Need an easier way to use Auto number column

SIndhu Aithal

Hi Smartsheet team,

We use an Autonumber column in conjunction with conditional formatting to alternate row colors and sequence Gantt chart colors, with every fourth color repeating. However, the Autonumber column is unreliable; when columns are rearranged, the numbering does not update automatically. It's impractical to reset the Autonumber by deleting and recreating it as suggested in the Smartsheet Learning Center each time the sequence needs an update, especially since it necessitates adjusting the conditional formatting formula. Unfortunately, Smartsheet doesn't offer a function similar to Excel's ADDRESS to obtain the specific location (i.e., row number, column cell) of a cell. It would be beneficial to have an auto-refreshing Auto-number column.

Samuel Mueller

You can use the formula Match on an autonumber column to return the row position

=match(ID@row, ID:ID,0) assuming that ID is the name of your auto number column. An auto numbering system should not update since it provides a unique row value. However, I do feel like Smartsheet should have a built in function like Address, perhaps you could submit that enhancement request?

SIndhu Aithal

Thank You Samuel for the suggestion. It works like a charm. I wasn't aware of MATCH function.