Can primary column be auto generated?

Tanya Brooks

Any ideas on how to populate primary column with sytem generated numbers?

Etienne Mermillod

Primary column can only be text.

One workaround would be to hide the column and next to it add an auto generated column.

Paul Newcome

Another workaround would be to add your system generated column and then in the Primary Column use a formula such as

=[Sys Gen Column Name]@row

Timrapuano

Hi there, thank you for your suggestion. I used your work around to transfer the auto generated number to the primary key. I applied the formula as a column formula. Then I used a form to populate the data, but the form data was added at row 51, after the auto generated number column stopped generating numbers. Is there a way to add the form data to a row that already has an auto generated number and cloned PK value?

Paul Newcome

@TimRapuano It sounds like you need Update Requests instead of forms. Forms will only populate a new unused row.

Timrapuano

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/379579#Comment_379579

Hi Paul, thanks for your response. At this time, I am taking information from an email and populating the rows myself. I think it's coming down to using a form for data entry and copy and pasting the primary key from source to destination, or doing what you've mentioned which would require me to just enter all data manually.

Thanks,

Tim