Understanding databases

Before creating a database, it’s best to understand the various terminology that Bubble uses to describe the different elements in the editor.

Types

(REWORD) Types are a category of data that defines a group of things with similar properties. Types can be considered the equivalent of tables in a traditional database, and each Type has its own set of Fields that define the properties or attributes of the Things within that Type.

Fields

(REWORD) Fields are a property or attribute of a Thing within a Type. Fields define the data structure and store information about the Things within a Type. They can be of various types, such as text, number, date, boolean, etc.

When creating and adding a new Field to a Type, Bubble gives you the following Fields to choose from:

• Text - This represents a string of text or a chain of characters.
• Number - This represents a number with or without decimals.
• Date - This is used to represent a specific date or time.
• Yes / No - This represents a value of either yes or no.
• File - This is used to represent a file.
• Image - This is used to represent an image.
• Geographic Address - This is used to represent an address.

How you use fields will impact how data can be used and how users can also use your app, so don’t forget to consider how they will function before creating a new property.

Things

Things are an instance of a Type. For example, if you create a type called “Books”, each book would be classed as a thing within that type. To summarise, things are the data you will store and manipulate throughout your application.

Default fields

Every time you create a new type, Bubble automatically creates the following fields:

• Creator - This represents the creator of the thing (You can declare the creator of a thing using workflows).
• Modified Date - This represents the date the thing was last changed.
• Created Date - This represents the date the thing was first created.
• Slug - This represents the end part of this thing's URL.
• Email - This represents the current user's email (This field is only created for the User Type).

These fields are incredibly useful for organising your database, and they come in handy when setting up SEO for your app.

Default Values

Bubble also lets you define and set default values for custom fields. This value will automatically be set whenever a new thing is created. You can overwrite this value when creating a new thing or changing a thing with a workflow.

User Type

When you first create a new Bubble app, there will already be a type for

Combining Types

API Data

Summary