How do I send an immediate update request followed by recurring update requests until completed?

kebern
kebern
edited 03/01/23 inSmartsheet Basics

My current attempt:

1) When rows are added, update 'Status' to 'Pending Update'

2) When rows are added or changed AND when 'Status' changes to 'Pending Update', request an update (this is the immediate/initial update request)

3) When rows are added or changed AND when 'Status' changes to 'Pending Update', record a date in 'Update Request Sent'

4) When a date is reached (every week on MWF), where 'Status' is 'Pending Update', and where 'Update field' is blank, and where 'Update Request Sent' is not today, request an update (this is the recurring update request)

I feel like there must be a simpler way to do this with fewer workflows? Thank you!

Best Answer

  • Genevieve P.
    Genevieve P. Employee Admin
    Answer ✓

    Hi@kebern

    This looks good to me!

    You potentially don't need the third workflow, to record the date, since you have the "update field" being blank as a criteria in your recurring workflow. However I would keep it just so you can track when the update was completed. (There is of course the Update Request Log on the right panel that tracks this, but it's not in the grid of the sheet.)

    Cheers,

    Genevieve

Answers

  • Genevieve P.
    Genevieve P. Employee Admin
    Answer ✓

    Hi@kebern

    This looks good to me!

    You potentially don't need the third workflow, to record the date, since you have the "update field" being blank as a criteria in your recurring workflow. However I would keep it just so you can track when the update was completed. (There is of course the Update Request Log on the right panel that tracks this, but it's not in the grid of the sheet.)

    Cheers,

    Genevieve

Ok, how about using a helper column with a 0 or 1 being input by your automation, and then use this as the trigger. So set the default on the column to 0, and if an attachment is there, leave it at 0. Then if an attachment is not there workflow will set it to 1, and that would trigger the automated workflow to run.<\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":321,"name":"Smartsheet Basics","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/smartsheet-basics%2B","allowedDiscussionTypes":[]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[{"tagID":334,"urlcode":"automations","name":"Automations"}]},{"discussionID":108286,"type":"question","name":"Configuring Predecessors in forward scheduling vs backward scheduling","excerpt":"I have a user who wants to schedule some projects in a forward-looking manner (top to bottom) and schedule other projects in a backward-looking manner (bottom to top). To explain to her how Predecessors would need to be configured in either scenario, I created the little example shown below. In the FORWARD section, the…","snippet":"I have a user who wants to schedule some projects in a forward-looking manner (top to bottom) and schedule other projects in a backward-looking manner (bottom to top). To explain…","categoryID":321,"dateInserted":"2023-07-29T00:11:14+00:00","dateUpdated":null,"dateLastComment":"2023-07-31T14:48:51+00:00","insertUserID":163593,"insertUser":{"userID":163593,"name":"George Speier","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/George%20Speier","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-07-31T18:25:01+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"},"updateUserID":null,"lastUserID":163593,"lastUser":{"userID":163593,"name":"George Speier","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/George%20Speier","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-07-31T18:25:01+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"},"pinned":false,"pinLocation":null,"closed":false,"sink":false,"countComments":2,"countViews":36,"score":null,"hot":3381405605,"url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108286\/configuring-predecessors-in-forward-scheduling-vs-backward-scheduling","canonicalUrl":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108286\/configuring-predecessors-in-forward-scheduling-vs-backward-scheduling","format":"Rich","lastPost":{"discussionID":108286,"commentID":388026,"name":"Re: Configuring Predecessors in forward scheduling vs backward scheduling","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/comment\/388026#Comment_388026","dateInserted":"2023-07-31T14:48:51+00:00","insertUserID":163593,"insertUser":{"userID":163593,"name":"George Speier","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/George%20Speier","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-07-31T18:25:01+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"}},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/"},{"name":"Get Help","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/get-help"},{"name":"Smartsheet Basics","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/smartsheet-basics%2B"}],"groupID":null,"statusID":3,"image":{"url":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/4M6FSYYJUAME\/predecessors2.png","urlSrcSet":{"10":"","300":"","800":"","1200":"","1600":""},"alt":"predecessors2.png"},"attributes":{"question":{"status":"accepted","dateAccepted":"2023-07-31T14:47:57+00:00","dateAnswered":"2023-07-29T20:17:17+00:00","acceptedAnswers":[{"commentID":387957,"body":"

This has to do with how a milestone is represented (ie. a 0 day duration). If you hard type milestone without a predecessor or successor, it will show up as the beginning of that day instead of the end of the day. If you have a milestone that is following a standard finish to start logic, it will show up at the end of the previous activity. <\/p>

