Can you change the name on the automated emails that are triggered based on a form submission?

KevinHarrisCHT

I have a form created where a manager will go in and enter a task and assign it to someone. I then have an automation where when a new row is added to alert the person assigned. Would it be possible for that automation to come from the manager that assigned the task via the form? Or would I need to have another button such as "send out task" checkbox where you can have that automation come from the triggering user when that button is checked? There would be multiple managers submitting so I couldn't just have them create the form.

Thanks in advance!

Paul Newcome

Have you set it up and tested the trigger being when a row is added and making sure that managers are signed in when submitting the form?

If the manager is signed in when submitting the form, I know that the system generated [Created by] column would capture the manager's email address. I imagine that if you set the trigger to be when rows are added and then set the custom sender to be whoever triggered the workflow, it should work.

MichaelTCA

Hello @KevinHarrisCHT

The manager must be the sheet owner and to show that it is from the "triggering user", someone will have to make a manual change within the sheet and not through a form or automation. The setting in the automation has to be set to "triggering user" as well. Changes made through automations and forms will generally default to say the notification is from "Smartsheet".

If you have an enterprise plan, you can set it to say it's from the organization you work for.

Paul Newcome

@MichaelTCA If the form requires users to be signed in, then the [Created By] column records the user's email address and not "Smartsheet generic". I would imagine this could be leveraged if the trigger of the automation is set to "When rows are created". In that case the manager would be the one creating the row which triggers the automation which should be the sender when set as "triggering user".

MichaelTCA

@Paul Newcome This is how Smartsheet references my data and unless the automation is caused by me, it's always from Smartsheet. I wish we had the "From organization" option again! That made it easy.

Paul Newcome

Right, but do you have your form set up to require sign-in to submit? When I have it set up that way, it shows as me making the update not "Form User".

Paul Newcome

@MichaelTCA I threw together a quick test, and it seems to be working for me.

MichaelTCA

@Paul Newcome Did you receive the same result when another person submitted a form? Send a snapshot.

Also, I do not have it require sign-in, in this example.

Paul Newcome

Same results.

Requiring sing-in is the key.

I created the form and sheet with "Account A". Submitted the form with "Account B" and "Account C". Neither B nor C are linked to A in any way, nor do they have any access to the sheet whatsoever. So it is very much so like sending to a random person. Both of the alert emails that were received by me (to Account A) had the appropriate names. The first came from "Paul Newcome" and the second came from the name tied to "Account C".

The email address for the "sender" is still "automation@app.smartsheet.com", so I can't really reply to it, but the name listed is being populated correctly.

MichaelTCA

Interesting. There's so many quirks that can make Smartsheet very useful.

KevinHarrisCHT

Thanks Michael and Paul!

I just added for a sign in to be required to use the form. I also double checked that the automation should send as the triggering user when a new row is added. However, it is still sending from my name and not the manager. Am I missing a step?

@Paul Newcome

Paul Newcome

What exact is your trigger? Are you able to provide a screenshot of the automation?

KevinHarrisCHT

@Paul Newcome

Here is the automation!

Paul Newcome

And to confirm... You have had the manager submit the form and list yourself as the "Writer" for testing?

KevinHarrisCHT

@Paul Newcome

Yes. I have the form set to require sign in and the manager went in and assigned another person on the call as a writer. When that person got the automation, it was still from me. Could it be my company's security settings or something?

Paul Newcome

Do you have the [Created By] system generated column in your sheet?