Records

tip

If you're seeking documentation for the Records API, you can find it by following the link to Records API.

In Collect, you have the capability to store meaningful data within Records. These Records consist of individual data pieces, each containing keys and their corresponding values (Properties).

How it works

Consider a Record as a row in a database, with each Property being like a column. Though the inner implementation may involve complex graph structures, at its core, a Record is just an object that holds simple keys and values. You can think of it as a "dictionary", "map", "hash table", or "associative array" depending on your programming language or context.

For example:

// Record:User
const user = {
    id: "si310jfpiej20i9h",
    name: "John Galt",
    emailConfirmed: true,
    registeredAt: "2022-07-19T08:30:28.000Z",
    rating: 4.98,
    currency: "USD",
    email: "john.galt@example.com"
}

It's just an object that holds some keys and values.

Or this one:

// Record:Coffee
const coffee = {
    origin: "Guatemala", 
    process: "washed", 
    cupping: 86, 
    inStock: true,
    roasted: "2023-07-20T14:50:00Z",
    notes: ["Nuts", "Caramel", "Lime"]
}

According to Data Types this Record contains an array of values and other available value types.

Complex data

In the realm of real-world data and a human-centric mindset, there may arise a need to store nested data within Records. In the context of Collect, this becomes a critical requirement in order to maintain simplicity and eliminate the layers of abstraction that exist between the raw data and our conceptual understanding of it.

This is precisely why we have engineered Collect to have the capability to contain Records within other Records. While each individual Record remains distinct and accessible on its own, you retain the flexibility to structure your data in a manner that aligns with your thought process. Read further in the Nesting section.