Taking a dashboard "snapshot" as a pdf and attaching to a given row

While the header of my question seems confusing, hopefully an easy solution exists somewhere.



I have a complex smartsheet's dashboard created which has metric widgets filled with values that update every time a new form is submitted to a sheet ("sheetX" for later reference).



What I want to do is try and capture a part (or whole if necessary) of the dashboard as a pdf, and attach said pdf to the corresponding row in sheetX (thus having a back-referenceable, visually appealing form of the data).



Through the smartsheet's API, I know you can convert a sheet to a pdf, but I couldn't find documentation on how to convert a dashboard to a pdf. Any suggestions would be great, I have already tried:



-embedding pdf creation html on the dashboard, but smartsheet does not allow the pdf creation API site

-linking outside programs such as Zapier or Google Docs (for company reasons, this must be done solely within smartsheet)

-making a visually appealing report (was not even close to the aesthetic and reading-ease that dashboards allow for)

Comments

  • Genevieve P.
    Genevieve P. Employee Admin

    To create a PDF out of a dashboard, go to print the Dashboard from the web app. The pop-up print window from your browser will then allow you to choose to create a PDF instead (in Chrome it's under the section "Destination").

    If you only want an image of a section in the dashboard, you may want to look into taking a screen capture, instead. This won't create a PDF but it will create an image that you can then attach to your sheet as needed. How to take a screen capture will vary depending on the type of computer or device you are using.

    Cheers!

  • Thank you Genevieve!

           I could get that far, but I need to figure out the functionality of adding that pdf as a row attachment within a sheet. This needs to occur without user input so either on a submitted form workflow basis, or a time driven event / workflow. I know this adds complexity to the original answer, but hopefully a solution exists. Thanks!



    Another thought or possible solution I came up with but don't know how to implement would be to completely circumvent the dashboard, and see if there's someway to automate pulling all the info from a row into a template document, and then save the given document to the same row's attachments (and then repeat every time a new submission comes in).



    -Austin

  • Andrée Starå
    Andrée Starå ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi Austin,

    There are a few different ways to structure a solution.

    Does it have to be automatic, or would it work to go through a recurring process?

    One option could be to use the Google Docs integration and create a document that would attach to the correct row.

    Another option could be to set something up with the third-party service, Zapier.

    What do you think?

    I hope that helps!

    Have a fantastic day!

    Best,

    Andrée Starå

    Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

    work-bold

    SMARTSHEET EXPERT CONSULTANT & PARTNER

    Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

    W: www.workbold.com | E:andree@workbold.com | P: +46 (0) - 72 - 510 99 35

    Feel free to contact me for help with Smartsheet, integrations, general workflow advice, or anything else.

  • I can't integrate those apps into Smart Sheet for company reasons, but I think that may be the best way to go. Finding a work around is just too much effort so I'll put that effort into getting the app integration approved internally. Thanks for your help!



    -Austin

  • Andrée Starå
    Andrée Starå ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm always happy to help!

    That sounds like the best plan!

    Let me know how it goes!

    SMARTSHEET EXPERT CONSULTANT & PARTNER

    Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

    W: www.workbold.com | E:andree@workbold.com | P: +46 (0) - 72 - 510 99 35

    Feel free to contact me for help with Smartsheet, integrations, general workflow advice, or anything else.

Help Article Resources

Want to practice working with formulas directly in Smartsheet?

Check out the Formula Handbook template!