Creating templates correctly

Julie Hill

Hi,

I created a template for expense reports in order to create specific expense reports per job (I film destination weddings). 2 weird things are happening:

1) When I send my employees the form to the report to fill out as they go, it does not show the title of the sheet I just created. It says "expenses 1/12-1/28" instead of what I named it: 2/22/20 EKoplin expenses. See screenshot attached. (this really confuses my team as they think they are filling out the wrong one)

2) when the info goes on the spreadsheet, it skips a bunch of rows. why? (see 2 screenshots attached).

Thanks for your help!

BTW here is my workflow for modifying the template: Home > elysium expense reports > click on “expense reports > click on “use template” & rename

Screen Shot 2020-02-17 at 8.47.49 AM.png

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Andrée Starå

Hi Julie,

1. You'll have to rename the form as well, so it reflects the new sheet name.
2. The rows that are skipped aren't empty, and it looks like there are attachments added. To make sure that it doesn't jump, you could add the form submissions at the top of the sheet instead.

I hope that helps!

Have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Andrée Starå

You're not dumb!

It's probably not summing it because you haven't changed the hierarchy so that the first row becomes the parent of all children underneath.

Have a look here.

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/504734-hierarchy-indenting-outdenting-rows

Let me know how it goes!

Andrée Starå

Hi Julie,

1. You'll have to rename the form as well, so it reflects the new sheet name.
2. The rows that are skipped aren't empty, and it looks like there are attachments added. To make sure that it doesn't jump, you could add the form submissions at the top of the sheet instead.

I hope that helps!

Have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅Did my post help answer your question or solve your problem? Please help the Community by marking it as the accepted answer/helpful. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer! 

Julie Hill

Ahhh... thank you!!! so the attachments that are there are from a previous sheet and I used that to create the template. If I delete those rows on the template, will it erase them on the original sheet I filled out?

Andrée Starå

Happy to help!

The previous sheet will not be affected if you delete them on the new sheet. I'd recommend creating a template sheet with everything removed and then use that for each new project.

Julie Hill

Got it. I'm trying to edit the template to add a column and it won't let me. Help!

Also, how do I add a formula so that it automatically updates the sum below the last entered item (because this is for expense reports?) this would again mean editing the template but I don't know how to do this equation in the first place since the cells are constantly being added to.

Andrée Starå

Unfortunately, you can't edit a Smartsheet Template, so you'll have to create a new sheet and replace the template.

Because Smartsheet is using a hierarchy like parents and children, I'd recommend using the sum at the top and sum the children or descendants or by using the sheet summary section.

Make sense?

Andrée Starå

You could also use one master expense sheet for all projects and then the submitter would select the project the expense is for or you'd create specific forms for each project, but in the same sheet.

Julie Hill

Ok. the last scenario wouldn't work as we are constantly adding new projects, etc. Bummer that you can't edit a template but can you describe exactly (like step by step) how I would add this equation? I understand having it in the first row makes sense but how will it know to constantly add and change the total when more rows of expenses are added?

Andrée Starå

Why wouldn't the last scenario work?

Step by step.

Make row one the parent of all rows below (children) and add the following formula to the columns that you want to SUM. =SUM(CHILDREN())

Did it work?

Julie Hill

because I didn't know of that equation (I literally know nothing about spreadsheets) so thank you... this is helpful!!

Andrée Starå

Ok.

You're more than welcome!

✅Remember! Did my post help answer your question or solve your problem? Please help the Community by marking it as the accepted answer/helpful. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

Julie Hill

will do!!

Julie Hill

Sorry to be so dumb at this, but that equation isn't working. See screenshot. it just says 0. Yet it didn't say it didn't know the formula... hmmm...

Andrée Starå

You're not dumb!

It's probably not summing it because you haven't changed the hierarchy so that the first row becomes the parent of all children underneath.

Have a look here.

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/504734-hierarchy-indenting-outdenting-rows

Let me know how it goes!

Julie Hill

OMG THAT WAS it!!!!!!

Julie Hill

OK! While this worked (thank you thank you thank you) it doesn't look like it's going to work the way I want. These are expense reports so ideally the forumla will live there, and I chose to indent all the cells in that row underneath, but right now they are empty because nothing has been entered in the report. When I just tested it, it wouldn't add. I had to go back and indent the filled in cell. In other words, even though I'm indenting blank cells, it's not saving it that way :( any work around? basically when I receive these expense reports, everything should be fully added up and I just have to look at the total.