Extensions

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Guide

Remix from Github

Learn how to take an open-source extension and get it up and running in your base.

Warning: Installed extensions can access all the data in your base, including data in all tables as well as the names and emails of contributors. Be sure that you trust the source of this extension before installing it.

Getting set up

There are few prerequisites you’ll need in order to install an open source extension to your base.

If you already have these installed on your computer, you can skip these steps. Don’t worry if you’ve never seen these tools before - we’ll have everything you’ll need to know to get up and running in this guide.

  1. Install git. This is a common tool used to manage repositories of code. Follow the instructions here.
  2. Install npm. This is a popular tool for managing various Javascript software packages, which is how Airtable Extensions are built. Follow the instructions here.

Finding an open-source extension

First, you’ll want to make sure you have access to the code for the extension itself.

There are a number of example open-source extensions available our Examples page. You can also browse all open-source extensions on GitHub.

In any case, you’ll need the URL of the code repository on Github in order to install the extension to your base following these instructions.

Installing an extension from Github

Open the Extensions dashboard by clicking the “Extensions” button at the top-right of the screen. From there, click “Add an Extension,” and then “Build a custom extension.”

Airtable user creating custom extension from marketplace

Enter a name for this extension by typing in the “Extension name” field. This name can be anything you want - but we recommend just using whatever the developer of the Extension has named it.

In the “Start from an example” box, select the “Remix from Github” option. Then, add the URL to the Github repository of the extension in the “Github repository field.” Then click “Create extension.”

Naming a custom extension

Next, you’ll need to install the Blocks command-line tool - the tool that you’ll use to actually send the code for the extension to Airtable. If you've already installed the @airtable/blocks-cli, you can skip ahead. Otherwise, open your terminal and enter following command:

$ npm install -g @airtable/blocks-cli

This will download and install the Blocks CLI. When the command finishes running, click “Continue”.

Follow the instructions that come up on the next screen. If this is your first time using the Blocks CLI, you'll need to set-up your API key. Navigate to https://airtable.com/account and copy your API key to your clipboard, then set it using the CLI:

$ block set-api-key <YOUR_API_KEY>

Then, return to your base, and continue the steps shown on the screen by copying and pasting the commands into your terminal and pressing Enter to run them.

Initializing a block using command line

After running the block run command, click “Continue.”

Paste the URL that has been copied to your clipboard into the Block URL field, and click “Start editing extension.”

Running a block using command line

Now, you should see the extension that you have chosen running in the extensions panel in your Base. You can play around with the extension here, to make sure it does what you expect.

Currently, the extension is running from the code that is on your local computer. Next, we’ll actually deploy the extension to run natively inside of your Base on Airtable.

Releasing your extension

Return to your terminal, and type the following command and press Enter:

$ block release

This will build your extension and upload it to Airtable’s servers.

Now refresh the page in your browser. You’ll see that the extension is still there! It will now live in your base. Other collaborators in your base will now also be able to see this extension.