Auto Populating a Form Cell from the Contact List

I set up a Form based on a sheet which has 2 columns configured for Contact names (using the Contact List feature in the column). Those names are easily populated in the sheet using the type-ahead feature for the list to find the name in our Outlook database (GAL or Contact list i guess) and I select it for input.

I created a Form to secure the sheet from direct input errors, just enter the data in the form and the sheet gets populated , easy right ?

I cannot get the Form cell that I enabled as 'Contact List' from the sheet to interact and display any names from Outlook. It does it perfectly in the sheet natively. All those Contact or Name fields must be entered manually...

This kills the ease of use if I have to require all my users to manually enter in name after name with no type ahead benefit.

Can you tell me why the form isnt integrated with smartsheet back end to Outlook ?

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Accepted answers

Genevieve P.

Hi @Rick Girard

If I'm understanding you correctly, you would like to have the Contact value automatically appear as an option to select in a Contact List field in a Form as the user starts to type, is this correct?

To have Contacts appear as users type, you'll need to ensure these emails are set in the Column Properties as Values like so:

Screen Shot 2021-08-18 at 1.29.43 PM.png

This is different than adding them to your account or to your personal contact list. It needs to be specific to this column. Then the contacts you define as Values for that column will appear in a drop-down list in the form:

Screen Shot 2021-08-18 at 1.30.11 PM.png

See: Column Type Reference - Contact Columns. Is this what you were looking to do?

Cheers,

Genevieve

Rick Girard

Hello Genevieve

I was hoping to not have to populate the Values with fixed names/emails as these teams change hands. I can probably get by with this temporarily, but how does one request dev support to fix this and make the Forms version work like the sheet version when adding a Contact to a Form cell ?

best

Rick Girard

All comments

Genevieve P.

Hi @Rick Girard

If I'm understanding you correctly, you would like to have the Contact value automatically appear as an option to select in a Contact List field in a Form as the user starts to type, is this correct?

To have Contacts appear as users type, you'll need to ensure these emails are set in the Column Properties as Values like so:

See: Column Type Reference - Contact Columns. Is this what you were looking to do?

Cheers,

Genevieve

Rick Girard

Hello Genevieve

best

Rick Girard

Genevieve P.

Hi @Rick Girard

You can provide your feedback and suggestion to our Product team by filling in this form, here!

Cheers,

Genevieve

Dennis M Wierzbicki

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/301861#Comment_301861

Genevieve, this just isn't working. I have people set up as contacts in a contact list field, but these folks aren't showing up in the form when users are using it.

Genevieve P.

Hi @Dennis M Wierzbicki

Can you clarify how you have your contacts set up? Do you mean you've added them to the Contact column as Values, or have you only added them into the cells in the sheet?

It would be really helpful to see screen captures, but please block out sensitive data!

Thanks,

Genevieve

Rick Girard

Hello Gen and Dennis

just to Clarify, I already had the column properties set to CONTACT LIST and when using the sheet natively, (no form) , any name it type into that cell (ex. r..i..c..k..) will get picked up via the Outlook integration with Smarsheet and present me with a list of 'rick' users (like me rick.girard@....) to choose from.

But the functionality doesnt exist or is carried over from the Sheet to the Forms UI so I am left with manually entering in the username@company.com instead of using the type-ahead feature to get a selection of email names that match what i'm typing (ie. r...i...c..k...).

regards

Rick Girard

TBouldin

Hello,

I am also having the same experience. We also do not want to create manual lists of users and be able to leverage the SS contacts from the organization's account. Does this mean that SS does not have the functionality to allow a form to utilize the contact list field in a type ahead/search capacity?

StaverVoIP

@rick Girard why not just add a group email like managers@, that way when someone leaves their email is automagically removed from the group by your IT Admin. When new people start, they are added to the group.

Melissa B

I am also having the same issue. I have over 5K employees and do not want to add them all to a dropdown list in order for the form to populate.

I would like to be able to type the name into the form and have it populate similar names to select from. Is this possible?

Genevieve P.

Hi @Melissa B

If all these employees are members of your Smartsheet plan, what about using a Sheet as your "Form" instead? You could set up a move-row automation for when data is filled out and saved.

A Contact Column in Sheet will do exactly what you're describing - as users type a name, it will show all possible options from within their contact list and within the organization. See: Manage which contacts appear when you type in a cell

Cheers,

Genevieve

Melissa B

@Genevieve P. ,

Thank you for the suggestion, but I cannot give sheet access to everyone that will need to fill out the form. I need people to be able to search over 5K contacts within the form itself. My workaround is having them manually enter in the contact information, but it is not ideal.

Jerry Cantu

@Genevieve P.

As the above folks mention, I have the same issue.

I important more than 1,000+ contacts with FN, LN, and Emails into "My Smartsheet Contacts."

I created a form with a drop-down for "Field Type" as "Contact List". At the bottom is "Add Contacts", a pre-filled name/email of all "My Smartsheet Contacts". When I click on one of these, it then adds this contact, which is added below this field. For now, I have to add all 1,000+ contacts for this column individually.

Placing these contacts in this field allows the user to fill out the form to select one of my contacts. On the sheet side, this populates as a smartsheet contact, so I can use a workflow to notify this person of whatever event.

This sheet needs to remain private from all my contacts to view it.

The idea of using the sheet as a form will not work. Since in the form, I have multiple required fields and logic fields that if then/then that would occur; thus, I need a form vs. a sheet.

And you are right, a 'contact column in a sheet' will do exactly what I need, and it is perfect. It pulls all of these names from "My Smartsheet contact" - names I bulk imported 1k at a time and not one by one. I need this same format to appear in a form as well.

How can I bulk add 1000+ contacts for a 'field type' in the 'contact list' to auto-populate a form for a user to select?

Jenna123

I submitted a ticket for this as well, any updates?

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