can be 

[match_vod_reference] = "NewOne"

The action will show in detail and summary view as an inline action. The user can navigate to the URL using that action icon.

[NicolasB]

hello

To use html, the column must be of type "long text" and "html" must be selected in Type Detail

this does not work in all views (example: cards) but it does work in the detail view