Some parts of the automation not running based on Index(Match) cell change

vakhanka

Hi folks,

Could I get some help with this issue, please? Published sheets shared below.

Workflow: Order Form Sheet - lists items (Primary column), has a Submit check box column (box is checked), and has a status dropdown column with an INDEX(MATCH) formula referencing the Tracking Sheet. Rows are locked.

Tracking Sheet - Lists Items, has a dropdown status column.

Automation on the Order Form sheet: When the status changes to "delivered," unlock a row, notify someone, and uncheck the Submit box.

The INDEX(MATCH) works fine, but the automation only runs partially. It will send the email notification, so I know the trigger initiates something, but it will not unlock the rows or uncheck the box.

If I remove INDEX(MATCH) and instead set the automation to run based on the manual status dropdown change, it will work as intended. However, this is useless for the actual solution I am trying to build.

What am I missing here? Links to published worksheets here:

Order Form: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=dfa5caab6dd0497fa9073611b4bf6a1a

Tracking: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=0bf902e97879445eac821280f4000057

kowal

hi @vakhanka,

in smartsheet you are not able to trigger workflows that change sheets like copy row, move row, change cell value, etc. if it's triggered either by cell linked or through the formula that is referencing another sheets.

Probably your Index/Match is reading from other sheets and it triggers only workflows like notifications but not to check the box…

Smartsheed blocked that not to have loops issues between sheets.

vakhanka

@kowal thank you for your response. I was worried it was the case. I tried to workshop this by adding a helper column to the Order sheet with a simple =IF([status]@row = "delivered",1,0) to see if this would help run the automation since it would no longer be cross-sheet, but it still wouldn't do it. :(

kowal

@vakhanka I had exactly the same problem when I could not trigger the "copy row workflow" when I wanted to trigger it based on linkedcell so I also tried to make internal formula to change so it would trigger but I think smartsheet outsmarted that "workaround". What helped me was DataMesh - if you have the possibility you should try to use it instead of index/match and based on new data from this solution you can trigger the workflow.

vakhanka

@kowal oooooo, so it's not a bug, it's a premium feature prompt… This makes so much sense. I do have Data Mesh but I was hoping to avoid premium features for this build since I am trying to create a template for unit managers with regular licenses. Thank you so much for your help.

kowal

@vakhanka it was never a bug smartsheet did it on purpose and as I was going through articles it was to avoid workflow looping you know that one sheet is changing another sheet and that sheet is changing the previous sheet and it would be like never ending story thats why they blocked it.