Data Editor: "Find Uses" Feature Has Significant Coverage Gaps #85
Description
The "Find Uses" feature for columns in the Data Editor fails to detect several real-world usage patterns, creating a false sense of safety when deleting or renaming columns.
Summary
The "Find Uses" column utility in the Data Editor is intended to help builders understand where a column is referenced before making changes. However, the feature has meaningful blind spots that cause it to return incomplete results. Builders who rely on "Find Uses" to safely audit column dependencies risk breaking their apps by acting on misleading "no uses found" results. At minimum, these limitations should be clearly disclosed in the builder UI and documentation.
Current Problem
- Generate CSV action is not scanned — columns referenced in CSV exports are not surfaced.
- Hidden layout tabs are excluded — components and actions on tabs that are not currently visible are not included in the scan.
- API usage is not detected — if a column is being read from or written to via the Glide API, "Find Uses" will not reflect this.
- Cross-app table connections are not considered — if the same table is connected to another Glide app, column usage in that app is invisible to the scan.
- There is no in-product disclosure of these limitations, leaving builders unaware that the results may be incomplete.
Examples/Scenarios
- A builder runs "Find Uses" on a column used only in a Generate CSV action. The results show no uses. They delete the column, breaking their data export workflow.
- A builder has several layout tabs — some hidden during development. "Find Uses" only catches references on visible tabs, missing components on hidden ones.
- An app exposes a table via the Glide API; a third-party integration reads that column by name. "Find Uses" shows no results, and the builder renames the column, silently breaking the integration.
- A table is shared across two apps. The builder audits usage from App A, sees no references on a column actively used in App B, and deletes it.
Why This Matters
- Data loss and breakage risk: Builders acting in good faith on incomplete "Find Uses" results can unintentionally break actions, integrations, and cross-app functionality.
- Erodes trust in tooling: A safety feature that returns false negatives creates misplaced confidence.
- Enterprise and API use cases are most exposed: Power users and developers who rely on the API or multi-app architectures are disproportionately affected, precisely the segment Glide is targeting for growth.
- Low-effort mitigation is available: Even without fixing all gaps immediately, adding a disclosure warning would meaningfully reduce harm.
Suggested UX
- Disclose limitations in the builder UI
- When "Find Uses" results are displayed, include a contextual callout such as:
"Results may not include hidden layout tabs, Generate CSV actions, API usage or cross-app references (columns used in multiple apps)."
- Link to a help article documenting known limitations.
- When "Find Uses" results are displayed, include a contextual callout such as:
- Update documentation
- Add a dedicated section to the "Find Uses" help article (help.glideapps.com) listing known gaps explicitly.