Possible bug: Smartsheet adds a trailing space to random cells
I've encountered some strange behavior where Smartsheet automatically adds a trailing space to a cell.
Below are two columns. The right column adds a "|" to the value in the left column. You can see that in the penultimate row a trailing space is added to the cell:
I am using the COLLECT function to show the contents of a column of sheet A in sheet B. Both sheets have a few columns in common. In some (but not all) of the cells, Smartsheet adds a trailing space, which breaks the COLLECT function.
Some additional information:
- The values in the left column are added using the API, but I am sure that the input data does not include trailing spaces.
- Double-clicking the cell removes the space (as is standard Smartsheet behavior) and resolves the issue.
Is there anyone else who has experience with this issue? Thanks in advance.
Best Answers
-
Will the values in Column A (coming in from the API) always have 5 characters?
If so, we can use a helper column with a LEFT Function to only grab the 5 characters and strip out any possible spaces, like so:
=LEFT([Column A]@row, 5)
Cheers,
Genevieve
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-
Hi Genevieve,
Thank you for your reply.
I came up with a solution similar to the one you propose, but feasible for all value lengths:
IF(RIGHT([VB]@row) = " "; LEFT([VB]@row; LEN([VB]@row) - 1); [VB]@row)
The formula above checks if the final character is a space, and if so, removes the final character.
As you point out, this does require a helper column. And of course it is more of a workaround solution to the actual problem: a bug in the way Smartsheet handles incoming data.
Thank you for your time anyway!
Jasper
Answers
-
Will the values in Column A (coming in from the API) always have 5 characters?
If so, we can use a helper column with a LEFT Function to only grab the 5 characters and strip out any possible spaces, like so:
=LEFT([Column A]@row, 5)
Cheers,
Genevieve
Need more help? 👀 | Help and Learning Center
こんにちは (Konnichiwa), Hallo, Hola, Bonjour, Olá, Ciao! 👋 | Global Discussions
-
Hi Genevieve,
Thank you for your reply.
I came up with a solution similar to the one you propose, but feasible for all value lengths:
IF(RIGHT([VB]@row) = " "; LEFT([VB]@row; LEN([VB]@row) - 1); [VB]@row)
The formula above checks if the final character is a space, and if so, removes the final character.
As you point out, this does require a helper column. And of course it is more of a workaround solution to the actual problem: a bug in the way Smartsheet handles incoming data.
Thank you for your time anyway!
Jasper
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