The quick answer
Use two ordinary custom record types: a parent and a child. On the child type, enable Show Remove Link and Allow Child Record Editing. Add a List/Record field pointing to the parent type and check Record is Parent. On the saved parent, enter Edit mode and use its child sublist. Add the rows, then Save the parent.
A custom transaction is unnecessary for a simple attendance list. In this example, Training Session is the parent and Attendance Line stores each employee and their hours. October safety training is an existing saved session. The illustrated form lets users add attendance rows directly through that parent.
Before you start
The Custom Records feature must be enabled. Training Session and Attendance Line already exist, along with the saved October safety training session. Attendance Line has an Employee field of type List/Record pointing to Employee, and Hours, a Decimal Number field. Both fields have Show In List enabled. Include Name Field is clear on this child type; Employee supplies the meaningful row reference.
Use a role with permission to configure the custom record types and fields. The person entering attendance also needs suitable access to the parent, child and employee records. Child editing does not override role permissions or a form that makes a field read-only. Forms and controls vary; this guide shows one editable child sublist on an already saved parent.
1. Check the child fields
Go to Customization > Lists, Records, & Fields > Record Types and open Attendance Line. In Fields, confirm Employee is List/Record to Employee and Hours is Decimal Number. Show In List says Yes for both, so they can appear as child-list columns.
The child record's own Name or ID does not automatically select an employee. The separate Employee field provides that selector. Each attendance row will be a new child record that references an existing employee.
2. Enable editing on the child type
Edit Attendance Line. Check Show Remove Link first, then Allow Child Record Editing. Leave Allow Delete clear and Save. Reopen Attendance Line before adding the relationship field.
These settings belong on the child type. Enable Inline Editing, also visible on the type, controls list-page editing and is a separate setting.
3. Link the child to its parent
On Attendance Line's Fields subtab, click New Field. Enter Session as Label. Set Type to List/Record and choose the existing Training Session type in List/Record. Check Record is Parent and keep Store Value checked so the field stores the parent reference.
On Display, review Parent Subtab. Leave it blank for this example, which uses the system Custom subtab, then Save. Parent Subtab controls placement; the List/Record field and Record is Parent establish the relationship. The field list now includes Session. Each attendance child will store its parent through that relationship field.
4. Add rows from the saved parent
Open October safety training, click Edit and open Custom. The illustrated form has an inline Attendance Line editor. Select Alex Morgan in Employee, enter 2.5 in Hours and click Add. Select Jordan Lee, enter 1.5 and click Add again.
Both rows are now in the open parent form. Add commits a line to that form; it does not replace the parent Save.
5. Save and reload
Save the parent, then reload it. The Custom subtab retains Alex Morgan with 2.5 hours and Jordan Lee with 1.5 hours. Open the full image to see the employee names and hours together.
These are ordinary child records linked to Training Session. This workflow creates no accounting transaction or journal.
Common questions
Why is Allow Child Record Editing unavailable?
Check Show Remove Link on the child record type first. Child editing still requires appropriate role permissions; enabling the setting does not grant access by itself.
Why is the child Name or ID a text field?
The child record's identifier is not an employee selector. Add a separate field with Type List/Record and List/Record Employee when a row needs to reference an employee. This example clears Include Name Field and uses Employee as its row data.
Why is a child field missing from the sublist?
Check Show In List on that child field, then inspect the actual form and the user's access. Show In List exposes a column; it does not make an otherwise read-only field editable.
Why do I see New instead of an inline Add row?
Verify Allow Child Record Editing on the child type, its Record is Parent relationship, the parent's Edit mode and the user's permissions. Some forms present New and open a separate child entry form. The illustrated inline presentation is not a promise that every account exposes identical controls.
Why is the child list missing entirely?
Check that the stored List/Record field points to the correct parent type and has Record is Parent enabled. Review Parent Subtab placement, the parent form and role permissions. An existing child appears under the parent it actually references.
Does Add save the attendance records?
Add places the line in the open form. Save the parent to persist the entered rows, then reload and verify the employee names and hours.
Must I save a new parent first?
Use an already saved parent for this workflow. It does not establish initial parent-and-child creation behavior across every form or script.
Can I use this for a very large child list?
Oracle states that child records are not editable from a parent with more than 10,000 child lines. With child editing enabled, parent saves process related child records, which can cause slow saves or timeouts for large lists. Consider maintaining child records separately when that becomes a problem.
Sources
The community discussion concerns editable child rows without a custom transaction. Oracle documents child editing settings and limits and creating custom child record relationships.