Forms that trigger updates - workaround for making those fields required

1) We use a form to collect required data. From there, one question triggers an update request to a third party from the email that we collected in the form. We want these fields to be required. As a workaround, I tried using the same workflow to set a condition that if any are left blank, then to request a secondary update. However, when we tried this, both emails arrive at the same time, one asking for an update, the other saying the update was incomplete. How do I trigger the update to the update? Separate workflow altogether? Instructions would be great.

2) The other issue is, at the footer for the email is "go to sheet". We don't want them to have access to whole sheet, just that they "open request".

Any suggestions?

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SoS | Dan Palenchar

Re 1 - you need either separate conditions to trigger your workflows that are specific to them OR some type of filter that does not allow #2 to go until something happened with #1, for example:

Chain your first update request automation to a Change Cell notification that does something like check a box to indicate the first update request has been sent out. I'm going to call this column UA #1 Sent.
Add a filter criteria in the second update request to require UA #1 Sent to be checked.

This might still go out at the same time or shortly after depending on the conditions for sending out the 2nd UA. You could try something like changing the trigger to every day and send it out until all the conditions are received.

The main issue here is that if someone ignores the UA there is no data coming in, so there is some level of training the users to interact with the UAs.

Re 2 - I don't think you can remove the Go to the sheet link at the bottom, but you don't have to share the user to the Sheet and you could add some text in the email body to ignore that link.

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👨🏼‍💻 Dan Palenchar | School of Sheets Solutions Consulting | Smartsheet Aligned Gold Partner

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DavidO_Stein

Thanks, Dan. I am not following you.

First, do I set up separate workflow or use the same? Using the same has only one trigger, therefore both requests are coming in at once (to the enterer). In other words, when the 1st party selects a "type" on the form, it triggers a request for update form a 3rd party. If that party leaves any blank, I need to set up an automation that sends them a follow up request for update on the blank fields.

Please break this down for me:

"Chain your first update request automation to a Change Cell notification that does something like check a box to indicate the first update request has been sent out. I'm going to call this column UA #1 Sent.
Add a filter criteria in the second update request to require UA #1 Sent to be checked."

SoS | Dan Palenchar

Hey @DavidO_Stein -

Regarding -

You could accomplish this with either one workflow or two separate workflows. To do this with one workflow your trigger condition would be when "type" changes to any value. You would them have a filter that would route the update request based on if it is blank or not.

You could also break this down into two separate workflows if you prefer. One workflow would have when "type" is changed to whatever your legitimate responses are. The other workflow would have the trigger be when it is changed to a blank value.

However, if you are using a form you use a drop-down column and restrict it this would solve the problem and prevent users from entering in a blank value. If you can't do this I'd recommend adding some noticeable description telling the user to not leave a blank value.

Regarding:

Please break this down for me:

"Chain your first update request automation to a Change Cell notification that does something like check a box to indicate the first update request has been sent out. I'm going to call this column UA #1 Sent.

Add a filter criteria in the second update request to require UA #1 Sent to be checked."

This is about how to make sure the second update request does not go out erroneously. My understanding was that the first update request has to always go out before the second but with the information I provided this doesn't seem to be the case, rather, it's about not sending out two messages at once.

But what I was describing was using a Change Cell automation to check a box in a column after the 1st update request was sent. Then, using this checked box as a filter for the 2nd update request so that it would only be able to be sent if the box that gets checked via automation 1 is sent out.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

👨🏼‍💻 Dan Palenchar | School of Sheets Solutions Consulting | Smartsheet Aligned Gold Partner

If this response helped you please help me & the community by accepting it and reacting as you see fit (💡insightful, ⬆️ Vote Up, and/or ❤️Awesome).

🆘 Smartsheet Consulting Inquiries: schoolofsheets.com/workwithus

▶️ Smartsheet Tutorial Videos: schoolofsheets.com/youtube

DavidO_Stein

It didn't work. For some reason when I set up a separate work flow with an update request, the requestor doesn't get the email.

ker9

@DavidO_Stein

I suggest adding a helper column (Sent Date) to get the date the first request went out. This date should be set by the original automation as the last step (record a date).

Add a 2nd helper column (Reminder Date) that calculates a date x days in the future from the original send date. Create a 2nd automation that goes out perhaps once a week when the reminder date is in the past and other conditions have not been met. This should continue to go out until all conditions are met.

I hope this helps and doesn't further confuse the issue.

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