Workflow Based on Previous Values

Umesh Shah

I have a worksheet with rows and a status field.

the status field options are New, Planned, Committed, Cancelled.

I also have another field called "Notify" which is a checkbox. We run reports based on items being checked.

My question:

When someone changes the Status field from Committed to Cancelled, i want to check the "Notify" field.

When someone changes the Status from New or Planned to Cancelled, we do not want to check the "Notify" field.

How can i achieve this?

I can create a rule to pre-filter for "Committed" items which then change to "Cancelled" but there is no way to make a cell change to the checkbox.

Seems like limited functionality on the workflow feature to me.

Genevieve P.

Hi Umesh,

There currently isn't a way to automatically check a box with the condition being a previous value that is no longer present in the sheet, or have a workflow based on cell history. Please submit an Enhancement Request when you have a moment!

Instead, would you be able to set up a new column with just two values: In Progress or Cancelled? That way you could have both values present at the same time in your sheet (ex. both "New" and "Cancelled" or both "Committed" and "Cancelled"). This would allow you to either create reports on these two criteria or set up workflows.

You could also set some Conditional Formatting rules based on that "Cancelled" value - perhaps even turning the text in the Status cell white so it's no longer visible in the sheet (but still present for your filters).

Umesh Shah

The previous cell value is captured in the cell history, not sure why it cannot be used for workflow purposes.

I have submitted enhancements before and have read posts from people who have submitted enhancements for years and it does not seem to drive your product roadmap. How about some transparency on submitted enhancements, peoples votes and where they are in your roadmap?

I have used this product for years now and aside from aesthetic enhancements, i have yet to see significant improvements to the base product.

How can i be sure my enhancement request will be considered?

Genevieve P.

Hi Umesh,

All of the Enhancement Requests filled out in the form go directly to our Product Team who has visibility on everything that's suggested; due to the large number of variables for each request we can't confirm when or if updates will be made, but they do seriously consider each request and prioritize accordingly.

You can keep up to date with our new releases (such as the sheet limit increase that was announced this past week) on our Release Notes page, here.

If you're interested in having more visibility on the constant updates being made, you may want to look into applying for our Early Adopter program where you can test out features before they're publicly released: https://www.smartsheet.com/eap