A simple form for clients. Real data underneath.
Define a table and its fields once — no SQL. TrueData hands your client a clean, focused form to add, edit, and remove records themselves, while you decide exactly how that data shows up on the site.
"Give the client a simple list to manage — their staff, their FAQs, their price list — without hand-coding a custom admin screen every time you need one."
No-SQL structure builder
Fourteen field types — text, numbers, dates, booleans, menus, images, relations, drag-sort ordering — defined through a simple UI. No migrations, no raw SQL.
A form clients can actually use
Every table gets an auto-generated add/edit form and list view the moment you define its fields — with field widths, side-by-side layout, and helper text you control.
Image fields built in
A real image field with a built-in browser: clients upload or pick a photo, see the thumbnail, and swap it — no separate file manager gymnastics.
Clients control the order
Add a Sortable field and the list grows drag handles — clients drag records into the order they should appear on the site.
Two ways to show it on the site
Query records directly in PHP with the TrueData\Api helper, or enable the built-in REST API for frontend or external use.
Give clients just the form
Per-resource access control means a client can be scoped to only the Content tab — structure, queries, and API settings stay hidden.
Define the structure once — no SQL required
Add a table, then add fields through a simple dropdown-driven UI: text, HTML, integer, decimal, date, time, boolean, JSON, a menu of fixed values, an image, a drag-sortable order column, or a Linked Menu — a true relational field backed by a dropdown of another table's records. Drag fields into the order you want and it's saved right into the table itself.
Already have the data somewhere else? Drop a .sql dump on the Add Table dialog and TrueData creates and fills the table from it — and any table already sitting in your database can be pulled under management with one click.
- Fourteen field types, including images, relations, and sortable order
- Drag-and-drop field ordering that persists to the actual column order
- Create a table from a .sql file — safely, with only CREATE/INSERT allowed
- Bring existing database tables under TrueData's management anytime
Shape the form, not just the fields
A generated form doesn't have to look generated. Each field carries its own settings: width in pixels, percent, or characters; how many rows a text box starts at; and a line of helper text that appears right under the field — so the form itself tells your client what goes where. Flip on "Same row as previous field" and First Name / Last Name sit side by side instead of stacking.
- Field widths in px, %, or character count
- Put related fields side by side on one row
- Helper instructions displayed under each field
- Multi-row text areas that grow as clients type
A simple form your clients can actually use
Once the structure is defined, TrueData generates the list and the form automatically — no extra step. Search across every field, filter by a column, hide the columns you don't care about, sort by any header, and page through big tables. Open a record with a double-click, or select a batch of rows and delete them together. It feels like a simple list with guardrails, not a database admin tool.
- Auto-generated add/edit form and list view, no extra setup
- Search (full-text aware), per-column filtering, and header sorting
- Show/hide columns per table, paginate 25–1000 rows per page
- Double-click to edit; shift-click to select and delete in bulk
Image fields, without building an uploader
Add an Image field and the form gets a proper photo card: a thumbnail of the current image, the filename, and Change / Remove buttons. Clients pick from a built-in image browser where they can upload new files, organize folders, and reuse what's already on the site. You choose which folder each table's uploads land in — the record itself just stores a clean image path for your templates.
- Thumbnail preview right in the edit form
- Built-in image browser: upload, browse, move, and pick
- Per-table upload folder you control from the Actions tab
- Stored as a simple path — easy to use in any template
Let clients drag things into order
Some lists have an order that matters — events on a timeline, staff on a team page, slides in a rotation. Add a Sortable field and the content list grows drag handles: your client drags rows into place, TrueData renumbers the order column safely on the server, and your site just sorts by it. No "move up / move down" buttons, no editing numbers by hand.
- Drag-and-drop reordering directly in the list
- Order stored in a real column your templates can sort by
- New records automatically append to the end
- Renumbering runs in a transaction — order can't half-save
Move data in and out, in whatever format the job needs
Export a whole table, your current search results, or just the rows you've selected — as CSV, SQL, JSON, a PHP array, or XML, each with the options you'd expect (separators, INSERT styles, pretty-printing, Excel-safe CSV). Everything streams straight to a download, even on big tables. Importing is a guided three-step wizard: drop a CSV or JSON file, map its columns to your table's fields with a live record preview, and nothing is written until you confirm.
- Export to CSV, SQL, JSON, PHP array, or XML — streamed, any size
- Export everything, a search result, or selected rows
- Import wizard with column mapping, preview, and duplicate handling
- Optional transaction mode — an import either fully lands or doesn't
Show it on the site, your way
What a client edits in the admin doesn't have to stay in the admin. Pull records straight into a page template with the TrueData\Api PHP helper — no HTTP round-trip, no API key needed, since it runs in the same process as your site. Need it from JavaScript or an external app instead? Flip on the REST API for that table and generate a scoped key in seconds.
