How to capture/log user/contact info in a cell after updating a different cell?

SJTA
SJTA ✭✭✭✭✭
edited 09/12/23 in Smartsheet Basics

I want to be able to identify the user when changes are made to cells on the Sheet. I know there is the Activity Log. But I want to see that data on the Sheet. I also know that there is the Modified By column, but that picks up changes to any cell in that row.

I have a log that needs to have the status column changed by the Client, and I want to automatically record who made the change without the user having to make selections from a different cell/column.

Is there a workaround?

Answers

  • MichaelTCA
    MichaelTCA ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    Hello @SJTA,

    You can use an update request. Then you will always have an idea of who made the change because of who specifically received the update request.

    Otherwise, it will depend on how many times the status will need to change. You can have a separate "archive" sheet entirely and add an automation to copy rows over to the archive after a change has been made to a status and create a report to group each task to visualize how many times the status changed.

    Functions don't move or copy between sheets. You can set up a function in a helper column to copy the name of the last modified by, before the row is copied to another sheet. Then you have a hard record of the last modified by because the function isn't carried over so the name won't change every time the archive is opened. Only the text value within the cell will be carried over.

    =LEFT([Modified By]@row, FIND("@", [Modified By]@row) - 1)