Help with Update request/ forms

Jon Barto

Hello

What I am tying to do is create an automation on a sheet. The sheet has 6 columns of data.

1. Job Name 2. Complete 3. Sub agree or decline 4. Sub Contractor 5. Start date 6. Finish date

I would like the automation to go out 15 days before the start date to the sub contractor and have the subcontractor be able to via dropdown selected if they agree or decline the job.

The only column I want them to be able to edit is the sub agree or decline column.

But I need them to see the other columns because of the important data in them such as Job name, start date, ect.

Is this even possible?

SoS | Dan Palenchar

This is definitely possible!

Send automation based on date field

I would like the automation to go out 15 days before the start date to the sub contractor and have the subcontractor be able to via dropdown selected if they agree or decline the job.

Make a Date column that will serve to populate a date 15 days before the Start Date. I will call it Automation Date. Input the formula =[Start Date]@row-15

In your automation, use the trigger When a date is reached and base it off the Automation Date column.

Control Update Request Editable Fields

The only column I want them to be able to edit is the sub agree or decline column.

But I need them to see the other columns because of the important data in them such as Job name, start date, ect.

Leave the Sub agree or decline as it currently is (presumably unlocked and not a formula).

For the other fields you want to be visible but not editable you can just lock them so long as the recipients are not shared with Admin or Owner permissions.

If you cannot lock the columns a workaround is to duplicate each column and input a column formula that is equal to the original column, then include the formula columns in the Update Requests. So for Job Name you could add another column called Job Name* or something similar, input formula =[Job Name]@row and set it as a column formula.

Advanced solution for Update Request Information Display

A related neat trick is you can use a single column with a formula to get the info across all the columns you want displayed and use that in your Update Request. For example, I have a Sheet that outputs something like this:

It is fed from formula ="Prepared for " + [Client Name]@row + " on " + [Today's Date]@row + " by " + Salesperson@row

Then in an update request it looks like this

Hope this helps!