So, Task B4 in the backwards version is actually saying that the completion happened in the 00:00 hr of that day. if you put any activity in that has a duration and uses the start to finish relationship, that activity will naturally finish at the end of the previous day. So, to get your example above to work, the finishing task would need to be 1 day long so it takes up the full work day. I found it easier to visualize if you zoom all the way in on the gantt chart so you can see the diamond symbol of the milestone at the beginning and end of the days when used in different set ups.<\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":321,"name":"Smartsheet Basics","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/smartsheet-basics%2B","allowedDiscussionTypes":[]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[]},{"discussionID":108291,"type":"question","name":"Conditional formatting in Gantt not working with dependencies","excerpt":"For some reason it seems like my conditional formatting rules aren't being applied to certain rows in the Gantt chart side of this sheet. The problem is resolved if I disable dependencies, but I need those and don't understand why this should matter since I don't have any rules related to status or % complete in the…","snippet":"For some reason it seems like my conditional formatting rules aren't being applied to certain rows in the Gantt chart side of this sheet. The problem is resolved if I disable…","categoryID":321,"dateInserted":"2023-07-29T22:50:55+00:00","dateUpdated":null,"dateLastComment":"2023-07-30T15:38:08+00:00","insertUserID":164323,"insertUser":{"userID":164323,"name":"smbailey","title":"Senior Business Systems Analyst","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/smbailey","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-07-30T15:36:49+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"},"updateUserID":null,"lastUserID":164323,"lastUser":{"userID":164323,"name":"smbailey","title":"Senior Business Systems Analyst","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/smbailey","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-07-30T15:36:49+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"},"pinned":false,"pinLocation":null,"closed":false,"sink":false,"countComments":3,"countViews":30,"score":null,"hot":3381404343,"url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108291\/conditional-formatting-in-gantt-not-working-with-dependencies","canonicalUrl":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108291\/conditional-formatting-in-gantt-not-working-with-dependencies","format":"Rich","tagIDs":[219,319,437,439],"lastPost":{"discussionID":108291,"commentID":387971,"name":"Re: Conditional formatting in Gantt not working with dependencies","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/comment\/387971#Comment_387971","dateInserted":"2023-07-30T15:38:08+00:00","insertUserID":164323,"insertUser":{"userID":164323,"name":"smbailey","title":"Senior Business Systems Analyst","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/smbailey","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-07-30T15:36:49+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"}},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/"},{"name":"Get Help","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/get-help"},{"name":"Smartsheet Basics","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/smartsheet-basics%2B"}],"groupID":null,"statusID":3,"image":{"url":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/4N6Y1NCLVR43\/2023-07-29-15-46-58-281-29-moving-plan-smartsheet-com.png","urlSrcSet":{"10":"","300":"","800":"","1200":"","1600":""},"alt":"2023-07-29 15_46_58-(1) Moving plan - Smartsheet.com.png"},"attributes":{"question":{"status":"accepted","dateAccepted":"2023-07-30T15:39:24+00:00","dateAnswered":"2023-07-30T09:21:36+00:00","acceptedAnswers":[{"commentID":387967,"body":"

Hi @smbailey<\/a> <\/p>

I hope you're well and safe!<\/p>

I can't see any rows in your screenshot that should be colored differently. Parent rows can't be changed.<\/p>

Can you share more screenshots with the conditional formatting options used on a few child rows?<\/strong> (Delete\/replace any confidential\/sensitive information before sharing) That would make it easier to help. <\/p>

I hope that helps!<\/p>

Be safe, and have a fantastic weekend!<\/p>

Best,<\/p>

Andrée Starå<\/strong><\/a> | Workflow Consultant \/ CEO @ WORK BOLD<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Did my post(s) help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community by <\/em>marking it Insightful\/Vote Up, Awesome, or\/and as the accepted answer<\/em><\/strong>. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!<\/em><\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":321,"name":"Smartsheet Basics","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/smartsheet-basics%2B","allowedDiscussionTypes":[]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[{"tagID":219,"urlcode":"Sheets","name":"Sheets"},{"tagID":319,"urlcode":"functionality","name":"functionality"},{"tagID":437,"urlcode":"conditional-formatting","name":"Conditional Formatting"},{"tagID":439,"urlcode":"gantt-view","name":"Gantt View"}]}],"initialPaging":{"nextURL":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/api\/v2\/discussions?page=2&categoryID=321&includeChildCategories=1&type%5B0%5D=Question&excludeHiddenCategories=1&sort=-hot&limit=3&expand%5B0%5D=all&expand%5B1%5D=-body&expand%5B2%5D=insertUser&expand%5B3%5D=lastUser&status=accepted","prevURL":null,"currentPage":1,"total":4896,"limit":3},"title":"Trending in Smartsheet Basics","subtitle":null,"description":null,"noCheckboxes":true,"containerOptions":[],"discussionOptions":[]}">

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