How to build an order form for large product library?

hansonce

I am trying to create a Smartsheet that can record orders for products and the quantity requested for each product via a form. There are over 400 products available, so my original plan of making each product a column name and then the quantity a user would like ordered would be entered in that cell.

Example of original plan:

In the form, there would be a multi-select dropdown for each vendor. When a vendor is selected logic would be in place for the product columns associated with that vendor to display. Then the user would enter the quantity they'd like in the fields for each individual product.

Select Vendor 1 {{ multi-select dropdown }}

Products 1-200 display {{ text fields }}

Form user enters quantity they'd like of each product displayed into text fields.

Now that the column limit has come into play this isn't an option unless we create different sheets for each vendor, but then we can't view all our orders in one place (do reports have a column limit too?).

How have other companies created large order forms for specific products that allow a quantity to be entered for each product? This being a form that doesn't require a Smartsheet login is very important.

Thank you!

Andrée Starå

Hi @hansonce

I hope you're well and safe!

I developed a solution using two forms (or the same form by using conditional logic) that can be used to submit the main information and then the other information on a new row for each submission after the first.

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(s) help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community by marking it Insightful/Vote Up or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

hansonce

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/299406#Comment_299406

Hi Andree!

Thank you for your help. Would you be able to provide an example? I'm having trouble envisioning how that would solve our issue.

This is what we have so far, the Notes column is the current Primary column as we don't have a specific use for that column's functions yet. Currently the columns after "Vendor" are each a product, but we hit the column limit and have a lot of columns yet to add in. We had envisioned the quantity for each product would be entered in the cell using the form.

Andrée Starå

@hansonce

Happy to help!

I'd be happy to share an example. 

Please send me an email at andree@workbold.com, and I'll share it with you.

✅Remember! Did my post(s) help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community by marking it Insightful/Vote Up or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

hansonce

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/299417#Comment_299417

Hi Andree! I emailed you a few hours ago so hopefully it made it to your inbox!