How do I add automated date to form?

Danica H.

I have a form that users fill in when they want a document copy edited. I have set up Smartsheet to calculate a turnaround time based on the word count of the document, which they fill in, and their submission date. I would like to show this automated date on the form before they fill in a requested due date (so they can see what date is reasonable and within our turnaround guidelines). But I can't find a way to add this automated date to the form.

I have the field set up as a Date column and populated with a formula.

I imagine there is a problem with showing that field because the Creation Date does not exist until they submit the form. Is there a way to tackle that?

Paul Newcome

You may need to look into other form options then as Smartsheet Forms do not have this capability.

Andrée Starå

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/482616#Comment_482616

Happy to help!

Yes, you're correct, that wouldn't work. I missed that crucial piece of information.

An idea could be to have the form and a sheet/report side by side in a Dashboard, and then have a selector where users select a range. They could then look on the other side to see what date that corresponds to.

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SueinSpain

you are correct as until they have submitted the form there is no creation date to use in a formula.

You could allow them to submit with an estimated due date adding some supporting text to guide them. The on receipt of the record allow the formula to calculate the earliest estimated date and use automation to alert / notify them of the calculated due date

Paul Newcome

How are users accessing this form?

Danica H.

I am sending them the link to the Smartsheet form.

Andrée Starå

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/138909/how-do-i-add-automated-date-to-form

Hi,

I hope you're well and safe!

You could use an Automated Alert Workflow and include a link to the form pre-filled by using the URL-Query feature.

More info:

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2478871-url-query-string-form-default-values

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic day!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Danica H.

Thank you very much for your solution.

I would have to add the value to the form in advance in this case? I think that would not work, as I need the automation to do the work after the user submits certain fields—in this case, the length of the document.

Moreover, we are sending users to a single site to access the form.

Paul Newcome

You may need to look into other form options then as Smartsheet Forms do not have this capability.

Danica H.

Thanks for your feedback. Maybe I can at least automate the editing request confirmation to include this field.

Andrée Starå

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/482616#Comment_482616

Happy to help!

Yes, you're correct, that wouldn't work. I missed that crucial piece of information.

An idea could be to have the form and a sheet/report side by side in a Dashboard, and then have a selector where users select a range. They could then look on the other side to see what date that corresponds to.

✅ Remember! Did my comment(s) help/answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community and me by marking it - Insightful 💡- Vote Up ⬆️ - Awesome ❤️ - or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer! I appreciate it, thanks!

Danica H.

Thanks, Andrée — I don't want users to access the sheet itself, just the form. But I did build it into my automated response to the form, so people can at least see the automated date versus the due date they enter themselves. Hopefully that will do something!

Andrée Starå

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/482659#Comment_482659

You're more than welcome!

To clarify, they wouldn't have access to the sheet. You would show the dates on the side of the form, but the automated alert is an excellent solution as well.

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Danica H.

Oh, interesting! Sounds a little complicating, though, so I'll just try it this way and see how it works. But I'll keep this in my back pocket for down the road—thanks again.

Andrée Starå

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/482663#Comment_482663

I'm always happy to help!

Yes, it's a little more complicated, so I recommend going with your current solution as long as it works.

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SueinSpain

you are correct as until they have submitted the form there is no creation date to use in a formula.

You could allow them to submit with an estimated due date adding some supporting text to guide them. The on receipt of the record allow the formula to calculate the earliest estimated date and use automation to alert / notify them of the calculated due date

Danica H.

SueinSpain, that's just what I've done! Of course, they never read the documentation in advance, but my return confirmation includes both the calculated due date and their requested due date, so at least they are aware if they're making a request that's out of bounds.