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What edit mode is

Edit mode is when a Filla form loads an existing Airtable record instead of starting blank. When the respondent submits, the existing record is updated rather than a new one being created. This turns a form into a record update tool. It is useful for letting customers update their own data, having team members fill in missing information, or letting people correct a previous submission.

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How edit mode is activated

Edit mode is activated by including a record ID in the form URL: 
https://app.filla.io/forms/{formId}/{recordId}
  • {formId}: the unique identifier for your form
  • {recordId}: the Airtable record ID (starts with rec, e.g., recAbc123Xyz)
When Filla sees a record ID in the URL, it fetches that record from Airtable and pre-fills every form field with the current values.

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What respondents see

When a respondent opens an edit link:
  • Every field on the form is pre-populated with the current record values
  • The respondent can change any editable field
  • Required fields are still required. If the record has an empty required field, the respondent must fill it in before submitting.
  • On submission, only the fields that are on the form are updated. Other fields in the record are untouched.

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Protecting fields in edit mode

You can use Conditional read-only to lock fields that shouldn’t be changed after a record reaches a certain state. For example, lock a “Submitted date” field once the status is set to “Approved.” You can also set fields to Read-only (always) to display their current values without allowing edits.

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Login pages and edit mode

A Login page provides a user-friendly way to activate edit mode without sharing individual record links. The respondent enters a value (like their email or order number), Filla finds the matching record, and the form loads in edit mode. See Sharing edit links for how to generate and share individual record edit links.

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Submission behavior

On submit in edit mode:
  1. Filla validates all visible, non-read-only fields
  2. The existing Airtable record is updated with the new field values
  3. On-submit automations run (the same ones that run for new submissions)
  4. The thank you page is shown (or the configured redirect runs)
The submission appears in the Responses tab with an Update badge to distinguish it from new submissions.

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Common questions

It updates the existing record. The record’s ID and creation time are preserved. Only the fields on the form are changed.
The form shows an error and does not load. The respondent cannot submit.
No. A single form URL either creates a record (no record ID) or edits an existing one (with a record ID). They are the same form but behave differently based on the URL.
Yes. All configured automations run after an edit-mode submission, the same as for new submissions.