Each table in Coda has a single display column. This display column acts as a sort of shorthand for a row. When you reference a row in your doc - such as in @ mentions or relation columns - Coda will show only the information in the display column for that row, rather than the full contents of the row.

For example, if you had a table of tasks, you would want the display column to be the whichever column contains the unique names of those tasks. That way, if you link to a specific task within a doc, Coda would show that task's unique name instead of another column in the row, like the status of the task.

Identify the current display column

One way to identify the current display column for a table is to look for the bookmark icon next to the column name at the top of the table. Unless the display column has been hidden from view, you should see one column has a small bookmark icon next to its title in the column header. This is the display column.

If you don’t see any columns with a bookmark icon in the header, it’s possible the column is hidden. To check, hover over the table, select Columns, and search for the bookmark icon in the full list of columns.

Change the display column

To change the display column for a table, simply follow these steps:

Find the column you want to make the display column, and right-click on the header
Select Set as display column from the options

That’s it! You’ve now changed the display column for the table. Everyone in the doc will also be able to see the change.

ℹ️ Note that changing the display column will change it for all connected views. There isn’t currently any way to have different display columns for different views of the same table.

FAQs

Where is the display column used in my doc?

You'll see the display column in a few places in your Coda doc. If you link to a row in the canvas of your doc (via @ mention), you'll see the display column as the text.

And, if you are pulling data into a column using the relation column format - or linked relations - you'll see the display column as the value.

Can I set different display columns for different views of the same table?

No - it isn’t currently possible to set different display columns for different views of the same base table. Changing the display column for a table will change it for all connected views (and for all viewers).