Template and Cross Sheet Reference

SML

I have 5 templates. Each time we have a new project, we select the appropriate template and save as new. The template gets updated frequently (task column), and also new rows are added. Is there a way to use cross reference formula to automatically update the new project smartsheet everytime the template is updated, and have the new row added? The other issue is that the new row will be added to a specific sequence. Could we somehow automate and sort the new project smartsheet so that the new row is placed in the correct order?

Paul Newcome

Not anything that would actually work. You COULD use cross sheet references to pull in the data, but any hierarchy would have to be manually adjusted, and any data that is manually entered will need manually adjusted as well.

For example... If you have 100 tasks and you update the template to make it 101, but that extra task is on row 15, any data that has been manually entered on the sheet from row 15 down will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Hierarchy also cannot be adjusted via formula, so that would also need to be a manual adjustment.

Either way you are going to have to revisit every single sheet and make manual adjustments.

Genevieve P.

Hey @SML

There currently isn't a way to link a Template to it's created sheet after the sheet has already been generated. As @Paul Newcome mentioned, you could use the API to programatically make changes, but other than that, you'll need to make changes manually in the created sheets.

Please feel free to submit your feature request to the Product team by creating an Idea Post in the Smartsheet Product Feedback and Ideas topic here in the Community.

Cheers,

Genevieve

John Saleh

You may need a plugin to do this, may i suggest Nojolu

https://nojolu.net/tool/dropdown_sync/landing

SML

Looking for a solution within Smarthseet

SML

@Paul Newcome? I'm sure you would have an answer for this!

Paul Newcome

@John Saleh How is a dropdown updater supposed to solve for this?

@SML I want to make sure I understand your ask... It sounds to me like you are creating a new sheet from a template, and you want all of the sheets that have been created from that template to be updated when you update the template?

SML

Hi @Paul Newcome

Yes-correct! New sheet out of a template, and all the sheets to be updated when the template is updated.

There is a specific column in the template that will be updated regularly. Here is our current workflow:

1. Team will take the template and save as to create a new sheet.
2. The template will be updated.
3. The sheet will be updated with those changes made in the template.

Thanks so much for your help. This will be a huge time saver.

SML

One other thing. There will also be additional rows of information that will be added to the template. These rows will need to be sorted in sequence on the new smartsheet.

Paul Newcome

@SML You would need to leverage the API for this.

SML

Thanks @Paul Newcome

Any partial solutions that can be deployed without using an API?

SML

Anyway cross sheet references can be deployed to partially solution this?

Paul Newcome

Not anything that would actually work. You COULD use cross sheet references to pull in the data, but any hierarchy would have to be manually adjusted, and any data that is manually entered will need manually adjusted as well.

For example... If you have 100 tasks and you update the template to make it 101, but that extra task is on row 15, any data that has been manually entered on the sheet from row 15 down will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Hierarchy also cannot be adjusted via formula, so that would also need to be a manual adjustment.

Either way you are going to have to revisit every single sheet and make manual adjustments.

Genevieve P.

Hey @SML

There currently isn't a way to link a Template to it's created sheet after the sheet has already been generated. As @Paul Newcome mentioned, you could use the API to programatically make changes, but other than that, you'll need to make changes manually in the created sheets.

Please feel free to submit your feature request to the Product team by creating an Idea Post in the Smartsheet Product Feedback and Ideas topic here in the Community.

Cheers,

Genevieve

SML

Thank you both