# How do you stop duplicate external collection results in Adalo?

Put a stable unique property first in an Adalo External Collection response, then retest the connection and confirm every list row maps to a different record.

- Canonical URL: https://adalocado.com/answers/fix-duplicate-external-collection-results
- Verification: Community workaround
- Topic: APIs and Integrations
- Skill level: Advanced
- Last reviewed: 2026-08-24
- Index status: improve-first

## Short answer

Set a stable, unique numeric property as the first detected External Collection property, retest the API connection, and confirm that each list row now maps to a different record. If the API exposes only text or UUID identifiers, current Adalo documentation says those IDs are unsupported.

Repeated rows in an External Collection can be a record-identity problem rather than a list-layout problem. Inspect the API response, choose a stable unique property, place it first in the detected property order, and retest before changing list components or filters.

The source author confirmed that this property-order change fixed repeated Google Places results. Current Adalo documentation does not document that workaround and says text, special-character, and UUID identifiers are unsupported, so keep the workflow noindex and verify the actual identifier format before relying on it.

## Intended outcome

An External Collection list displays each API result as its own record instead of repeating one result across every row.

## Requirements

- An External Collection whose Get All Records test returns an array of objects
- A stable unique property present on every returned object
- A numeric identifier if the property will serve as the record ID
- A test response containing at least three distinct records

## Step by step

1. **Inspect the returned objects**

   Run the External Collection connection test and confirm that every result contains a stable unique property with a different value for each record.

2. **Move the unique property first**

   In the detected property list, move the stable unique property to the top so it is the first property Adalo evaluates for record identity, then save and retest the connection.

3. **Verify row identity**

   Bind a temporary text label in the list to the unique property and confirm that at least three visible rows show three different values and their matching names.

## Why it works

- The accepted forum reply identified record identity, not the visual list, as the cause. The source author confirmed that placing the unique property first stopped the repeated-result behavior.
- A field is suitable only when it is present, stable, and unique for every returned object. A name is usually unsafe because two places or records can share it.
- Current Adalo documentation says External Collection IDs containing text, special characters, or UUIDs are unsupported. Treat that as a hard compatibility boundary even if the API otherwise returns valid JSON.

## Data model

| Collection | Properties | Relationships |
| --- | --- | --- |
| External API record | Stable numeric unique ID, display name, and the fields shown in the list | No Adalo relationship is required for the identity check; the unique ID distinguishes returned objects |

## Common failures

### Every row still shows the same record

Display the candidate unique property inside the list, rerun the API test, and confirm that the response contains distinct values rather than one repeated object or one incorrectly configured Results Key.

### The unique property is text or a UUID

Do not claim full Adalo record-ID compatibility. Change the upstream response to include a stable numeric identifier before relying on detail screens, updates, or deletes.

### Names are unique in the sample but collide later

Use a durable API identifier rather than a display name. Test with records that intentionally share the same name to prove that row identity does not depend on labels.

## Testing checklist

- [ ] Return three records with different numeric IDs and names, then confirm that the list shows each ID and its matching name once.
- [ ] Return two records with the same display name but different numeric IDs and confirm that Adalo still treats them as separate rows.
- [ ] Retest with a missing or repeated identifier and confirm that the setup is held rather than accepted as reliable.
- [ ] Every returned object includes the candidate unique property
- [ ] The candidate values are stable and different across test records
- [ ] The unique property appears first in the detected property order
- [ ] Visible list rows show matching unique values and names
- [ ] The identifier format meets Adalo's current numeric-ID limitation

## Limitations

- The first-property fix is supported by an accepted forum answer and the source author's confirmation, not by current official Adalo documentation, so this Answer remains noindex.
- Current Adalo documentation says External Collection IDs containing text, special characters, or UUIDs are unsupported.
- The source used Google Places, but the reusable rule applies only when the actual response exposes a suitable stable unique property.
- Adalocado did not reproduce the workflow against Google Places or another live API.

## Community evidence

### [External Collection w/ Google Places API](https://forum.adalo.com/t/external-collection-w-google-places-api/65906/2)

The accepted reply advised moving a unique response property to the top so Adalo could use it as the primary record key. Boundary: The reply does not document the identifier type, API response schema, or behavior for updates and deletes.

### [External Collection w/ Google Places API](https://forum.adalo.com/t/external-collection-w-google-places-api/65906/3)

The source author confirmed that the property-order change fixed the duplicate list results. Boundary: The confirmation covers one app and one API response, not every External Collection shape.

## Sources

- [Adalo forum accepted solution](https://forum.adalo.com/t/external-collection-w-google-places-api/65906/2)
- [Adalo forum author confirmation](https://forum.adalo.com/t/external-collection-w-google-places-api/65906/3)
- [Adalo Help: External Collections with API](https://help.adalo.com/integrations/external-collections-with-apis)

Markdown version: https://adalocado.com/answers/fix-duplicate-external-collection-results.md