G: TL;DR: Try Airtable (free tier) or Google Sheets for flexible, relational-style tracking on mobile. For truly relational design with forms and sub-entries (like karaoke sessions with multiple songs), try Ninox (free on one device) or LibreOffice Base if you’re open to desktop. MobiDB's free version is heavily limited in relational linking.

Breakdown:

Why MobiDB is Failing:

Free version limits relationships and sub-tables.
Its "design mode" locks out more complex relational features unless you pay.
Even the paid version is clunky for anything more than flat data lists.

Recommended Options:

1. Airtable (Best all-around free option)

✅ Free tier with enough records for personal use.
✅ Mobile-friendly.
✅ Supports "linked records" (relationships) even on free tier.
✅ Can build:
- Sessions → linked to Songs.
- Songs → linked to Artists.
✅ Supports filtering, sorting, photo attachments (e.g., snapshots of setlists).
🔸 Limitation: Monthly record limits, but very reasonable for personal tracking.

2. Google Sheets (Simpler but highly customizable)

✅ Free, universal, no account limits.
✅ Can simulate relational structure using separate sheets and lookup formulas.
✅ Easy mobile access.
🔸 Limitation: No true relational linking, but you can manually hyperlink or use formulas to approximate.

3. Ninox (Free for single-device personal use)

✅ True relational database design.
✅ Easy form creation and sub-record management.
✅ Mobile and desktop apps.
🔸 Limitation: Free only on one device, can’t sync unless you pay.

4. LibreOffice Base (Desktop)

✅ Completely free relational database.
✅ Works like Microsoft Access.
🔸 Limitation: No mobile access unless you rig up remote solutions.

If You Want: Quick Phone-Only Minimalist Solution

Google Sheets with tabs:
- Sessions tab: Date, Venue, Notes, Session ID.
- Songs tab: Song Name, Artist, Session ID (linked via lookup).
- Song History tab: Filtered view showing songs per session.

If You Want: Fully Relational Solution with Mobile Sync

Airtable or Ninox (if you stay on one device).

Let me know if you want me to help set up a sample structure in any of these platforms.

It needs to be a database; it’s a simple thing, but I’ve been spoiled, and sheets can be skittish in terms of interface on smaller screens. What I’m trying to do is make a database that I think requires three tables: one listing bands, one with songs referring to the artist, with a design that allows a new artist to be added, or to select from one that already exists, and a performance table, which refers to those songs. Even better if the form allows me to record the performance date list on the song entry as well when it’s entered.

G: Thank you for the clarification — you’re describing true relational database behavior with subforms and lookup fields that work cleanly on mobile. MobiDB’s free version cannot do this, and Google Sheets is, as you said, not a real database and has poor small-screen usability for this kind of structured entry.

Here’s a more targeted shortlist for what you’re after:

Best Free or Cheap Options for Relational Databases with Good Mobile Interfaces:

1. Ninox (Best Fit – Free on One Device)

✅ Fully relational database — you can build exactly the three-table structure you described:
- Bands Table
- Songs Table (linked to Bands, can add new bands on the fly)
- Performances Table (linked to Songs)
✅ Mobile app is solid and touch-friendly.
✅ Supports creating nested forms where you can:
- Add a performance while adding a song.
- Add a song while adding a performance.
✅ Free if you stay on a single device (cloud sync requires subscription).
🔸 Paid cloud version is about $5/month if you want multi-device sync.

2. Airtable (Second Best, Cloud-Synced, Freemium)

✅ Free tier allows multiple bases (databases), relational links, and mobile-friendly forms.
✅ Easy "add new record" links in selection fields (lets you add a new band while adding a song).
✅ Supports view filtering, grouping by band, song, or performance date.
✅ Cloud-synced across all devices.
🔸 Form submissions are somewhat less fluid than Ninox for quick on-the-fly nested entry, but still usable.

3. Glide (Mobile App Builder, Freemium)

✅ Turns a Google Sheet (or Glide Table) into a custom mobile app.
✅ Supports linked tables and relational databases.
✅ Lets you build smooth mobile forms with inline adding of related records.
🔸 Requires initial setup on desktop.
🔸 Free tier limits number of rows and app features, but may be enough for personal use.

4. SQLite with a Mobile Client (Manual Option)

✅ Absolute control.
✅ Can use apps like SQLiteFlow, SQLite Editor, or DBeaver mobile ports.
🔸 No form-based interface unless you hand-build it or use a third-party app generator.
🔸 Much harder to set up and less friendly for quick use.

Recommendation:

If you’re staying on one device → Ninox.
If you need cloud sync → Airtable.
If you want to build your own mobile app → Glide.

I can help you sketch out a base structure or even walk you through a sample build if you want to go forward with one of these.

G: Great — since you're working with Ninox, here's how to build the karaoke tracking database you described. We'll break it into three main tables with relationships between them and forms that can reference linked entries and allow creation on the fly.

🧱 Table Structure

1. Bands

Basic info about musical artists.

Field Name	Type
Name	Text
Genre	Text (optional)
Notes	Multiline Text (optional)

2. Songs

Each song is linked to a band.

Field Name	Type	Notes
Title	Text
Band	Reference	Link to Bands (allow creation)
Language	Text (optional)
Notes	Multiline Text (optional)
Performances	Reference (multiple)	Link to Performances (reverse reference)

🔧 In Ninox: After linking to Band, make sure “Allow creating new records from this field” is enabled so you can add a new band during song entry.

3. Performances

Each entry is a specific time you sang a song.

Field Name	Type	Notes
Date	Date/Time
Venue	Text (optional)
Song	Reference	Link to Songs
Notes	Multiline Text (optional)

🔄 If you want reverse lookup (see all performances for a song), add a multiple reference field in the Songs table back to Performances.

