Show row attachment download link on Dashboard

I need to display a link to download a row attachment on a dashboard. Since this is not a native feature (it's been requested since at least 2020), let the work arounds continue.

Project Details: I have 160 users recording time for projects, 1-7 entries per day into an intake sheet via forms. A helper sheet summarizes the time by user and week-ending date. Python uploads a PDF report to the summary sheet rows based on the intake data. Two smartsheet reports (with filters to show info for "current user") display the details and summary. A dashboard centralizes everything - a link for new time entries, a link to edit the data, the report of details and the summary report. All I need is access to the attachment…

While showing a report does not show the attachment icon, I can use python to grab the attachment url and add it to a column. The report can display this column on the dashboard, but…the link expires in just 2 minutes.

I could create a second helper sheet with just the user and week-ending date (my unique identifiers) and a copy of the attachment. Then embed this sheet with a default filter based on user. This fails cause folks can remove the filter and see too much. The imbedded sheet also looks horrible.

I could run my python script every 2 minutes to update the link but that seems like a bad idea.

I've seen suggestions to manually getting the link from emails (which lasts 90 days), but this fails due to the scale of the operation - 160 reports updated throughout the week. Manual anything is not an option.

Storing the files in a 3rd party library is also not an option.

My Questions:

Can I update the urlExpiresInMillis property in attachments so that it'll last at least 14 days?

Is there another option I can consider that will allow easy access to the attachment?

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Accepted answers

Gia Thinh

1- Unfortunately, there is no setting in the dashboard to hide the header and toolbar of the embeded report. However, when you resize the report window large enough, there is a fullscreen icon at the bottom left of the report. Clicking on it, the report will change to fullscreen mode and the hides the header. See the screenshot below.

2- Another way you may consider. In the "Widget Behavior" setting of your current report in the dashboard, you can select "Open another site" option and enter the published report link as screenshot below. When users click on the report, the published report will be shown up in a new browser tab along with attachment.

All comments

Gia Thinh

Hi @KenR ,

You may try publishing the Report and embed the Report link to your Dashboard. Then the Dashboard will show the Report along with attachment icon as screenshots below. Hope it works for you.

KenR

Hi Gia! Thanks for the suggestion! I didn't think about publishing the report instead of the sheet - this gives much better control for what the user will see. However, the only way I could get the published sheet to show the attachment was to embed it. The embedded report (and it was the same with the embedded sheet), presents the smartsheet header and toolbar. This ruins the presentation of the dashboard. Is there a way to remove the header and toolbar of the embedded report?

Here's a few screen shots:

The published report showing the attachment:

Here's the dashboard for context.

Any ideas?

Thank you!

Gia Thinh

KenR

@Gia Thinh, Thank you! You've pointed me in a workable direction. Instead of publishing a report and using the Widget link, I created another report with just the relevant columns and filtered for the Current User. Then I added it with another shortcut link to the dashboard. It required a little re-arranging of the links but it turned out ok:

It's not as clean as I'd like it. All I need is the attachment and there are headers and tool bars and extra columns and a bunch of empty rows…. but I think it'll work. I've checked your answer as correct. Thank you.

Gia Thinh

Happy to help .

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