Setting reference (list) by trigger formula

Dear Grist Developers and Community,

first of all thanks for developing and sharing this awesome product. I’m fairly new to grist but slowly getting the hang of it. Currently I’m trying to find a way for setting the entry of a reference (or reference list) via trigger formula. If I use a formula = value or $Item.Category…. I get the entry as the correct string however the entry is not really set as a reference item. Hence no link symbol is displayed and the entry is marked in red. Ofc I would like to set a correct reference. So I guess I’m missing a piece how to set the entry as a reference and not as string. I tried to set a minimal example in:

https://docs.getgrist.com/cAGf9B8WUWJ8/Untitled-document/p/3

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Why are you setting the category with a trigger formula?

isn´t the category of each item decided on the Items table? Why not just a new column with a search, thus refering to the column Category of that item?

Anyway, the problem you are getting is probably because you are setting as text a reference of a reference.

I think it would work if that column was a reference to the Category table. But you are refering to the Items table where it is referecing the category table.