Related tables in forms

A form can include a Related table when a record has independent child records. For example, a Customer form can show its Work items, or a Project form can show its Deliverables. The rows are ordinary records with their own permissions, history, forms, and detail pages. They are not cells stored inside the parent record.

Before the parent is saved

A new parent record has no stable identity yet, so its related table does not load or create child records. The form shows Related records will be available after you save this record instead.

Save the parent first, then open it for editing. This prevents a child from being created without the relationship that identifies its parent.

Work with child records

On an edit form, each Related table has its own Add and Refresh actions. The table shows ten rows per page and can use either a flat list or the Tree View configured for that child record type.

• Add opens the configured child form. Moltaro supplies and locks the parent Reference, so the new child cannot be attached to a different parent from this workflow.
• Edit opens the child form selected by the table action. Saving changes only that child and refreshes this table.
• Open details opens the child’s Details page in a new browser tab. The parent form and its unsaved field values remain in the original tab.
• Active / Archived switches between current children and the archive. It appears when you have permission to read archived child records, even when the table is otherwise read-only. Add is available only in Active view.
• Archive appears for an active child only when the table configuration and your permissions allow it.
• Delete appears only for an archived child when the table configuration and your permissions allow it. Archive and Delete both require confirmation. Delete is permanent; read the confirmation before continuing.

The compact table intentionally does not include Preview, saved views, filter builder, bulk actions, fullscreen, Manual Order, or an Unlink action. Open the child Details page when you need its complete context.

Related changes save immediately

Child changes are independent

Adding, editing, archiving, or deleting a child record saves immediately. These changes are not part of the parent form draft.

This distinction matters when the parent form has unsaved values:

1. Change a field on the parent without saving it.
2. Add or edit a child in the Related table.
3. The child change is saved and the table refreshes. The parent draft stays on screen.
4. If you cancel the parent form, its unsaved field change is discarded, but the saved child change remains.

There is no transactional rollback across the parent form and the Related table. Finish or cancel each child dialog deliberately before leaving the parent form.

To permanently delete a child, archive it in Active. Moltaro then switches the table to Archived automatically and reloads the row with its current version before Delete becomes available. This two-step lifecycle prevents an active record from being removed accidentally.

Permissions and unavailable states

The parent and child are authorized separately. Seeing the parent does not grant access to its children, and an administrator role does not bypass record security. Moltaro applies the child record’s Entity Security policy before counting and paging rows, then omits fields you cannot read.

Depending on your access and the workspace configuration, the form can show:

• an empty state when no readable children exist;
• an access-denied state when the child record type is not available to you;
• a missing-surface state when the configured child Table Surface no longer exists;
• a retryable error if the form, relationship, or table changed while it was open.

Refresh the form after a configuration change. If a required child action is missing, ask the configurator to review the child Table Surface and your Entity Security permissions.

Related table versus a Table field

A Related table manages standalone child records and saves every child operation independently. A Table field is owned content inside one parent record; its rows are edited as part of the parent form payload and save with the parent. Use the behavior shown on screen—especially the independent-save notice—to tell which model you are working with.

For setup instructions, see Configure Related tables. For API automation, see the Related Table developer and agent guide.