How to Convert Your Knack Table to an Online Spreadsheet

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#1: A Better Way to Import Your Data

Don’t get me wrong—I love Knack.

Knack has allowed our software team to develop solutions and deliver real value to our users at a pace that could not be achieved otherwise.

With that being said, no love is perfect, and I do have my own few gripes with Knack – specifically their table view’s interface.

You can probably relate if you or your users have asked any of the following questions:

Why can I only edit a single inline Knack cell at a time?
Why does the Edit form pop up in a little window with a form?
I’ve already got data in my excel spreadsheet. Why can’t I just import it without having to go to the backend?
Knack is sooo slow to navigate… Why so many loading spinners?

These questions led us to develop TableToSpreadsheet an easy-to-use Knack plugin that replaces a regular Knack table with an excel-like spreadsheet.

Let us show you how it works by demonstrating 6 solutions to common problems you might face with your Knack table.

Knack’s Problem: No Bulk Data Entry

A long-time complaint of our users has been the speed of data entry, and the lack of ability to import data into their Knack applications. The only option available to end-users is to enter records one-by-one via a form. This is especially painful if their data is already in the form of a spreadsheet… “There’s no way to just import this excel spreadsheet?”

Our Solution: Import or Create New Records With 1-Click

TableToSpreadsheet completely changes the game. Your users can insert new records spreadsheet-style, and even supports copy-pasting to and from Excel. This feature alone has quite literally saved our users hours of time doing data entry.

#2: Edit your Data with Ease

Knack’s Problem: Single-cell Edits

Editing and modifying bulk records on a table is every Knack user’s nightmare. From selecting a cell and waiting for the edit modal, to hitting submit and waiting for the cell to update, the process of editing and modifying records on a Knack table seems to only drive revenue for headache relief medications. But oh, how the tables have turned!

Our Solution: Excel-like Data Manipulation

TableToSpreadSheet offers capabilities on par with Excel itself. Dragging cell values, copy pasting, formulas, oh my! And in the event of a mistake when editing records, no longer will users need to go through Knack’s grueling UI to fix it. With a simple keypress of CTRL+Z or CTRL+Y, users can instantly undo or redo to their previous edits within their table.

Knack: TableToSpreadsheet

Convert a simple Knack table into a powerful Excel spreadsheet without leaving your browser.

#3: Fluid Record Navigation

Knack’s Problem: Slow Pagination

Click 1…2…3… Click 1…2…3… Gone are the days of slowly navigating page after page of your Knack table.

Our Solution: Smooth, Endless Scrolling

TableToSpreadsheet can load your entire data set at once without breaking a sweat. Once your data is there, you have access to our swift set of navigational tools to help you traverse your data. You can scroll through with ease, just like Excel.

#4: Improved Record Searching

Knack’s Problem: Inconsistent & Slow Search

Having access to a table’s records is one thing but having access to a table’s records at blazing speeds is another. Sure, Knack does an excellent job at housing records within tables, but it’s as if they are locked behind doors you need to knock on to search and access them.

Our Solution: Instant & Accurate Search

Because TableToSpreadsheet displays all your data at once, blazing speeds are accessible, and doors are non-existent.

Knack: TableToSpreadsheet

Convert a simple Knack table into a powerful Excel spreadsheet without leaving your browser.

#5: Intuitive Column Sorting

Knack’s Problem: Confusing & Slow Sorting

Another complaint that many of our users brought to our attention was sorting. Users reported instances of attempting to sort alphabetically only working outside of numerical characters, which defeats the purpose and causes confusion for tables containing auto-generated text fields housing both digits and characters.

Our Solution: True Alphabetical Sorting

With TableToSpreadsheet, however, that issue falls off the table. Sort to your hearts content, regardless of whatever may be within your cells!

#6: Customizable Layout

Knack’s Problem: No User-specific Customization

Your users each process information differently. A column may be a key component of one user’s workflow, but it could be cluttering the view for another user’s workflow. Unfortunately, Knack doesn’t offer any user-specific customization to solve this problem.

Our Solution: Drag-able & Hide-able Columns

We designed TableToSpreadsheet to give your users the control they deserve. Users can hide and re-arrange columns in their view, making way for the information that matters.

Final Thoughts: Knack table to an Online Spreadsheet

With all that said, we know how frustrating it can be when it feels like Knack’s table interface lacks essential features and slow’s down your user experience.

Our convenient TableToSpreadsheet Knack plugin converts any existing Knack table view into an excel-like spreadsheet with as little code as possible.

If you’re interested in purchasing a subscription to our TableToSpreadsheet Knack Plugin, you can purchase a license below or reach out to us at tech@digitaloperatingsolutions.com. Learn more about Low-Code Software Development, and how we use Knack to scale SMB’s.

If you’ve stayed this long, we appreciate your interest in our plugin. Happy building!

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About Austin Bradshaw

Austin is the Software Engineering Manager for DOS. He directs our software development team and develops processes to ensure the continuous delivery of software to our clients.

How to Convert Your Knack Table to an Online Spreadsheet