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Display Names

Display Fields​

Foreign keys in Plato are rendered as links to their target row. By default, the link displays the target row’s primary key. But the primary key doesn’t always provide the information you need. A row in a user table, for instance, may have a numeric primary keys such as “4”, but it’s much more helpful to see the user’s name, such as “John Smith”.

To customize how a row is presented inside of links, set the display field of the target table. The value of the display column will then be used to render the row not only inside of links but also anywhere the row must be presented as text in Plato, such as in dropdowns or error messages.

To set a display column:

  1. Right click on the column.
  2. Select “Set as Display Field”.

Display Names for Tables​

By default, the left-hand navbar displays database tables using the name provided by the database. These names, however, are often not very user friendly. To customize the name:

  1. Navigate to the table.
  2. In the query bar at the top of the page, click on the icon showing three vertical dots.
  3. Select "Properties".
  4. In the properties panel on the right-hand side of the page, edit the "Name" property to your desired name.