Request an Update Works Sporadically

Rebecca Bennett

I have a sheet where I have 18 different school site managers set to receive Request an Update emails when a new row with certain criteria is created. I essentially made one automation and then copied it 17 more times, changing the school name and the email recipient.

The automation only works randomly and I can't figure out why. On some days, everyone receives a message, and on others only some receive it.

We have a person manually entering each row. She does up to 50-60 entries per day. An intake form will have several names on it. Each person gets their own row. She will add all of the rows for the names on a form and upload split copies of the forms to the sheet in their respective rows. I have a filter set up and every few days I go in and manually send out the filtered names without update requests.

I have verified email accounts are correct, their settings are correct, the automation permissions are set to unrestricted. Site managers who have received both the automated and the manual email requests are responding and updating with no issues.

Any ideas on how to solve this would be greatly appreciated!

Paul Newcome

Are all of the triggers/conditions filled in when the row is added, or is it possible some of the information is added/corrected after form submission?

Rebecca Bennett

Hi Paul,

She is entering between 1 and 7 rows at the same time. Basically, a parent on one row and their children on additional rows. To save entry time, she is copying copying parent names and any other duplicate information and pasting them to the necessary fields for each row. After she had entered the entire family on the rows, she then saves the sheet.

The trigger information is being added randomly as she floats between the group of rows she is working on.

I'm concerned that if I change the trigger to when the row is added or changed, site manager will be spammed with emails every time the row is changed until the fields are filled.

Paul Newcome

There's the issue. The trigger is set to "When rows are added" and the criteria is not there when the row is added.

You can set up a trigger to be when the row changes and specify specific fields.