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Kuovonne's Guide to Airtable
  • Pages
    • Kuovonne's Guide to Airtable
      • Fields
        • Overview of fields types
          • Editable Field Types
          • Computed Field Types
          • Field Types by Formula Data Type
          • Field Types in Scripting
        • Specific field types
          • Formula fields
            • Demystifying Formulas (DareTable 2022)
          • Rollup fields
          • Select fields
          • Attachment fields
            • Uploading Attachments
            • Attachment Size
            • Attachment URLS
            • Thumbnails
        • Converting Field Types
        • Naming fields
        • Metadata fields
          • Simple Metadata Fields
          • Data Validation
          • Additional Dependencies
          • Original Record URL (Thumbprint) Field
          • Column Divider Fields
          • DareTable 2023 Presentation
        • Field dependencies
      • Formulas
        • Formula Field Reference
        • Writing Formulas
          • Using AI to Write Formulas
          • General tips for writing formulas
          • Testing for Blank Values
          • Drafting Formulas in Parts
          • Function versus Operator
          • Typing Special Characters
          • Commenting Formulas
          • Formulas to avoid
        • Formatting Formulas
          • Basic Rules
          • Nested IF formulas
          • SWITCH Formulas
          • Operators
        • Specific Formulas
          • Ranges of Numbers Values
          • Comma Separated List of Fields Values with Optional Fields
          • Earliest / latest date across columns
          • List Fields Values (one per line) with Optional Fields
          • Rounding a date to the half year
          • Url of Interface Page for a record
          • Removing varying items from a list
        • Data Type Conversion in Formulas
          • Text to Numbers
          • Numbers to Text
          • Data type conversions with Dates
        • Troubleshooting Formulas
          • Formulas that won't save
          • Hiding or showing #ERROR!
          • Troubleshooting date/time/duration formulas
          • Troubleshooting numeric formulas
          • Troubleshooting formulas with lookups
          • Troubleshooting text formulas
      • Automations
        • Triggering automations
          • Triggering automations for typed values
          • Triggering automations on existing records
        • Sending Emails
          • Ways to send emails
          • Using links in emails
          • Emailing Attachments
        • Accessing updated record values
        • Third party automations
        • Managing automation runs
      • Templates
        • Templates for record values
        • Templates using field values
      • Controlling Access
        • Sharing a base
        • Access control considerations
        • Techniques for limited access
          • Airtable interface
          • Share link access
          • Synced table
          • Prefilled forms + Automations
          • 3rd party portal
          • 3rd party webhook
        • Preventing base duplication
      • Specific Solutions
        • Most recent form submission for ermail
        • Email digest of a person’s records
        • Sum of Multiple Select choices
        • Link to multiple records based on select choices
        • Dropping Lowest Score (top 4 of 5)
        • Identify the position of a record in a linked record field (top 4 of 6)
        • Sequential Numbering of Records
        • Ending a list of rollup items with ", and"
        • Table ID in a formula
        • Latest/earliest date across several fields
        • Associating People with Records
        • First Tuesday of the Previous Month
      • Miscellaneous
        • Web API Calls for External Integrations
        • Getting paid to work with Airtable
        • Hiring a consultant
        • Airtable Communities
        • Making major changes to a base
      • Suggestion for this guide

List Fields Values (one per line) with Optional Fields

Thank Kuovonne for creating this content!

Inspiration

A user has five free-form data fields. All five fields are optional. The user wants to create a formula to consolidate the information from all five fields, one per line, without any blank lines.

Discussion

Here is the basic formula format. The user actually wants two new line characters \n\n between each field, but I am including only one in this formula.
TRIM(CONCATENATE(
IF({field1}, {field1} & "\n"),
IF({field2}, {field2} & "\n"),
IF({field3}, {field3} & "\n"),
IF({field4}, {field4} & "\n"),
IF({field5}, {field5} & "\n")
))

This formula works by checking each field if the field has a value, and if it does, combining the field value with a new line character. The CONCATENATE() combines all of these values and new line characters. Finally, any trailing line break is removed with TIRM().
Note that the final IF function combines the field value with the new line character, even though this last one will never be used.
It is easier to rearrange the order of the fields. Changing the order of fields only involves moving the lines and adjusting commas without also having to adding or removing the newline character.
Keeping the parallel structure for all the fields makes the formula easier to read and understand.

Thank Kuovonne for creating this content!
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