How to track columns that trigger work flows

Eddie Heffernan

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has come up with a smart way to track columns that trigger workflows.

Example: When a person gets an alert I like to see in the email which column it came from.

Andrée Starå

@Eddie Heffernan

Unfortunately, no, but as a possible solution, you could maybe use the JOIN feature or multiple Workflows that could show it.

It all depends on your sheet structure, how complicated it is, what triggers the Alert, etc.

Make sense?

Andrée Starå

Hi @Eddie Heffernan

I hope you're well and safe!

Interesting! How would you like to use it? Can you elaborate?

I hope that helps!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Eddie Heffernan

So I send a workflow to someone and they come back and ask why did they get it I need to know the trigger some time it takes ages to find the column when looking for the description I wonder if numbering my column would help.

When you have a sheet with 25 plus columns

Andrée Starå

@Eddie Heffernan

It depends on your sheet structure.

• You could use the Placeholder to include the cell information.
• Another option you could add a so-called helper column and JOIN to combine all the columns, but it would only show the one with data in it.

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Eddie Heffernan

ok mind blown how do I do both of them

Eddie Heffernan

Andrée Starå

@Eddie Heffernan

Here's more info about the Placeholder feature.

More info: 

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2477796-dynamically-add-cell-data-in-the-subject-and-body-of-request-messages

Here's an example of a JOIN formula.

=JOIN([Column A]@row:[Column E]@row)

More info:

https://help.smartsheet.com/function/join

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Eddie Heffernan

are you saying a could enter the trigger column name in the place holder

Andrée Starå

@Eddie Heffernan

Unfortunately, no, but as a possible solution, you could maybe use the JOIN feature or multiple Workflows that could show it.

It all depends on your sheet structure, how complicated it is, what triggers the Alert, etc.

Make sense?