# Group multiple columns

**URL:** <https://connect.superhuman.com/t/group-multiple-columns/33438>\
**Category:** Ask the Community\
**Created:** [August 30, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/group-multiple-columns/33438 "2022-08-30T20:55:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Yannik\_Catalinac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/838e76/32.png) [@Yannik\_Catalinac](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Yannik_Catalinac)\
**Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/group-multiple-columns/33438/1 "2022-08-30T20:55:04Z")

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Hi there,

I have a table “DB Tasks” with a column “Task” and a column “Task Done?” (which is a checkbox). On another table which is called “DB Sub-Tasks” I have a column “Sub-Task” and a column “Sub-Task Done?” (also checkbox).

I created another table which serves as my overall view of all tasks and sub-tasks. I created a look-up to the all columns of the above mentioned tables with the tasks and sub-tasks. It looks like this:

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/3X/f/5/f50270e5df01923540b42afa36d35e676764ff25.png)

After that I grouped the column “Task”:

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/3X/1/7/1788f0fc90dd5f6a5a8529567244606d99de4038.png)

Now I have a question: can I group the “Task Done?” column together with the “Task” column, so that there is only one checkbox per Task? More general, is it possible to group multiple columns together?

If it’s not possible, how would you solve this problem instead?

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**Author:** ![Jasmine\_B](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/jasmine_b/32/26214_2.png) [@Jasmine\_B](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Jasmine_B)\
**Post date:** [September 1, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/group-multiple-columns/33438/2 "2022-09-01T20:48:55Z")

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Hey, thanks for reaching out to the community!  
We don’t have a way of combining groups like how you described, but for your particular use-case I wonder if we can achieve this with some rethinking of your doc structure. It sounds like right now you have separate tables for tasks and sub-tasks, and then use a lookup on another table to make a “master table” of tasks and sub-tasks. What if you flipped that logic, so you have one big master table, that contains all tasks and sub-tasks, then create views of that?  
I think that’d get your end result looking more like how you want. If you need any help with that, let me know and we can dig in further 😁

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**Author:** ![Yannik\_Catalinac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/838e76/32.png) [@Yannik\_Catalinac](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Yannik_Catalinac)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2022, 8:01am UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/group-multiple-columns/33438/3 "2022-09-05T08:01:42Z")

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> [@Jasmine\_B](#):
>
> What if you flipped that logic, so you have one big master table, that contains all tasks and sub-tasks, then create views of that?

Thanks, this came also in my mind as I realized that tasks, sub-tasks and checkboxes are all related and it doesn’t really makes sense to split them up. I’m new to Coda and learned from some experienced users and from the Coda help, that splitting up larger tables in multiple small databases is a common practice. But in my case I think it’s counterproductive. I will try it with one big tasks table.

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**Author:** ![Jake\_Nguyen](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/jake_nguyen/32/32176_2.png) [@Jake\_Nguyen](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Jake_Nguyen)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/group-multiple-columns/33438/4 "2022-09-06T15:26:17Z")

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Hi Yannik,

Here’s a hack. Coda grouping is by textvalue. Anyone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong

Say you have 2 rows (these are to be considered 2 unique objects with different UID) and they are both named “Task A”. When you group them, they become the same grouping “Group A”. Multiple rows to one grouping yes.

You can take advantage of this by creating a formula for naming your groups  
I would do

```auto
Task + " | " + If(Done?, "Complete", "In Progress")

```

You will end up with 2 groups called “Task 1 | Complete” and “Task 1 | In Progress”

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**Author:** ![system](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/system/32/24484_2.png) [@system](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/group-multiple-columns/33438/5 "2022-12-05T15:26:59Z")

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Closed on December 5, 2022, 3:26pm UTC

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