Copying Attachments from One Sheet to Another

Paul Newcome

Is anyone aware of a way to copy attachments from one sheet to another automatically? Similar to how row attachments will pull through to a report but without actually using a report. I need to be able to add in some formulas and whatnot in the target sheet, so that would be why the obvious solution to using a report won't work in this case...

Mike Wilday

Paul, try copying the row this way: 

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/770589-copying-a-row-to-another-sheet

be sure to check the "include attachments" checkbox.

Mike Wilday

Oh. You said automatically... I wonder if Zapier can copy attachments. 

Mike Wilday

This would have been a good case to use automation and a feature to copy the row (and attachment). But alas, that is in the works and not yet a reality.

Submit a product enhancement request. 

Paul Newcome

Mike,

 

Thanks for the feedback. I know the Move Row automation pulls comments and attachments. I tested that for archiving old rows, but I need the current mess to be duplicated. Ugh.

 

I do wish that Copy Row automation would hurry up and get here. Ugh. Funny part is... As many times as I have suggest people submit an enhancement request, I didn't think to submit one myself. Haha.

 

I am trying to avoid Zapier if at all possible. I already have a couple of things set up that are close to capping out the free monthly zaps, and my company won't pay for a subscription.

 

And to top it off, I don't know much about API's.

 

I was just hoping that maybe I was missing something that I just don't use often or something like that.

Paul Newcome

A basic rundown of what I am doing...

 

I have a list of meetings. One meeting per row. Multiple people will attach multiple documents to the appropriate meeting row. Each person could also have multiple topics for each meeting.

 

So for this month's meeting, Jane Doe needs to discuss topics, A, B, and C, and John Smith needs to discuss topics X, Y, and Z. Each will end up attaching a document for each topic.

 

There are approximately 25 people that could potentially be attaching documents for each meeting.

 

I have this sheet built and included in different things that I need to display on a dashboard through Metric Widgets and whatnot.

 

Each of these topics for each meeting will need sorted and put into a time slot.

 

I could do this on the same sheet as the meeting schedule that has the attachments, but then it quickly becomes rather unwieldy and messy. Executives need access to these attachments, but if I have my people going to one sheet to update a list then another for attachments, mass confusion will ensue, and if I put everything on one sheet so that EVERYONE is going there, it gets messy.

 

Sure... I could manually move things around, but the whole point of my boss asking me to move this process to SS is to make things more efficient than the current way of doing things (its very ugly/don't ask. haha).

.

I have every part of this process figured out and ready to go except for this one little hitch with the attachments.

 

Everything else I have been able to automate.

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I guess I'll just have to suck it up and do some manual work until the Copy Row automation comes out. Haha

Mike Wilday

Automate reminders to yourself whenever an attachment is added! (If that's even possible). And why won't reports work? 

Paul Newcome

I can set up a reminder for the day before to go through and copy the attachments over. I was just hoping to be able to automate that part too.

 

What I am wanting to do is take the full, messy schedule where the attachments are added and topics are listed and move only the row for the next upcoming meeting to another sheet for cleanliness.

 

From there I would use formulas to sort each topic and assign time slots so that an itinerary can be generated with a much cleaner look than having it all done in one sheet. The attachments for that meeting would be in the parent row which holds the general meeting info such as a condensed list of topics, location, etc.

 

I can pull a report from the original sheet that shows only the row for the next upcoming meeting along with that same pertinent data and display that on the dashboard, but having a report in a Web Content widget for one single row just looks... odd...

 

Attached is a screenshot of the basics. The report has to be published because it isn't feasible to share everyone to the underlying sheet. The list of people changes rather frequently and just become too much to manage on top of my regular workload.

 

A published report can only be displayed on a dashboard using a Web Content widget. I am just not a fan of how it looks with the extra stuff across the top of the widget, and the paperclip isn't super obvious.

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So technically a report could work, it is just very much so less than ideal.

Mike Wilday

I see what you mean. I can't think of another solution except for menial labor. How about getting an intern? 

Paul Newcome

Hahahahahaha. THAT would be great. I'll give you $12 per month. No benefits. No sick or vacation time. You buy your own pens, but I'll provide the post-its. Deal?

Mike Wilday

Sorry I got a good gig. Maybe you have a work-aged child you could talk into working for you for that amount.

 

Mike Wilday

Chores for the modern child. 

Paul Newcome

Haha! I have a 2 year old and a soon to be 5 year old. I can pay them in candy. Now to just get them into the facility. Hmm...... ?

Andrée Starå

Hi Paul & Mike,

It's already released!

Automatically Move or Copy Rows Between Sheets

More info: https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2479626-automatically-move-or-copy-rows-between-sheets?16252525=

Hope that helps!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

Paul Newcome

When did this happen?!? I guess this is what I get for always staying logged in. Maybe I should start logging out then back in on a regular basis... I was just setting up automations on the 15th and didn't see it there.

Andrée Starå

I don't know! That wouldn't have made a difference probably.

I didn't see a notice or anything. I noticed it when setting up a workflow.

There was a post in the release notes as well but not sure that it was there when I saw it in Smartsheet.

https://www.smartsheet.com/content-center/product-news/release-notes/copy-row-automated-action-0