Column Names - Tips and Tricks

Jeremy Myers

1.  Naming Columns:  Changing a column name post-facto breaks reports and other stuff creating a lot of useless donkey work.  Naming columns correctly at the get go is uber-important- think about it before comitting.

 

2.  Make your formulas easier to read:  Name columns with underscores between words, i.e "Due_Date" instead of "Due Date".  When referencing a column name, Smartsheet formula generator interprets this as one string and omits the confusing additional brackets [  ]  which are difficult to read and manage. 

 

3.  Hidden Column Names:  Use the prefix "Z" for hidden column names, i.e. "Z_Hidden_Column_Name".  Why?  In the report generator, this forces those columns to the bottom of the pick list which makes them easy to idenfiy and manage.  

 

Tell your end users not to mess with any "Z_Columns", it looks techie, so they leave them alone and won't bother you with questions like:  "Hey Dude, what does "Z_Calculate_Solar_GamaFlux" mean?

 

Just sayin'.....  

Shaine Greenwood

"Z_Calculate_Solar_GammaFlux"

 

Do you use Smartsheet to calculate neutrino release during Supernova explosions?

 

Good tips by the way, keep 'em coming!

J. Craig Williams

Good tips.

 

I go back and forth on (2) - I like that the name looks cleaner (and legible) when the column width forces a word wrap on the column name. I do that a lot.

And I don't mind the [], I code that way and let Smartsheet take them out if needs them, not the other way around.

 

Craig

Kylie D'Costa

Always wanted to know how to calculate neutrino release during Supernova explosions!

 

As always this forum has been invaluable

 

Love it.

J. Craig Williams

Unfortunately, we can't have custom functions where Z_Calculate_Solar_GammaFlux is defined elsewhere and the user just enters

 

=Z_Calculate_Solar_GammaFlux(arg1, arg2, arg3, arg4)

 

so that not every needs to be an astro-physicist.

 

Craig