Approval Request - Error Message for Contact in Cell

I am trying to set up an approval automation for my Smartsheet for a contact in a cell. When I try and use the contact column I get the error message "please select at least one column that is not a comment or attachment". Also shown in the image attached. There are attachments and comments on most rows, but this hasn't been an error in the past when setting up approvals.

I even went back to previous approval automations and got the same error and was not able to edit them. They are still working for now. Oddly, sometimes I can get the automation to save, but then when I go back it stops working again.

The help is appreciated!

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Gillian C

Hi @Brendan Zimmer

Is it possible that something other than a contact has been added into the 'Email' column?

Brendan Zimmer

@Gillian C

I just double checked and there isn't anything in the column besides contacts. It is a formula that populates the column. I then try with just using my email and not even a column and I get the same exact issue. This seems to be an internal problem in Smartsheet because I am not doing anything incorrect and it keeps sporadically working.

Gillian C

Hi @Brendan Zimmer

That is odd :)

If it sporadically works I would raise a support ticket and they can look behind the scenes to see if there is anything odd happening. https://help.smartsheet.com/contact

Debbie Sawyer

Did you ever get to the bottom of this?

To me, it looks like the Approval Workflow is incomplete. I.e. with this workflow a form is sent to the approver asking them to approve something, but it looks like no columns have been selected to be sent to them. The columns are usually selected/declared just under the messages section which in the screen shot provided has not been completed yet.

I don't think the error has anything to do with the contact in cell being chosen, it is just the location of the error message has made it look like that is the where the error is.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards

Debbie

Brendan Zimmer

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/440830#Comment_440830

So I did figure it out. Basically what you said is correct. There has to be a column (besides attachments or comments) assigned to the approval workflow.

But for some reason it still lets you save the automation even if you mess that part up.

Debbie Sawyer

Great - Well done! ;D

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