TrueData\ApiPHP helper for querying records directly in site controllers- Full REST API (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) per table, opt-in
- API keys scoped to read-only or read+write
- Built-in filtering, sorting, field selection, and pagination
Built for developers too
TrueData isn't just a form builder for clients — it's a real database tool for the developer who set it up. Manage indexes from the same interface, with plain-English guidance and suggestions based on what the table actually needs — like a full-text index when a table has searchable text, or an index on a foreign-key column that's missing one. A read-only query runner with quick-start templates covers ad-hoc debugging.
- Real index management: standard, unique, and full-text indexes
- Smart suggestions with one-click "Add it"
- Read-only SQL runner with templates and column shortcuts
- Dashboard widgets with per-table record counts
Everything you need to hand off a list, without hand-coding a screen
TrueData is a module for TrueAdmin — define a table once, and both the client form and the developer tools come with it.
🧱 No-SQL Structure Builder
Define tables and fourteen field types through a UI — no migrations, no raw SQL.
📝 Auto-Generated Forms
Every table gets a working add/edit form and list view automatically.
🖼 Image Fields
Thumbnail cards in the form, a built-in image browser, per-table upload folders.
↕ Drag-to-Sort Records
Sortable fields give clients drag handles; your site just sorts by the column.
🔗 Relation Fields
Linked Menu fields connect records between tables with a real dropdown.
📐 Form Layout Control
Field widths, side-by-side rows, and helper instructions under every field.
⚙ PHP Data Helper
Query records directly in your site's own controllers — no API key needed.
🌐 REST API
Opt-in REST API per table with scoped, revocable API keys.
🔒 Per-Resource Access Control
Scope a client to just the Content tab; keep structure and API settings developer-only.
⚡ Index Management
Add standard, unique, or full-text indexes with smart suggestions built in.
📄 Import & Export Suite
Export to CSV, SQL, JSON, PHP, or XML; guided import with column mapping; create tables from .sql files.
🔍 Search, Filter & Paginate
Full-text-aware search, per-column filters, hideable columns, and pagination on every table.
Why developers choose TrueData over hand-coding it
TrueData
- Define fields once, get the form for free
- Image fields with a built-in browser and thumbnails
- Drag-to-sort ordering clients manage themselves
- Relation fields built in — no manual join logic
- Export to five formats and a guided import wizard, included
- REST API and PHP helper included, not built per project
- Per-resource permissions so clients see only Content
- Bring existing tables or a .sql dump in without rebuilding
Hand-Coded Admin Screen
- Hand-code the form, validation, and route for every table
- Every image field means wiring up another uploader
- "Can you reorder those?" becomes a support ticket
- Relationships mean writing your own dropdown and join logic
- Exports are one-off scripts someone has to maintain
- No API unless you build one yourself, every time
- Access control bolted on separately for every project
- Every existing table needs a bespoke screen built from scratch
Built for the lists every client site ends up needing
TrueData fits the small, recurring need almost every project has: a simple list of things a client should be able to manage themselves.
Web Agencies
Ship a client-editable staff list, FAQ, or price table without building a custom screen each time.
Freelance Developers
Hand off a site your client can maintain themselves, without a support call for every content change.
Small Businesses
Update your own testimonials, services, or team list without touching code.
Nonprofits & Churches
Let staff manage events, announcements, or a directory safely, with the technical side hidden away.
Existing TrueAdmin Users
Add client-editable data tables to a site you've already built on TrueAdmin — same login, same admin.
Internal Tools Teams
Stand up a simple internal data table with a working form in minutes, not a sprint.
Simple, predictable pricing
One price. Full module. No subscriptions, no per-table fees.
TrueData Module
One-time add-on for TrueAdmin
- No-SQL structure builder with 14 field types
- Auto-generated, layout-controlled content forms
- Image fields with built-in image browser
- Drag-to-sort record ordering
- Relation (Linked Menu) fields
- REST API with scoped API keys + PHP helper
- Export to CSV, SQL, JSON, PHP & XML
- Guided import wizard with column mapping
- Index management with smart suggestions
- Installation and initial setup included
TrueData is a module for TrueAdmin — a TrueAdmin installation is required to run it.
Frequently asked questions
TrueData\Api PHP helper to query records directly — no HTTP request, no API key. If you'd rather fetch data from JavaScript or an external application, enable the REST API for that table and generate a scoped API key (read-only or read+write) from the admin.Stop hand-coding a screen for every list
Define the table once, hand your client a form they can actually use, and decide for yourself how that data reaches the site.
We can help you plan which tables should be client-editable on your next project.