What does "in the next 45 days" mean in an automated workflow condition?

Don12345

Hello,

I am trying to figure out an automated workflow where the trigger is everyday at 8am and the condition is where a [Date Column] is in the next 45 days. I have many rows in the sheet that each have unique dates and emails to contact when 45 days prior to that date is reached.

My question is: does "in the next 45 days" mean that it will only send out one notification when 45 days hits? Or will it send out a notification each day at 8 am after the date is within the 45 day mark?

If it is the latter, will adding in an and condition stating "and where is not in the next 44 days" always solve this issue?

Thanks in advance,

Don

Paul Newcome

The shortest answer to your questions is Yes and Yes.

It will send every day for every date that is within the next 45 days, but adding a condition to say it is not in the next 45 days will take care of that.

I personally hate working in automations, so I tend to use helper columns with formulas. It presents a lot more options for triggering and (for me) is easier to set up.

Paul Newcome

The shortest answer to your questions is Yes and Yes.

It will send every day for every date that is within the next 45 days, but adding a condition to say it is not in the next 45 days will take care of that.

I personally hate working in automations, so I tend to use helper columns with formulas. It presents a lot more options for triggering and (for me) is easier to set up.

Don12345

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/393474#Comment_393474

This makes sense, and I will try a helper column instead.

On that note, does the change trigger work if it is a reference or formula and not a manual input? Where in essence the cell's formula does not "Change" but the cell's value changes? In example =IF(Today()=8/31/2023, "True", "False") will the trigger activate when the value changes from "False" to "True"?

*IF statement above is just a visual example*

Thanks!

Paul Newcome

Yes. I do this all the time.

=IF([Date Column]@row <= TODAY(-45), 1)

The set my trigger to when the helper column changes to flagged.

I typically use less than or equal to so that the flag remains. The trigger being when the row is flagged will only send the automation once, but keeping the row flagged allows me to use things like conditional formatting or report filters.