Set a default value in a pick list column

kleaverton

I have a column in a project tracking smartsheet that shows the status of a project. I would like the parent row for the project to automatically change depending on the status of the child rows. I can do that through the formula: =IF((COUNTIF(CHILDREN(), "Withdrawn") + (COUNTIF(CHILDREN(), "Requested"))) = COUNT(CHILDREN()), "Requested", IF(COUNTIF(CHILDREN(), "In Progress") > 0, "In Progress", IF(COUNTIF(CHILDREN(), "Withdrawn") = COUNT(CHILDREN()), "Withdrawn", IF((COUNTIF(CHILDREN(), "Complete") + (COUNTIF(CHILDREN(), "Withdrawn"))) = COUNT(CHILDREN()), "Complete", "In Progress"))))

But I would like the column to default to this formula, and there does not seem to be a way to do that. Is there something I can do to avoid having to add this formula every time I create a new project? Just a note, there are usually many child rows after a parent row, so this formula generally would not be present two rows above a new row. And new rows are always added to the bottom of the sheet.

Thanks!

Sean Morgan

Hello @kleaverton ,

Thanks for reaching out within the Community.

As of now, I'm unable to identify a designated method of having the dropdown column default to a specific formula. Please feel free to raise an Enhancement Request using the link on the right hand side of this page.

One possible solution would be to create a template from your project sheet, but removing all values and just have it's main construction, including formulas. Doing this will allow you to easily create new project sheets without having to re-construct your sheet and if you have formulas in the template, it will place these into the sheets you create from the template. See more on this topic here: https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/522123-creating-using-templates

Kindest Regards

Sean