Cross-doc allows you to easily pull in tables from other Coda docs so that you can annotate, review, or reference them as needed. If you find yourself needing to use the same data in multiple documents and don't want to go through the hassle of manually copying and pasting it every time there is an update, Cross-doc provides a convenient solution. This article will cover the basics of setting up and configuring your Cross-doc sync table.

Within this article, you'll find...

• What is Cross-doc?

• Install the Cross-doc Pack

• Create your Cross-doc sync table

• Manage your sync table

• FAQs

What is Cross-doc?

Cross-doc creates a connection between two docs so data can be copied from the source to a secondary doc.

Think of the two tables as separate from each other, each living in their own doc, and Cross-doc as the connection that lets you pull data over from one to the other.

Cross-doc is best used when one doc sends data to many other docs. Some of our favorite ways to use Cross-doc are:

• Pulling a product team roadmap into multiple project trackers

• Pulling in customer data from a CRM into your own personal note-taking Coda doc

• Distributing feedback for each of your direct reports from a base feedback doc

• Pulling a company roster into several different docs across the organization.

Install the Cross-doc Pack

The first time you use Cross-doc in a doc, you'll need to install it as a Pack:

1. Click Insert in the upper right-hand corner of your doc.

2. Select Packs

3. Search for Cross-doc in the Packs side panel, or select it from the list.

4. Click Add to doc for free

Create your sync table

Now that you've installed the Cross-doc Pack, it's time to actually create your sync table. Just follow these steps:

1. Start by accessing Cross-doc in your doc. You can do this one of two ways:

   1. Click on the Insert button in the upper right, then enter “cross-doc” into the search bar. Select Cross-doc (under the Installed Packs section) from the results.

   2. Simply type /cross-doc into a blank line on the canvas of your doc. Select Cross-doc from the options to open the Cross-doc panel on the right side of your doc.

2. You’ll now see a list of docs you have access to. You can scroll through the options or use the search bar. Click on the source doc that holds the table you’d like to pull into your sync doc.

3. A list of all tables in that source doc will appear. Select the source table in your source doc that you'd like to pull into your sync doc.

   1. Note that you will only see base tables here - you will not see any filtered views. You will have a chance to add filters or select a filtered version of the base table in the next step.

4. Drag and drop the source table into the desired location in your sync doc where you'd like it to appear.

5. A window will open where you can choose whether you’d like to filter out any rows, hide or unhide any source columns, or even choose an existing filtered view from the source doc.

   1. To filter out certain rows from the source table, click on Add filter. Then create your filters as needed. More on this in the section below.

   2. To choose an existing filtered view from the source doc, click on Advanced in the lower right corner, then select the filtered view from the dropdown list of options. More on this in the section below.

   3. To exclude any columns from the source table from your sync, click on the Columns tab, then hide (or unhide) columns from the list as needed - by clicking on the eye icon. More on managing columns in the section below.

6. Once you’re done adding filters (or if you just want to add the table to your doc as-is), click Add to doc.

That’s it! You have now added a sync table to your doc. You can now customize your sync settings, add or remove source columns, and manage filters as needed. Check out the following sections to learn more.

Manage your sync table

Use this section to learn how to filter your sync table, change which columns are included in the sync, and adjust any additional settings.

Filter your Cross-doc sync

This section will explain how to add sync filters to your Cross-doc sync. These sync filters are applied at the moment of syncing. This means they will stop certain source rows from ever being brought into your sync doc, thus keeping your Cross-doc sync more lightweight.

To begin adding sync filters, follow these steps:

1. Click on the down arrow (v) next to Refresh, then select Settings from the options

2. Scroll down and click on Change what syncs

Note that those with edit access to the source doc will be able to manage these sync filters and columns.

From here, you can filter in one of two ways:

1. Add filters manually: Click the Add filter button to start adding your own filter rules, using either the filter builder or the filter formula. Check out this article if you need a refresher on filtering.

2. Select an existing filtered view from the source doc: If there is already a view in the source doc that is filtered in the necessary way, this is a quick option for filtering your Cross-doc sync. To do so, click on Advanced in the lower right corner, then select the view from the dropdown list of options.

   1. Note that certain filters on a source view may or may not apply to your sync table. Additionally, any changes to the source view will affect your sync table. See the highlighted note below for more info.

