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Automation to allow Cell Change for Checkbox "Flag" or "Star"

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Smartsheet TAM confirmed for me that we can't have an Automation change a cell value if the column type is a checkbox for the icons for either a Flag or Star. Can this be an enhancement request?

48
48 votes

On Wishlist · Last Updated

This is a good idea. Our team is investigating to see what it would take to enable this. When we believe we can make this idea a reality, we'll plan to update the status here.

Comments

  • What actions need to be taken to enable it? My automation builder will not even recognize Flags or Stars Checkbox columns as options for automation.

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    Yes, you can change the cell value for a checkmark box between checked and non-checked -- great

    You can update the cell field to any text (i.e, "need updated copy" when X-field date is in the past) if the value needs to be changed -- getting there

    However, you can't format the field or text color to anything (i.e., change to red to indicate immediate action is necessary) when the value is changed -- GRRRRR

    The only way around the problem I've found is two-steps: (1) change the value via Automation, then (2) create a conditional formatting for the desired value(s)

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    After refreshing dozens of times and running through the list of cells over and over, I found my way to this post. I can't believe it!

    I changed my column to the "checkbox" style, updated my automation, changed the "checkbox" style back to the flag, and then it disabled the entire workflow. But it is a checkbox column....?

    It's been over a year now. Is there any sign of this getting updated?

    I want rows to automatically be "flagged" based on certain conditions. A checkbox implies that something is "good to go" or "complete". The flag style will show that something needs to be reviewed -- "attention required". I don't want people to manually skim the sheet for the conditions that require attention.


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    Agreed Star/Flag may have other significance on a sheet but it should be a checkbox option for automation. Can we please get an update on this fix. (I am working in gov version so I would hope the fix would be for all versions)

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    edited 11/19/24

    The Checkbox column type is effectively a 'Boolean' (i.e. 1/0, true/false, on/off) type of column.

    Whether it is displayed with a blue tick in a box, a red flag, or a yellow star is a matter of style/format, etc.

    It SHOULD NOT affect its treatment (inclusion/exclusion) in Automation actions. I agree with @Nathan E, this is more of a bug than a feature request. And I agree with @sheetsmartsarah, that they are used differently:
    • blue Checks for something you actively want/have switched on, or to indicates a positive condition
    • red Flags for things you actively don't want/require, have switched off, or to indicate a negative/error condition
    • yellow Stars to highlight or include something, or not

    @Genevieve P. , can we please have this 'anomaly' fixed? This problem has been raised multiple times in different threads and should be treated as a correction of errant behaviour, not treated as a product idea for improvement that has to wait for the next roadmap update. A Product Idea for improvement would be to allow multiple Change Cell or Clear Cell actions to follow each other, like some of the other actions.

    @Andrée Starå, @Paul Newcome, could you please get behind this and help vote up/support a Product Fix?

    Adrian Mandile
    CHESS Consulting Australia - Smartsheet Solution Provider Gold Partner
    Collaborative | Holistic | Effective | Systems | Solutions

  • Bumping this as a continuing bug. What's even crazier than this not being treated as a simple boolean in the Action of an automation is that it is treated as simple boolean in the Condition of the automation, even as a flag or star, which means it's probably literally just a line of code that's not being copied over. For now I just resigned myself to my checkbox fate and the automation allows it. 😑

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