Can I use a form to generate multiple rows in sheet?

Hi,

I am gathering requests using a form. Each request CAN have multiple Assets. I need to track several steps in the process of creating these Assets and report on them. Here's what I want Smartsheet to do, if possible.

1 - If there are multiple Assets for each Request allow that detailed info to be entered into a form without having to repeat all the Project info. (We do not use Google Forms which I have heard can do this)

2 - If I have an INTAKE sheet (from the FORM) and a TRACKING Sheet for the details - can Smartsheet create a set of CHILDREN for each additional Asset that might be needed? Can more than one FORM feed into one SHEET?

We just recently acquired a Premier account but I have not explored any of those add ons yet.

Thanks for any insight anyone might have!!!

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Accepted answers

Andrée Starå

Hi @Robert Gallegos

I hope you're well and safe!

Here's a possible workaround or workarounds

Send the main form and then a form for each wafer (send me an email if you want me to share an example of this one)
An idea that I haven't had time to explore in detail. In short. Send the main form in a so-called helper sheet and then trigger a copy row workflow including a parent and, for example, 18 rows (children) to the main sheet. Make sense?

Would any of those options work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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All comments

Andrée Starå

Hi Jeana,

I recently developed a solution for a client that uses two forms together.

Form one adds the primary information, and when submitted, another form loads so you could add the different assets, and that will reload for each asset.

Make sense?

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå

Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅Did my post help or 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!

Jeana

Hi Andrée,

That sound almost exactly like what i'm trying to do. Did the send form add the rows as Children to the first form? If not I'm wondering if some formula or conditional formatted would automatically do this.

Any thoughts on that?

Thank you so much!

Jeana

Andrée Starå

Happy to help!

The way I structured it was to use conditional formatting to make it easy to see the main and the assets and then manually go in and make the assets the children rows if needed.

Make sense?

Jeana

Yes, makes sense. I'm trying it out now.

Did you happen to see my post about using resources and calculating dates? Any thoughts on that one?

Thanks and have a great day!

Jeana

This works great for adding additional request to the sheet. For more clarification:

How could I automatically add a specific set of rows (ideally as CHILDREN but I can manually do that) to each entry that comes in from the form?

Thanks again!

Jeana

ker9

@Andrée Starå @Jeana This sounds very interesting - how are you loading the 2nd form for additional information? Would you mind elaborating on the concept? I would love to have people add rows with pre-filled primary info.

ker9

@Andrée Starå EDIT to Comment above (it wouldn't let me edit).

I believe you are using the new Beta Forms with Logic to launch the 2nd form. How are you relating the original data (intake) with the additional rows being added?

Andrée Starå

@ker9

No, and you'll probably need to delete the post because it's under NDA. 😉

I have two forms, when the first is filled in, the second loads and then for each submission the second one reloads again. I then use conditional formatting in the sheet to highlight the main row.

Make sense?

ker9

@Andrée Starå

Are you using programming or additional Apps outside of Smartsheet to accomplish this?

How is the data from the 2nd form related in SS to the first, initial form data?

I'm looking at this for a work request use and would be happy to take this to a new thread if that is more appropriate.

Jeana

Hi Andrée,

I'm avoiding using any outside Apps. Tried Zapier with not luck. Our organization just became Premier customers so I'm looking into the new apps included there to see if they will help. If you want to pursue this in a different thread or elsewhere that's great. We can keep each other informed of our results. What I've tried with forms is this:

Form 1 - gathers Project info and original Asset request (name, description, due date, etc.) then calls Form 2

Form 2 - gathers Additional Asset info (name, description, due date, etc.,) and repeats until there are no more assets requested for this Project. I simple instruct the user to close the window when they have completed all their asset entries. There is a checkbox field on this form called Additional Asset and its defaulted to checked.

All this goes to my source sheet. I have conditional formatting set up to highlight any Additional Asset's. Each asset also has an auto-number generated for it.

Screen Shot 2020-04-21 at 2.33.12 PM.png

My wish: that for each entry (additional or original asset request) that I could have the row move to my Target sheet and generate children that are the actual tasks associated with each request for tracking. The pink row below is now using Index/Match to pull in the appropriate fields based on the Auto-generated Asset # (PL25024). I then have to copy and paste in the Children rows for each new task as well and fix the indentation. The CHILDREN rows have formulas.

Screen Shot 2020-04-21 at 2.35.32 PM.png

I'm also considering rethinking the whole workflow now that we have DataMesh and Pivot apps as part of our Premier level account. Any thoughts or suggestions much appreciated! I'll keep you posted as I explore as well.

Jeana

Andrée Starå

@ker9

No, I'm not using any programming or apps except Smartsheet.

The first form is marked as "Main" and the conditional formatting will be applied to that row to separate the different records.

Make sense?

Andrée Starå

@Jeana

Yes, that is the way I structured it as well.

I'll get back to you if I come to think of any way to fulfill your wishes. 😉

Keep me posted if you make any progress on your side as well!

Nadine Alexis

Hey @Jeana,

How exactly do you enable "then calls Form 2" once the first form is completed? I don't see any functionality within Smartsheet to allow this linking of two forms. (Note: now using the new version that includes logic recently deployed)

Here's what I'm trying to do: my sheet tracks safety violations. I want to be able to have the form user enter basic indecent info ONCE (date, location, infraction type, etc), and then be able to list details of multiple people (name, ID, group, etc). Ideally it would generate multiple rows with the same basic info and just update the person's info.

I would prefer not to have multiple columns for person (1) name (1) ID (1) group and then (2) name (2) ID (2) group. For a roll-up I need one consolidated column of names, IDs, groups.

Thanks,

Nadine

Jeana

I use the settitngs on the form to tell it what to do upon submission. One of the options is to provide a link, which I did to go to the other form. Since then I have discovered a way with the conditional formatting of forms for my users to select an option initially and then 'conditionally' show related fields. Does that make sense?

Screen Shot 2020-05-09 at 2.40.50 PM.png

Andrée Starå

@Nadine Alexis

You could maybe use the new Logic feature in forms instead.

Would that work?

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