Mirror fields are a powerful resource in Aptly. With Mirror Fields, you can display information from one board to another board (or several boards) by linking card fields. It’s important to understand the purpose of your boards along with the information you choose to share.
What are Mirror Fields?
Mirror Fields allow you to display information from one card on another card, even when those cards exist on different boards. The mirrored field always reflects the data from the original (originating) card, ensuring consistency across your workspace.
How Mirror Fields Work
Mirror Fields pull data from an originating card field, which acts as the source of truth. Any updates made to the originating field are automatically reflected in all connected Mirror Fields.
Example Use Case
On a Unit card, you may have a Property Manager listed in a contact field. Since the Property Manager is also the primary contact for the Unit’s lease, you want that information visible on the Lease card as well.
To do this, you can add a Mirror Field to the Lease card and link it back to the Unit card. If the Property Manager is ever updated on the Unit card, the mirrored field on the Lease will automatically update to match.
Key Takeaway
- Originating card fields are the source of truth
- Mirror Fields display that same information elsewhere
- Updates should always be made on the originating card to ensure accuracy across all linked cards
Common Pitfalls
- Editing Mirror Fields instead of the source field
Changes made directly to a Mirror Field can cause unexpected updates or sync issues. Always update the originating card field instead.
- Mirroring data up the Location hierarchy
Mirror Fields work best when information flows from a higher-level Location to a lower-level Location (for example, Building → Unit). Mirroring data in the opposite direction can result in inaccurate or inconsistent values.
- Using Mirror Fields where multiple records exist
Mirroring fields where more than one related record may exist, such as Leases on a Unit, can produce unreliable results, since Aptly cannot determine which record should be displayed.
- Leaving Mirror Fields editable with two-way sync integrations
When Mirror Fields are not set to Read Only, edits made in Aptly may sync back to your Property Management System in real time, potentially overwriting data before the next scheduled sync.
Best Practices
- Treat originating fields as the source of truth
Always make updates on the original card field. Mirror Fields should be used for visibility, not data entry.
- Set Mirror Fields to Read Only when possible
This prevents accidental edits and helps protect synced data, especially when integrations are enabled.
- Mirror data in one-to-one relationships only
Use Mirror Fields where there is a clear, single relationship between records (for example, Unit → Lease primary contact).
- Follow the Location hierarchy
Mirror information from higher-level Locations down to lower-level Locations to ensure consistent and predictable results.
- Use Mirror Fields to reduce duplicate data entry
Mirror Fields are ideal for displaying key information across boards without requiring manual updates in multiple places.
How Do Mirror Fields Work?
A mirror field reflects or shows data from a linked anchor card field. Mirror Fields are more consistent and accurate when the source is a Location and the mirror field is on a workflow. For example, adding a mirror end date field from the Lease to the Lease Renewal Board.
You can also mirror fields from a Location to another Location if it follows the location hierarchy (Association > Portfolio > Building > Unit > Lease). For example, I want to show the property manager of a Unit on the Lease. I would add a mirror Property Manager field from the Units on the Leases.
How to Use Mirror Card Fields in Aptly
Setting up a mirror field is similar to the way that you set up a Card Field. Card Fields are found in the Board Settings menu on the left in Card Settings.
- Click + Add Field.
- Select Mirror Card Field.
- Select the board and the card field that you would like to link to the current board.
- Click Save.
The added Mirror Card Field will be located at the bottom of the Fields List.
How to Use Mirror Fields with Bi-Directional Syncing
Mirror Fields let you display the same information across multiple boards while keeping everything connected to a single source of truth. This makes it easy to see important details wherever you’re working.
That said, Mirror Fields can cause issues if they are not set to Read Only.
With two-way syncing integrations, data flows between Aptly and your Property Management System. Updates made in the Property Management System don’t usually appear in Aptly until the next scheduled sync. However, changes made in Aptly sync back to the Property Management System immediately.
Because of this real-time update behavior, it’s important to use caution when adding editable Mirror Fields to boards that connect back to Locations (your source of truth). To avoid unintended updates, we strongly recommend setting these Mirror Fields to Read Only.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve added a mirror field to a card, but the information is not populating in the field. What’s going on?
When adding a mirror field, the data in the field will not automatically populate until a change is made to the source card. One way to quickly update a card is to add a checkbox field to the source card. You can bulk update selected cards in List view or set up an automation to mark the checkbox. This will cause the mirror field to update as well.
I added more options to my dropdown field. Why aren’t they showing in the mirror field?
Mirror dropdown fields do not automatically update with dropdown options if they are changed or added on the anchor field. If a change is made to the anchor field, you’ll need to manually update any mirror fields. You can view any connected boards under Advanced Settings > Board Fields > Mirror Fields.
I’ve mirrored a location field to another location. Why isn’t the data updating?
Mirror Fields work most reliably when displaying information from a Location to a Workflow Board.
When mirroring data between Locations, results are most accurate when information flows down the Location Hierarchy—from a higher-level location to a lower-level location. For example, mirroring a Building field to a Unit works well.
However, mirroring information up the hierarchy can lead to inaccurate or inconsistent results. For instance:
- Mirroring a Unit field to a Building is unreliable because one Building can contain multiple Units.
- Mirroring Lease information to a Unit can also be inconsistent, since a Unit may have multiple Leases over time.
To ensure accurate data, Mirror Fields should only be used when there is a clear one-to-one relationship between the source and destination.