When adding a new column in Glide while using third-party data sources such as Airtable, Google Sheets, or Excel, you may notice that the "User-Specific" setting is automatically enabled and cannot be unchecked. This behavior is intentional and occurs due to the way these external data sources interact with Glide’s API.

Glide integrates with external data sources through APIs, and these platforms have certain limitations when handling data updates from third-party applications. Unlike Glide Tables, which offer native support for storing per-user data without restrictions, Google Sheets, Airtable, and Excel do not natively support row-level user-specific data storage. As a workaround, Glide automatically applies the user-specific setting to ensure each user sees and interacts with their own version of the data without affecting others.

If you want to create a standard (non-user-specific) column, you must first add the column directly in your data source (Google Sheets, Airtable, or Excel). Once you have created the column on the external platform, it will appear as a non-user-specific column when viewed in Glide’s data editor.

If you need an image column, you do not necessarily need a specific image-type column. Since Glide stores uploaded images as URLs, you can simply use a text column to store these image links. When you upload an image in Glide, it will be converted into a URL and saved in the text column, allowing it to function as an image column.

The automatic addition of user-specific columns in third-party data sources is a necessary adaptation due to API limitations. If you require a shared (non-user-specific) column, always create it first on the external platform before syncing it with Glide. For images, use a text column to store the image URLs.

By understanding how Glide interacts with external databases, you can better manage your app’s data structure and ensure the best user experience!