Appendix D: APIs and International Use of Quickbase
Don't forget to check out our JSON RESTful APIs, they can help you utilize and extend Quickbase with ease.
There are several Quickbase settings used to support the needs of our customers around the world: currency symbols, their placement relative to a number, number formats (including digit grouping, thousands separator, and decimal separator), and date formats. For more information on the use of these settings, see:
Numeric and Numeric-Currency fields
API_AddRecord and API_EditRecord
API_AddRecord and API_EditRecord allow entering and editing Numeric field data in a format consistent with the field properties. Number formatting included with data in these API calls is ignored, similar to API_ImportFromCSV.
API_CloneDatabase
API_CloneDatabase preserves the number formats, currency symbols, and currency symbol placements at both the app and field level.
API_GetRecordInfo
API_GetRecordInfo includes the numeric value formatted according to the field's properties (in the printable element) and the raw numeric value, formatted as 12345678.00 (in the value element). As always, the printable element is not returned if it is the same as the value element.
API_GetSchema and API_DoQuery
API_GetSchema's and API_DoQuery's &fmt=structured parameter return the currency symbol, symbol placement, and number format field properties for Numeric fields.
Quickbase supports the following six number formats, which are combinations of digit grouping (2 or 3), thousands separator (, or .), and decimal separator (, or .). The value representing the current number format is returned in the numberfmt element. Values are:
| Value | Decimal symbol and number separator |
|---|---|
| 0 | 12345678.00 |
| 3 | 12,345,678.00 |
| 6 | 12.345.678,00 |
| 7 | 12345678,00 |
| 8 | 1,23,45,678.00 |
| 10 | 1.23.45.678,00 |
The number representing the currency symbol placement is returned in the currency_format element. Values are:
| Value | Currency symbol placement |
|---|---|
| 0 | before the number ($-1.00) |
| 1 | between the "-" and the number (-$1.00, default) |
| 2 | after the number (-1.00$) |
API_DoQuery with filter criteria allows the user to search for numeric values with currency symbols and numeric separators as defined by field properties, as well as for unformatted numeric values (no format except decimal separator as defined by the field property). Numeric values are returned formatted as 12345678.00.
HTML-generating APIs
API_GenAddRecordForm, API_GenResultsTable, and API_GetRecordAsHTML allow the user to enter and display numeric data formatted in a fashion consistent with the field properties.
API_ImportFromCSV
API_ImportFromCSV supports round-trip of numeric data. When exporting a CSV file, Quickbase formats Numeric fields according to their field properties. When importing a CSV file, Quickbase uses the properties of the Numeric fields being imported into and ignores number formatting included in the CSV file.
Note: When importing a CSV file to create a table or app, this behavior means that Quickbase uses the default properties for Numeric fields (account-level when creating an app, app-level when creating a table).
API_SetFieldProperties
API_SetFieldProperties can set all currency symbols and number formats we support (see values above). Currency symbols should be XML-encoded.
Date Fields
API_AddRecord and API_EditRecord
API_AddRecord and API_EditRecord allow entering and editing dates in a format consistent with the app property. For example, if the default date format for the app is YYYY-MM-DD then the user should be able to enter a date value with this formatting using these APIs.
API_CloneDatabase
API_CloneDatabase preserves the date formats at the app level.
API_GetRecordInfo
API_GetRecordInfo includes the date's value formatted according the app property (in the printable element) and the raw date value formatted in milliseconds since January 1st 1970 00:00:00, UTC (in the value element). As always, the printable element is not returned if it is the same as the value element.
API_GetSchema and API_DoQuery
API_GetSchema now returns the app’s current date format using the date_format element:
<date_format>YYYY-MM-DD</date_format>
API_DoQuery with filter criteria allows the user to search for formatted date values, so long as those values are formatted consistent with the app property. Dates are returned in milliseconds since January 1st 1970 00:00:00, UTC.
HTML-generating APIs
API_GenAddRecordForm, API_GenResultsTable, and API_GetRecordAsHTML allow the user to enter and edit date values formatted in a fashion consistent with the app property.
API_ImportFromCSV
API_ImportFromCSV supports round-trip of dates. When exporting a CSV file, Quickbase formats Date fields according to the app property. When importing a CSV file, Quickbase formats dates according to the app property.
Note: When importing a CSV file to create an app, this behavior means that Quickbase uses MM-DD-YYYY format by default, unless a different default date format has been specified at the account level.
