Formulas

This page covers running a formula without saving it, and creating formula fields. Every method here is also on the async client, where you await it.

Running a formula

run_formula() runs a formula against a table without saving anything. Pass record_id if the formula uses fields, and leave it out if it doesn't. It works on a read-only client.

from pyquickbase import Quickbase

with Quickbase(realm="acme", token="your_user_token") as qb:
    tasks = qb.app("bq1234567").table("Tasks")

    result = tasks.run_formula("[Amount] > 1", record_id=7)
    print(result.value)  # True
    print(result.text)  # 1
    print(result.type)  # bool

    print(tasks.run_formula("Today()").text)

The other examples on this page use tasks, a table from a client made in the same way.

Quickbase always returns the result as a string, so "0" would count as true in Python. Use result.value unless you need the original text.

type	value
bool	True or False, or None if empty
number	A Decimal, or None if empty
text	The string
null	None
date, date/time, timeofday, duration, textlist, user, and anything else	The display text, unchanged

• Dates and timestamps stay as text, because they use the app's display format, and timestamps have no time zone: 2026-03-04T05:06:07Z can come back as 03-03-2026 09:06 PM. To get real dates, create a formula field and read it with query(), which returns date and datetime objects.
• Numbers are rounded for display, so 1/3 returns 0.3333333. A formula field keeps its full precision when you query it.
• Today() follows Quickbase's date, not your computer's, which can differ near midnight.

Don't run formula text you don't control

A formula can read other tables with GetRecord() and GetRecords(), whichever table you run it on, and can return the realm and the token owner's email. Treat formula text from users or other systems like code. A client with a policy refuses formulas, unless it's Policy.read_only().

It can't read a table in another app, even with a token that can reach both, or a table the token's role has no access to. That isn't an error: the result is empty, as it is for a table that doesn't exist, so an empty result doesn't mean there's no data.

Formula fields

Pass formula to create_field(). The field's type must match what the formula returns.

total = tasks.create_field("Total", "numeric", formula="[Amount] * 2")
print(total.mode, total.formula)

tasks.update_field("Total", formula="[Amount] * 3")
tasks.ensure_field("Total", "numeric", formula="[Amount] * 3")  # Changes nothing if it matches

Quickbase checks a field's formula when you save it, and values change straight away. Renaming a field updates the formulas that use it.

Which types take a formula

Field type	With a formula
text, numeric, currency, percent, rating, date, checkbox, duration, timeofday, url, email, phone, user, multitext, rich-text	Works
datetime	Works, and the field then reports its type as timestamp
timestamp	Refused. Create the field as datetime instead
text-multi-line and multiuser	Refused

tasks.create_field("Checked", "datetime", formula="Now()")
tasks.create_field("Next Day", "date", formula="[Due] + Days(1)")

When something is refused

What happened	Exception	What's left behind
A blank formula, to run or to save	InvalidValueError	Nothing was sent. Quickbase would otherwise empty a field's values
A syntax error, unknown field or function, wrong result type, or 1/0	BadRequestError, with Quickbase's explanation	Nothing was run, and a field keeps its old formula
A formula that uses fields, run without record_id	BadRequestError	Nothing was run
A record_id that doesn't exist	NotFoundError	Nothing was run
A formula on a plain field, or on a type that doesn't take one	BadRequestError	The field is unchanged
A formula using a field the role can't see	PermissionDeniedError	Nothing was run
A client with a policy other than Policy.read_only()	PolicyRefusedError	Nothing was sent
Writing to a formula field	WriteError, as a row error	The other rows were written

Quickbase's formula error messages can include HTML, such as a javascript: link, so escape them before showing them in a web page.