Whichever filtering method you choose, be sure to click Apply changes to save the changes. It will then take a few moments for the changes to become visible in your sync table.

Choose columns to include

By default, all visible columns from your source table or view are synced into your Cross-doc sync table. But if your source table is a base table, you have the option to modify this, so you can choose to only sync in the columns you need - and none of the columns you don’t.

To change which columns from the source table are included in your sync table, follow these steps:

1. Click on the down arrow (v) next to Refresh, then select Settings from the options

2. Scroll down and click on Change what syncs

3. On the right-hand side, click on the Columns tab

4. You’ll see a list of all columns from the source table, categorized into Included and Not included sections. Use the checkboxes to make any changes.

5. Once done, be sure to click Apply changes.

Don’t forget that you can also hide or unhide columns in your sync table as needed. The hidden columns will still be synced into your doc, but just won’t be directly visible in the sync table.

Choose whether to include subitems

By default, if subitems are enabled in your source table or view, they will be included in your Cross-doc sync table. However, you can change this if needed.

When you first create your sync table, you will see a toggle labeled Include subitems, which you can toggle on or off before you add the table to your doc. After the initial sync, you can retroactively adjust this setting by following these steps:

1. Click on the down arrow (v) next to Refresh, then select Settings from the options

2. Scroll down and click on Change what syncs.

3. In the bottom right corner, toggle Include subitems on or off as needed. Note that if you’ve selected a specific view under Advanced, it will inherit the setting from the view selected.

4. Once done, be sure to click Apply changes.

Once synced, subitems can still be hidden on a per-view basis from the Table display menu.

A note about filtering and subitems: If a synced subitem includes the value selected in the filter but the parent item does not, the parent will still be synced to the Cross-doc sync table. The parent item will be slightly faded (aka a “ghost row”) to reflect it does not contain the value selected in the filter.

Adjust additional sync table settings

Now that your sync table is set up, you can adjust your table's sync settings.

1. In the upper right-hand corner of your table, click on the down arrow next to the Refresh button and select Settings from the menu.

2. Under the Sync tab, choose how or when the sync will be refreshed. You can choose from Manually, Daily (automatic), or Hourly (automatic).

3. Next, click into the Advanced tab.

4. In the first dropdown, select the number of rows you would like to sync in from the source table.

5. If you want newly added columns in your source table to be automatically synced into your sync table, toggle on the Add newly found columns setting.

6. If you want to keep rows in your sync table, even if they get filtered out of your source table, toggle on the Keep un-synced rows toggle.

7. To do an immediate sync, click Refresh.

That's it! Your Cross-doc sync table is now set up and ready to use. At this point, the table is a one-way sync of data from your source doc to your sync doc. But you also have the option to enable two-way sync. This will allow you to make edits to your source data via your sync table, thus keeping your data in sync across docs. Check out this article to learn all about two-way sync for Cross-doc.

FAQs

Can I sync in a view rather than a base table?

Maybe you have a filtered view in your source doc that already has all exactly the data you need - and none that you don't. Instead of syncing in the base table and then recreating those filters in your Cross-doc sync, you can choose to just sync in that specific filtered view.

Start by choosing the base table from the list of available tables to sync. When you reach the setup window, before you click Add to doc, find the Advanced section in the bottom-right corner. Here, you can click into the dropdown and choose from the existing views of this table. Once you've selected the view, click Add to doc to complete.

When I hover over a relation column in my Cross-doc sync table, I see a prompt to "Sync source table." What does this mean, and what do I need to do?

In normal table, when you hover over a relation column, you will see a pop-up showing all of the information for that referenced row. When you Cross-doc this table into another doc, the new doc does not necessarily have access to the table that is referenced in the relation column. Therefore, you will not automatically see that row information when you hover over a relation column in a Cross-doc sync table.

 

Instead, you will see a prompt to Sync source table. If you would like to access more information from the relation column, such as other columns from the linked table, then click the prompt. A new Cross-doc sync of that linked table will be added to your doc. Otherwise, you can ignore the prompt.

Related resources

• Enable two-way sync for Cross-doc

• Cross-doc actions

• Troubleshoot Packs in your doc

• Sync guide: Sync everything into Coda, and back out again.