Extracting Email Address From Contact Column

Khari Shiver

Hello,

I have a contact column from which I'm trying to extract the email address. I've seen instances where a helper column is created that is set equal to the primary contact column and the helper column is changed from contact to text. That approach won't work for us because the contact column will have new inputs and the aforementioned approach only works when the column is changed from contact to text.

Thanks!

Pauline J

Hi @Khari Shiver If you don't mind, would you post a snip of a screen to show what you are trying to achieve? In my experience, a contact column is just that — a column that stores a list of email address, which can be selected. The column is then capable of being used to send email via worklfows and automation. Are you trying to convert the email addresses into plain text?

Khari Shiver

Contact 1 is the original contact column, Contact Dup Text is a text column set equal to Contact 1, and Contact Dup Contact to Text was initially a contact column set equal to Contact 1. I changed the property type to text in the last column after the first two lines had data. You can see the email address is visible and I could use a formula in another column to extract it. The third row was added after the column type was changed and you can see the email address is not visible. If I changed the column type back to contact and then again to text, the email address in the third row would be visible.

DKazatsky2

Hi @Khari Shiver,

I have developed a work around for what you describe - fairly convoluted though. This solution relies on a secondary sheet instead to be used. At a high level, when you enter a row in the source sheet, it will move it to another sheet where the "Contact Dub Text" column is of type "Contact List" but will then move the row back to the source sheet where that same column is of type "Text/Number". Once the row comes back from the secondary sheet the columns "Contact Dub Text" and "Contact Email" will populate with data.

The source needs Contact 1, Contact Dup Text, Contact Email, and a check box column - along with whatever other columns you already need.

The secondary sheet will need to be an exact copy of the source sheet since we will be using an automation and moving rows. The only difference will bee some formulas.

In the source sheet, use the following column formula in the "Contact Email" column.

=IFERROR(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(MID([Contact Dub Text]@row, FIND("<", [Contact Dub Text]@row), LEN([Contact Dub Text]@row)), "<", ""), ">", ""), "")

In the secondary sheet, use the following column formula in the "Contact Dub Text" column.

=[Contact 1]@row

Now, in the source sheet setup an automation to move the row when it is added/changed AND the checkbox is not checked.

In the secondary sheet you need 2 automations. Automation 1 will set the checkbox to checked, if this is not done an infinite loop is initiated and the automation will shut down. Automation 2 moves the row back to the source when the checkbox gets checked.

Here is how it looks in action….

Step 1 - add a contact and save.

Step 2 - wait for the automations to complete.

Hopefully this makes sense and isn't too convoluted.

Dave