# Show multiple buttons in a cell w/ lookup? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ask the Community\ **Created:** [May 23, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211 "2019-05-23T14:23:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/1 "2019-05-23T14:23:39Z")
I’m building a time tracker doc. I have two tables: activities and categories, many-to-one. Each activity has a button that adds itself to a log. I want to display categories table in such way that for each category, a list of inline buttons for respective activities is drawn. The straightforward solution doesn’t work — `⚡ Action` is displayed instead of a button. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/2X/8/82680d380f8860660dfaecdc3d796a348c26badc.png) Maybe anyone from Coda knows if this can be done somehow else? Some `_PrivateMethod()` maybe? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_B](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/joseph_b/32/6636_2.png) [@Joseph\_B](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Joseph_B)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 3:01pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/2 "2019-05-23T15:01:49Z")
Hello. I don’t have a precise solution, but one possible band-aid may be to use grouping: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/2X/7/7117cc262b18797bb9dd9a5ca6500d259e8887f7.png) To achieve this, I created a view of the Activities table, then chose group along the left for the Group column. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/2X/0/02aa20d19f55bc586008de2bdd259471f66ee7fc.png) Again, not quite what you are looking to achieve. I am interested to see if there is a way to use buttons like how you are describing. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/3 "2019-05-23T15:09:45Z")
Yeah, thanks for the answer, but grouping doesn’t work like I want. I specifically would like inline buttons. Or, at least, anything that would be vertically compact enough. It’s mostly a UX challenge. If I had a fixed number of categories, I could organize it into a layout with nested tables like this. But I really hate to see those unnecessary scrollbars there 😟 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/2X/5/5b923e0283d090ff238e6c306bd1da807700957b.png) ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_B](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/joseph_b/32/6636_2.png) [@Joseph\_B](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Joseph_B)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/4 "2019-05-23T15:34:51Z")
I hear you. Does this get any closer: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/2X/e/e5c375f81b6158a80eabf2966ef2995eee8fb457.png) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 3:38pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/5 "2019-05-23T15:38:54Z")
Oh, yeah! Thanks a lot! Totally forgot about grouping in the top. Now I’m only wondering if it’s possible to color buttons differently… P.P.S. I see what you did there :coda: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_B](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/joseph_b/32/6636_2.png) [@Joseph\_B](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Joseph_B)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/6 "2019-05-23T16:10:22Z")
Using conditional formatting, I could change the color of the text within the button, but not the color within the button. And you got me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/7 "2019-05-23T18:06:20Z")
Close enough, and in line with the modern trend to make everything white 🙂 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/2X/7/71d5af699feeb94f75016fdb7c22f1e6745c8d04.png) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/8 "2019-05-23T18:10:42Z")
P.S. I’ll unselect the reply. Even though you suggested me an alternative solution to my problem, the original question is still not resolved. Maybe someone from Coda will answer it. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_B](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/joseph_b/32/6636_2.png) [@Joseph\_B](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Joseph_B)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/9 "2019-05-23T19:46:29Z")
I totally understand that. I’m interested in the future of buttons and how dynamic they can be. Using the experimental Button() function signals some of what we may get down the road. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/10 "2019-05-23T20:09:23Z")
Interesting, didn’t see the Button function before. I didn’t manage to get it working though 😕 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/original/2X/0/07b88b9ba1682834b3c1ea5825d6455ee5762ff3.png) ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_B](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/joseph_b/32/6636_2.png) [@Joseph\_B](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Joseph_B)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 8:25pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/11 "2019-05-23T20:25:41Z")
Yeah, I came across it by accident. Last I asked Coda, it was still very experimental. ---
**Author:** ![Krunal\_Sheth](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/krunal_sheth/32/5936_2.png) [@Krunal\_Sheth](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Krunal_Sheth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/12 "2019-05-23T20:46:49Z")
here’s an alternate solution - Ux probably isnt exactly how you want - but structure seems right to me https://coda.io/embed/kh76uSIhak/_suQ7P?viewMode=embedplay Also, I would advice against ‘Experimental’/‘Labs’ formulas - could change anytime and will break your document. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Danyliuk](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/coda1/user_avatar/connect.superhuman.com/paul_danyliuk/32/27228_2.png) [@Paul\_Danyliuk](https://connect.superhuman.com/u/Paul_Danyliuk)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2019, 9:52am UTC](https://connect.superhuman.com/t/show-multiple-buttons-in-a-cell-w-lookup/8211/13 "2019-05-24T09:52:44Z")
Thanks for the reply. You’re right, UX-wise it’s the opposite of what I want: for all options to be immediately visible, in the most compact possible form, and preferably with some color distinction between categories. I already did it with top-grouped table view, see post #7