In this blog article, I want to share a productivity hack that can save you time when you need to display a single line of text on multiple rows. Typically, a single line of text field/column cannot be changed directly to a multiple-line text field, which would allow formatting across multiple rows.

The Challenge: Let’s say you have a single line of text field called “Internal Remarks ” added to the Account form. If you want this field to display content on multiple rows, the standard single-line text field type doesn’t support this by default. However, there is a trick you can use to achieve this without needing to create a new field of type Multiple Lines of Text.

The Solution: To display multiple rows for a single line of text field, follow these steps:

1. Change the Format:
   Open the field in the Edit Table Column settings and change the format to Text Area. Then, add the Rich Text Editor Control as a component.
2. Adjust the Field Height:
   After adding the control, you will see the option to adjust the “Form field height” to display multiple rows. In my example, I chose 5 rows.
3. Save, Publish, and Review:
   Save your changes, then publish them (a very important step). If the Rich Text Editor isn’t visible, open the form in your app, right-click, and select Inspect. Right-click on the refresh button, choose Empty Cache and Hard Reload, and ensure your customization is published correctly.
4. Remove the Rich Text Editor Control:
   Once you’ve confirmed that the formatting works as intended, you can safely remove the Rich Text Editor Control component by selecting the three dots and clicking Delete.

Additional Tip:
It’s a good idea to increase the “Maximum character count” for the field beyond the default of 100 characters. Single line text fields support up to 4,000 characters. In my case, I found 500 characters sufficient for my needs.

End Result:
After saving, publishing, and refreshing your app, you’ll see that your single-line text field now supports multiple lines of formatting, allowing for a more readable display of longer text entries.

For a step-by-step walkthrough and more in-depth details, check out the video below!

Conclusion: By following these steps, you can effectively transform a single line of text field into a multi-line display without altering the field type. This approach provides a quick solution for viewing longer text entries in a more readable format

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