Automation-"Request An Update" is sending link showing 80 repeated pages to a one-page form

Patti Petitclerc

I have set up Automation to request a weekly update for the team to submit their hours broken down by project. The Weekly Hours Log is one page, but when the automated email goes to the team, the embedded link pulls up the form with 80 pages of the same thing that you have to scroll through to hit "Submit". I added Logic to the form, but it's still showing up as multiple pages of the same thing. Anyone have this issue?

Andrée Starå

Hi @Patti Petitclerc

I hope you're well and safe!

Can you describe your process in more detail and maybe share the sheet(s)/copies of the sheet(s) or some screenshots? (Delete/replace any confidential/sensitive information before sharing) That would make it easier to help. (share too, andree@workbold.com)

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!

Genevieve P.

Hi @Patti Petitclerc

Update Request forms show one row at a time. This means if you're requesting an update on the entire sheet, the form will show each row as one page. Does that make sense?

If you're looking for users to update the entire sheet, it may be better to share them to the sheet as a whole with Editor permissions, then in your email Alert you could simply send the sheet link. Would this be better for your process, or is there a reason you prefer to use individual update requests?

Cheers,

Genevieve

Patti Petitclerc

Thanks Andree and Genevieve for responding. The Weekly Hours Log that has the "update request" automation has Logic based on how they answer "How Many Projects Did You Work On This Week?" Depending on how they answer, it gives them two spots for each project; one to choose which project from a drop down list and then another line to fill in the hours. They can log up to 6 projects per week and the drop down list of projects has 35 to choose from.

Genevieve, your saying that if they choose that they worked on only 1 project and it triggers the two lines to fill out, (Which Project and Hours Worked) they will still need to click "Next" through 80 pages before they can hit the "Submit" button at the bottom of the 80th page because each row/answer has it's own page? So for the 6 projects that can be logged and the 3 initial questions, I'm counting a total of 15 pages? Or is it a page for EACH project they can choose from (35) as well?

I went ahead and deleted the automation of the update request and setup a Google Calendar reminder with a link to the form and it's working, but I guess I'm trying to understand why it won't work through Smartsheet automation w/o all the pages. I appreciate any insight.

Genevieve P.

Hi @Patti Petitclerc

Can you post a screen capture of the underlying sheet at all? (Blocking sensitive data.)

It would also be helpful to see a screen capture of the workflow you have set up that triggers the Update Request. It sounds like we just need to set a Condition Block in the automation to filter out any of the 80 rows that you don't want updated. See: Condition Blocks: Filter What Your Automated Workflows Send

Patti Petitclerc

Patti Petitclerc

Here is the form

Genevieve P.

Hi @Patti Petitclerc

Your workflow is sending every single row to each person in the "Send to specific people" box. This means that if I submit just one row through the form, the Update Request workflow will ask me to update my 1 row, and update your row, and update Andree's row, etc. This is why you're seeing all 80 rows in the Update Request.

Instead, try swapping the "Send to specific people" to "Send to contacts in a cell" and select the column that has the contacts listed:

This means that I would only be asked to update the rows that are associated with my contact... showing only 1 or 2 in the emailed form. Does that make sense?

See: Action Blocks: Specify What Kind of Automation is Triggered

Cheers,

Genevieve

Patti Petitclerc

Hi Genevieve - Great, Thank you! I have edited the workflow and will see if this works. I truly appreciate your support!

Patti

Genevieve P.

No problem at all! 🙂