📋 Setup Flow

Step-by-Step in Ninox:

🔹 1. Create the Tables

Go to the main database screen → tap “+” → Table → name it.
Add fields as listed above.

🔹 2. Create the Relationships

In the Songs table, add a reference field called "Band" that points to the Bands table.
In the Performances table, add a reference field called "Song" that points to the Songs table.
In the Songs table, optionally add a reference field called "Performances" (linked back to the Performances table), and check the “multiple” option.

🔹 3. Customize Entry Forms

Ninox allows you to customize the layout of each form.
In the Songs form layout:
- Drag in the Performances reference field.
- Now you can add a performance directly from a song record.
Same for Bands: optionally show all songs linked to that band.

🪄 Bonus Tips

You can use choice fields for things like venue names or languages if you want to standardize them.
Add filters/views to sort by date, artist, or song.
If you later want stats (e.g. most performed songs), Ninox supports calculated fields and charts.

Want help building a template? I can sketch out a layout or show mock field definitions in JSON-style if that helps you plan ahead.

G: Yes — in Ninox, setting the reference field’s “Composition” to Yes means:

🎯 You’re embedding (composing) child records as part of the parent, and they’ll be deleted if the parent is deleted.

🧠 For Your Use Case:

➤ Field: `Band` (in Songs table)

❌ Set “Composition” to No
✅ You want to reference an existing band without destroying it when a song is deleted.
✅ This keeps Bands as an independent table — many songs can link to the same band.

Think of Bands as the “parent,” but not in a delete-dependent way.

➤ Use Composition = Yes when:

You're making records that are logically part of a parent (e.g. shopping list items inside a list).
You want to clean up sub-items automatically if the main item is deleted.
Example in your setup:
You could set Performances inside the Songs table as a composed subtable if you only ever access them from that view and want to avoid clutter.

🎯 Final Recommendation:

Table	Reference Field	Composition	Reason
Songs → Bands	Band	❌ No	Songs link to Bands, Bands are global
Performances → Songs	Song	❌ No	Same logic: many performances per song
(Optional) Songs → Performances	Performances	✅ Yes (optional)	Makes sense if you manage them from the song

Let me know if you want help defining the exact fields with options like “allow creation,” “cascade delete,” or filtered views.

G: Thanks for the detailed view — you're in the right place. Here's how to enable adding new bands directly while creating a new Song:

✅ Goal:

Allow inline creation of a new Band entry when filling out the Band reference field in the Songs table.

🧭 Where the Setting Lives:

That ability is controlled by “Show field as” in the reference field options.

Here’s what to do:

1. Go to your `Band` reference field in the Songs table.

2. In the field settings, look for:

Show field as:
Set this to “Choice with new entry” or “Table view with new entry” depending on interface preference.
- “Choice with new entry” = dropdown with an “add new” option
- “Table view…” = pops up a mini table view where you can search or add

3. (Optional) Check that “Required” is not enabled during testing, in case it’s blocking form save.

🧪 Quick Test:

Once that’s set:

Go to your Songs table.
Create a new song.
In the Band field, try to type a new band name.
You should see “+ New…” appear.

If not:

Try switching “Show field as” back and forth once (it sometimes doesn’t register until toggled).

📌 Summary of Relevant Field Settings

Setting	Use it?	Description
Composition	❌ No	Keep Band independent
Show field as	✅ Yes	Set to “Choice with new entry”
Required	🔄 Optional	Use if every song must have a band
Writable if	❌ Leave empty	Don’t block editing
Binding	❌ Leave default	Don’t change unless advanced use
Trigger after update	🔄 Optional	Use for automation later

Let me know if the “+ New…” still doesn’t show up — there are workarounds (like quick action buttons or embedded forms) if the toggle method is buggy.

G: Thanks — that confirms you’re using the mobile or basic version of Ninox (iOS/Android or non-cloud personal use), where the field options are more limited than the web/cloud version.

Here’s what’s going on:

🔍 Why You're Not Seeing “+ New” or Extended Options

In the personal/local version of Ninox, especially on mobile:

“Show field as: ComboBox with new entry” is not available — only simpler UI renderings are (popup, radio, etc.).
The option to add a new entry from inside a reference field is often implicitly allowed through the pop-up view — but only if:
- You tap the popup icon, then
- Tap the “+” button in the upper right of the pop-up selector.

If there’s no “+” button, then it’s a UI limitation or permissions issue.

✅ Workaround Steps

Here’s how to make sure adding a new band from the Songs table is possible:

1. Set “Show field as” to “Pop-up”

This gives you the ability to open a selection window.

2. Test the Flow

In a Song entry, tap the Band field.
In the popup selector, look in the corner for a “+” icon (usually top-right).
Tap it to create a new Band on the fly, fill it out, and it should be linkable immediately.

If that doesn’t appear, proceed to fallback below.

🛠 Alternate Method (Quick Button to Add Band)

If the pop-up field doesn’t allow new entries from within:

Option: Add a Quick Action Button in the Songs Table

In the Songs form layout, add a button field called “Add New Band”.
Set its action to:

let newBand := (create Bands);
openRecord(newBand)

This will:

Open a blank Band record
Let you enter the band info
After saving, you can link it via the Band reference field manually

It’s not as smooth as combo-with-new-entry, but avoids switching tables.

✅ Summary

Feature	Available in Free/Mobile	Workaround
Add new via ComboBox	❌ Not available	Use Pop-up + “+” button
Add new via Table View	❌ Not available	Use button to create Band
Reference and link existing	✅ Yes	Works via all options

Let me know if you’d like help setting up that button or making the UI flow smoother.