Can you uses forms to populate fields in existing rows instead of creating an entirely new row?

callumgordon12 · 07/02/25

Hi all, hope this message finds you well.

I'm building a sheet with the purpose of being a 'One stop shop' between our organisation and external parties.

So far, I've built a mastersheet with a form for our internal team and two separate sheets with their own forms for the external individuals involved. The aim is for our internal team to complete one form, providing their half of the data - and then to be able to send out a second form to our external contacts, to populate the remaining half of the row.

The issue I'm facing, is once our internal team complete the first form and create a new row, I can't direct the external form responses to the same row, instead it creates a new row entirely, leaving me with two halves of the information I need.

Is it possible for me to do this via Forms, or if not is there an alternative application to help me streamline this process?

Many Thanks,

Callum

Andrée Starå · 07/02/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/140772/can-you-uses-forms-to-populate-fields-in-existing-rows-instead-of-creating-an-entirely-new-row

Hi,

I hope you're well and safe!

It's possible, but I'd recommend this instead.

1️⃣. Start with the form

2️⃣. Continue with either an Update Request or use the Premium App, Dynamic View

https://www.smartsheet.com/product/dynamic-view

Make sense?

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic day!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Smartsheet Expert Consultant & Partner / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅ Did I help answer your question/solve the problem? Please support with💡 ⬆️ ❤️, and/or ✅ Answer. This will make it easier for others to find a solution or help answer! I appreciate it, thank you! 🙏

Andrée Starå · 07/02/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/488763#Comment_488763

Happy to help!

You'd use a so-called helper sheet and have the initial form submitted to the first sheet.

Then, using the URL-query feature and an auto-number column or another unique identifier, you'd create a link to the form in the second sheet and send it in an Alert.

Using cross-sheet formulas (VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH), you would collect the data from the second sheet and, using the ID, connect them to the correct rows.

Make sense?

✅ Remember! Did I help answer your question/solve the problem? Please support with💡 ⬆️ ❤️, and/or ✅ Answer. This will make it easier for others to find a solution or help answer! I appreciate it, thank you! 🙏

Clarity Ava · 07/02/25

Use update requests to let external people fill in the same row…

Andrée Starå · 07/02/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/140772/can-you-uses-forms-to-populate-fields-in-existing-rows-instead-of-creating-an-entirely-new-row

Hi,

I hope you're well and safe!

It's possible, but I'd recommend this instead.

1️⃣. Start with the form

2️⃣. Continue with either an Update Request or use the Premium App, Dynamic View

https://www.smartsheet.com/product/dynamic-view

Make sense?

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic day!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Smartsheet Expert Consultant & Partner / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅ Did I help answer your question/solve the problem? Please support with💡 ⬆️ ❤️, and/or ✅ Answer. This will make it easier for others to find a solution or help answer! I appreciate it, thank you! 🙏

callumgordon12 · 07/02/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/488758#Comment_488758

Afternoon, thanks a lot for your response.

If this is possible, do you know where could I find information on how to manipulate the forms responses? Think this would be my best solution to be honest, even if it's not easy to set up.

I cannot use update requests as the external parties can't have access to the rest of the data in the sheet and Dynamic View declines me access regardless of my Enterprise license…

Kind Regards,