SSpecLatch
ContentsGive fields units and write your first formula

Give fields units and write your first formula

Give a number field a unit, add a Calculated field, write a formula that checks units, and see the result in both systems.

TopicUnits & formulas
TypeHow-to
WhoAdminEngineering
PlanEvery plan
Time10 min
Verified11 Nov 2026

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Before you start

  • You need the Admin role, or Engineering with Confidential visibility: they add and change fields.
  • You need a table. See Create a table. A few records with values make the preview useful.
  • The example is a vertical sump pump table. Setting depth is entered in inches, and Minimum pit depth adds 6 in of clearance under it.

Steps

  1. Open Fields under Data model in the sidebar, and pick your table in the Tables list.

  2. Click Add field, then the Number tile. Type the name Setting depth. The dialog's footer shows the key formulas use, setting_depth.

  3. Under Unit, pick in in the Length group. The line below shows a sample in both systems, 1 in · 25.4 mm, and Change picks other display units. Click Create field.

    The new Number field form with its Unit set to inches and a sample line showing the value in inches and millimeters.
    Pick the unit you enter values in; the sample line shows both systems.

  4. Click Add field again and pick the Calculated tile. Name it Minimum pit depth.

  5. In Formula, type sett and pick Setting depth from the list; its key goes into the formula. Finish it as setting_depth + qty(6, "in"). The Insert menu lists your fields, your functions, reference tables and math functions.

  6. Read the line under the editor. Here it says Returns Length · stored in, followed by a unit; pick in if it shows another. A red message instead means the formula mixes kinds of value, and it says how to fix it.

    The Calculated field form with the pit depth formula, the line saying it returns a length stored in inches, and a preview table of results on real records.
    The checker says what the formula returns; the preview shows it on real records.

  7. Click Preview on real records to check a few results, then Create field.

What happens after

SpecLatch computes the new field for every record in the table, and recomputes it when Setting depth changes. A pump with a 36 in setting depth shows 42 in, with a small ƒ beside it. Spec sheets print it as 42 in (1,067 mm). New fields start as Internal; the next article shows how to choose who sees them.

Related

ConceptUnits & formulas
How-toCreate a table and its fields
How-toImport a spreadsheet