---
title: "Simulate and history"
slug: "courier-subtable-configurator-simulate-history"
updated: 2026-10-09T18:19:13Z
published: 2026-10-09T18:19:13Z
canonical: "help.quickbase.com/courier-subtable-configurator-simulate-history"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.quickbase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Simulate and history

The Courier Subtable Configurator has two tools besides the settings tabs: **Simulate Subtable**, which previews your table's layout in a sample email, and **Subtable History**, which keeps earlier versions of your settings so you can restore one. Open both from the icon buttons on the left rail. See [The configurator screen](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/courier-subtable-configurator-overview#left-rail).

*Available to: all roles with the QB Courier extension.*

## Simulate Subtable

Select the Simulate icon (tooltip **Simulate Subtable**) to see a sample email with your table in it. Use it to check the layout (columns, order, headers, alignment, colors, grouping, totals, and shading) without sending anything.

What you see, from top to bottom:

1. A greeting and the line *This is the body of a 'simulated' email. Below is the table to be included in the email from this configuration:*
2. Your table, filled with 10 rows of made-up sample data: placeholder words for text, random numbers, dates, and dollar amounts.
  - If you've set a group field, the rows are split under two sample group rows.
  - If you've set totals, the total row shows *<number> (not actual total)*.
3. Two reminders: *Note that this does not read any data from your app, and the actual table output may look slightly different depending on the data and the recipient's email provider.* and *Additionally, this does not take into account some nuanced things, such as date vs date-time, currency type, date-formatting, etc. To see the true output of this subtable, please send a test email with the relevant Courier configuration.*

Things to know:

- **It uses your last saved settings.** Save before you simulate. (You can't switch to Simulate with unsaved changes anyway.)
- **It doesn't read your app.** The filter isn't applied, and none of your real records appear.
- **Select the Simulate icon again** to reshuffle the sample data.
- **Save** and **Cancel** are hidden here. Select the Settings icon (tooltip **Subtable Settings**) to go back to the tabs.

### See the real table: send a Courier test email

To see the table with your real records, exactly as recipients will, add the subtable to a Courier configuration's email and send a test from that configuration. See [Test Configuration tab](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/courier-configurator-test-configuration-tab) and [Add a subtable to a Courier email](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/courier-subtable-configurator-add-to-email).

## Subtable History

Every time you save a change, the configurator keeps the settings you had before as a version. Select the History icon (tooltip **Subtable History**) to see them on the **Settings History** tab.

### Previous Versions

Under the heading **Previous Versions**, a table lists up to the 50 most recent versions, newest first:

| **Column** | **What it shows** |
| --- | --- |
| **Restore** | A restore icon. Select it to go back to that version. |
| **Revision #** | The version number. |
| **Settings** | The version's settings in Courier's subtable settings syntax, with the parts separated by commas. For example: `dbid=&lt;table ID&gt;, qry=({'14'.EX.[Record ID#]}), clist=LT6:40::c.RN7:15:Qty:c, stlist=9, slist=6, opts=A, alternaterowcolor, orient=h, width=80%`. The parts are described in [QB Courier including embedded reports](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/courier-for-quick-base-including-embedded-reports). |

If the subtable has never been changed, you see *You are currently on the first and only revision.*

The Settings column is the quickest way to compare versions: look for the part that changed, such as a new field in `clist` or a different filter in `qry`.

### Restore a version

1. Select the restore icon in the **Restore** column of the version you want.
2. The **Revert History** window opens:
  - *You are about to revert this subtable to a **prior version**. We will save the current version as a new version, so you can revert back after to the current settings later. Upon reverting, this editor will show the requested settings.*
  - *Please confirm that you would like to revert to **Version #N*** (where N is the revision number you picked).
3. Select **Confirm** to restore, or **Cancel** to keep the current settings.

After you confirm:

- Your current settings are saved as a new version first, so you can undo the restore by restoring that version.
- The chosen version's settings replace the current ones. The subtable's name (**Configuration Name**) doesn't change.
- The configurator reloads and shows the restored settings on every tab.
- The next email Courier sends with this subtable uses the restored settings.

If something goes wrong, see [Courier Subtable Configurator messages and troubleshooting](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/courier-subtable-configurator-messages). Need help? Submit a [technical support case](https://help.quickbase.com/docs/get-help-from-quickbase-technical-support).