Developing page links via API 2.0

Monique Stitts

I'm in the process of creating a Master Task List that will incorporate tasks from across multiple sheets so that we may create dependencies across departments. My problem is that I need the Master List to update automatically as the sheets informing it do, but cell linking will not account for new rows added or deleted to the informing sheets, and reports (while they do update automatically) do not allow dependencies on their gantt charts. I'm a bit at a loss.

 

I'm thinking that if I'm able to develop a way to link an entire sheet -- rather than just individual cells -- using API, that may take care of my problem (though I'd still need to consider how to change the predecessor numbers once they're in the Master List).

 

Has anyone been able to do this before? Or do you have any other suggestions?

Kim Brandl

 

From a technical perspective, it is possible to use the Smartsheet API to add cell links to a sheet. To accomplish the type of scenario that you've described, you could write a script that uses the API to:

 

- Get/Read each of the Sheets that you're interested in (looking for any new rows since the last time the script ran)

 

- If any new rows are detected in the examined Sheets that contain data which should be linked into new rows in the "Master Task List" sheet:  execute the Add Row(s) operation to create new row(s) in the "Master Task List" sheet, and then subsequently execute the Update Row(s) operation to add Cell Links to specific cells within the newly added row(s).

 

You'd need to schedule the script to run periodically, each time looking for new rows added to Sheet(s) of interest since the previous time the script ran, and adding new rows & cell links to the "Master Task List" sheet as needed.  

 

[Please note, the API does not currently support updating the "Predecessor" column in a sheet -- so you'd need to do that step manually via the Smartsheet web app.]

Monique Stitts

I see. I think it may suit my needs to highlight changes that have been made to the sheets or notify myself when tasks have been deleted/added, manually add/remove those to/from the Master List, and link the new rows added. Then I'll just add the dependencies mannually. Thanks so much for your answer!