Form Logic

Erin Kim

I might have looked way to long at this on a Friday. But has anyone ran into this issue / have a resolution?

I have a form with logic built in, when testing it out I select responses to see how its working etc. When I select fields the data does not erase and it is still captured in the form.

Example:

Q 1: What's your fav color

• A-Pink
• B-Blue
• C-Red

If C, display Q2

If b, display Q3

Q2: What shade do you like

• light
• dark

Q3: What object is blue

• Sky
• Grass

What I noticed when testing is if I were to select "C" for Q1 and complete Q2 answers, then then change Q1 to B, it still houses the data for Q2. In my mind I would think if you change the answer to Q1 then it would clear the answers to the question with the logic.

Am I crazy or does anyone else experience this / have a solution to build within the form to not record on the sheet the data that is not needed based on responses

jmyzk_cloudsmart_jp

Hi @Erin Kim

I tried the "is none of" condition, which seems to work as expected.

Possible reason:

If I chose B first but changed it to C, we have B and C, even if the chosen B is not cleared. This does not satisfy the "is none of A and B" as B is selected, so the logic becomes false, thus removing Q2.

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/088c819c62e5458394f8808a6cd203c6 (It requires a Smartsheet login to avoid abuse.)

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=9ddeb0bbe60145e583b528ea9cf09e3e

Erin Kim

Thanks @jmyzk_cloudsmart_jp .

I think the issue is that if I select an answer through 1 string of logic and select an answer, then go back to the main start of the logic and change the question, it still holds that answer to the first logic route. Example Q1 they select b-blue, then complete the question for Q3 selecting sky, but then they go back to Q1 change it to C-red, then you have in the background the answer to Q3 and now Q2 will have an answer as well. When you switch Q1 back to b-blue you will still see the answer reflected in Q3.

jmyzk_cloudsmart_jp

You're right, @Erin Kim – I thought I had found a workaround using a different logic, but I tested it again with the setup and got the same result. I was wrong – the previous selection still remains even when switching the logic path back. 😅

Just to add, I’ve tested this behavior not only in Smartsheet Forms but also in Google Forms and Microsoft Forms, and they all behave the same way: When you go back and change a previous answer, the inputs from the now-hidden follow-up questions are still retained. They’re not automatically cleared, which can cause issues in conditional logic workflows.

However, one platform that does support auto-clearing hidden fields is Jotform. It has a setting called “Clear Hidden Field Values”, which you can enable to automatically remove inputs from hidden fields as users change their answers. Jotform is one of the few that supports this natively, and it’s worth checking out if that behavior is critical for your use case.

https://form.jotform.com/250897790331465 (Check this form example)

You can connect Jotform to Smartsheet using the following:

• Google Sheets + Data Shuttle
• Zapier, Make.com
• Power Automate

Hope this helps anyone else trying to solve this logic issue! 👍

Erin Kim

@jmyzk_cloudsmart_jp Aw man. I was really hoping that I was missing something. Thanks for digging in and providing an alternate solution. Have a wonderful day!

jmyzk_cloudsmart_jp

Happy to help！😁

Paul Newcome

To avoid having to use (and potentially pay for) a third party app, you could use a Clear Cell automation with some logic/conditions built in there to clear the data out of the cell in the sheet after the form has been submitted. I know that doesn't stop the data from hitting the sheet in the first place, but it can still help clean the data once submitted.

Trigger would be when rows are added where Q1 is "A" or Q1 is "B" with a condition of Q2 is not blank. Action is Clear Cell and target for action is Q2.