{id} not being replaced in External Collection UPDATE (Supabase REST)

[bttrszn]

I’m really having a hard time and experiencing an issue with an External Collection connected to Supabase, where the {id} placeholder doesn’t seem to be substituted when performing an UPDATE.

Setup:

• External Collection: Macro Inputs (External)

• Backend: Supabase REST API

• Table: macro_inputs with primary key id (bigint)

• Endpoints:

  • GET ALL:
    GET https://<project>.supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?select=*

  • GET ONE:
    GET https://<project>.supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{id}&select=*

  • CREATE:
    POST https://<project>.supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs

  • UPDATE:
    PATCH https://<project>.supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{id}

  • DELETE:
    DELETE https://<project>.supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{id}

Headers (for all):
apikey, Authorization: Bearer <anon_key>, Content-Type: application/json, Prefer: return=representation

Flow in the app:

1. On Screen A, I create a new macro_inputs row (step, adalo_user_id).
   The row is successfully created in Supabase.

2. I then navigate to Screen B, where:

   • I have a List of Macro Inputs (External), filtered by adalo_user_id = Logged-In User > id, sorted by limit = 1

   • Inside the list cell I show Current Macro Inputs (External) > step, and have a button with the action:

   • Update → Current Macro Inputs (External), where I set step = 2.

The issue:

When I press the Update button, Supabase returns this error:

{
  "code": "22P02",
  "details": null,
  "hint": null,
  "message": "invalid input syntax for type bigint: \"{id}\""
}

This means the request being sent from Adalo to Supabase still contains:

?id=eq.{id}

instead of something like:

?id=eq.153

In other words, {id} is not being replaced with the current record’s primary key, even though:

• The id field is present in the External Collection and detected as the primary key.

• The Update action is configured as Update → Current Macro Inputs (External) inside a list cell.

• A row definitely exists in the list (I can see it in Supabase and filter it by adalo_user_id).

My question:

Is there a known issue or specific requirement for {id} substitution in External Collections when:

• Using Supabase REST with URLs like ?id=eq.{id}, and

• Updating from within a list item using Update → Current [External Collection]?

Any guidance on why {id} would remain literal in the outgoing request (and not be replaced by the current record’s ID) would be really helpful.

[Dilon]

Hi @bttrszn,

You’re using a custom action for update the record? If it is, you need to map the id with an input like this. :

Let me know!

Thank you and have a great day!

[bttrszn]

Hi @Dilon,

I’m not using a custom action as I am not familiar with it yet (non-tech person here :D). I’m using the normal update action from the API Test Set-up tho but I can try doing that too. I’ll let you know ina bit Thank you!

[Dilon]

No worries @bttrszn, thanks for the update! Where do you see the above error message? Inside the app or in Supabase?

[bttrszn]

I see the error code 22P02 inside the app when I preview it but I went to the devtools to check the actual error message.

[Ali-Bazzi]

Hello @bttrszn, If you’re seeing 22P02 in the preview and the devtools show {id} literally being sent, then the record isn’t passing the actual primary key into the update call. A few things to double check:

Make sure the id field is returned in both GET ALL and GET ONE. If the list item doesn’t contain a real id, the placeholder won’t be substituted.

Supabase bigint can sometimes be interpreted as text, which blocks substitution. Exposing the id as an integer (or through a view) usually fixes it.

Using {id} in the query string (?id=eq.{id}) isn’t always reliable. An endpoint with /macro_inputs/{id} works consistently.

If you share your GET ALL response (without sensitive data), I can tell you exactly where the issue is coming from.

Thank you!

Ali bazzi

[Dilon]

Hi @bttrszn,

Aha, gotcha and thanks for the information!

Should be a simple fix, instead one curly bracket, add two > save > should be good! I mean when setting up the external collection. ( for example, instead this : https://[project].supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{id}, make it like this : https://[project].supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{{id}} )

Let me know!

Thank you and have a great day!

[bttrszn]

Thanks @Dilon! I tried this and there’s no error code but I couldn’t see the components on the next screen (screen b). It looks like the CREATE action on Screen A didn’t work although I can see rows were created on Supabase.

[Dilon]

You’re very welcome @bttrszn! Would you be able to provide a quick screen recording with loom showing your current setup and preview?

[bttrszn]

Hi @Ali-Bazzi,

Thanks so much sharing that with me. I figured there’s something wrong with ?id=eq.{id} but here’s my GET all response:

[
{
“id”: 1,
“created_at”: “2025-11-10T16:14:36+00:00”,
“goal”: “test”,
“activity_level”: “Sedentary”,
“gender”: “Male”,
“age”: 28,
“weight_kg”: 84,
“progress_speed”: “moderate”,
“calculation_method”: “AI”,
“calories”: 1000,
“protein_g”: 1300,
“carbs_g”: 800,
“fat_g”: 200,
“completed_at”: “2025-11-10T16:18:07+00:00”,
“step”: 1,
“activity_k”: 8,
“speed_pct”: 1,
“protein_per_lb”: 1,
“legal_age”: true,
“height_cm”: 174,
“BMR”: 1,
“TDEE”: 1,
“protein”: 1,
“calories_g”: 1,
“adalo_user_id”: “1”
}
]

[bttrszn]

Thank you, @Dilon! Loom is currently lagging right now but I screen-recorded it and saved it on my drive. Do you have an email where I can send it to?

[Dilon]

Hi @bttrszn,

No worries and I can send that but could you confirm if it’s the same in your settings?

1. GET ALL : https://[your-project-id].supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?select=* (GET)
2. GET ONE : https://[your-project-id].supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{{id}}&select=* (GET)
3. CREATE : https://[your-project-id].supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs (POST)
4. UPDATE : https://[your-project-id].supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{{id}} (PATCH)
5. DELETE : https://[your-project-id].supabase.co/rest/v1/macro_inputs?id=eq.{{id}} (DELETE)

Thank you and have a great day!

[bttrszn]

Hi @Dilon, yes. Its the same

[Ali-Bazzi]

Hello @bttrszn, you’re very welcome!

Thanks for sharing the GET ALL response. Your id is coming through correctly, but your adalo_user_id is returned as a string (“1”) instead of a number. When the list is filtered by adalo_user_id = Logged-In User > id and one side is numeric while the other is a string, the record loads visually but the underlying item doesn’t bind fully, especially the primary key. That’s why {id} stays literal during the update.

You have two options that you can try to fix it:

1. Store adalo_user_id in Supabase as a numeric type, not text.

2. Or expose it through a view as an integer.

After that, the list will pass the full record (including the PK), and the update request will correctly substitute the real ID.

Thank you!

Ali Bazzi

[bttrszn]

This worked! I also added Query Parameter for: adalo_user_id = iq.{logged in user > id}, limit = 1 and order = id.desc to make sure the flow works. I also had to delete all actions and conditional visibility from the screen b and set it right back. Thank you, @Dilon !!