Helper Column Not Updating Automatically, Causing Reminders to Trigger Over Weekends

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Exclude weekends and holidays from automation reminders.

jgmacusa

Andree Stara, et al.

I had already had the idea of a helper column but with my formula. As it was not working, I tried your formula

=NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(), TODAY(), Holidays:Holidays)

although the result was the same, why not try it? But it continued not working, i.e., the automated reminders were still sent over the weekend. Then following my gut feeling, this Saturday I woke up early and opened the sheet. The save file icon lit up, and the helper column was unchecked. I saved it and bingo, the reminders were not sent out. Today (Monday morning) I opened the sheet and the same happened, i.e., the save file icon lit up again, the helper column was checked, and I saved it.

The problem is clear: The helper column does not update in the background, as we would like or thought and thus. Am I missing something else here? A configuration tweak perhaps?

Thank you,

John

Brian_Richardson

The TODAY() function relies on the sheet being changed and saved. Otherwise, it does not update the "today's date" information.

Not usually an issue if the sheet is accessed normally, but if you need it to work over the weekend when nobody is accessing it, then you may want to change things a bit.

1. Create a Date column called "Today's Date"
2. Create an automation that runs daily in the early AM and captures a date to the "Today's Date" column
3. Change your formula to use the Today's Date column instead of TODAY()