How to convert an email in a text column into a contact in Contact List type of column

Joaquinwood

I have activated the automated system column 'Created by' that saves the email address of the user who created the record.

I need to use this column to filter who can see the record in a Dynamic View, and ideally I would expect to see something like in the image bellow, but because this column is not a Contact List type of column it does not show up in the Restrict view by current user dropdown list of the Dynamic View's configuration.

Therefor, I need to transform this column into a Contact List type of column. I have tried to create an additional column with the formula =[Created By]@row, but that does not do the trick, despite creating this new column as a Contact List type of column. I am able to select the new column in the Dynamic View, but it seems to be as if it is really treating the new column as a text type of column because it is failing to filter anything: the Dynamic View shows empty.

Any ideas on how it is possible to achieve this? It would be great if the column was dealt as a contact list type of column in the first place, but these auto-numeric/system columns seem to be treated as text, no matter what.

Joaquinwood

It seems I must have run into some sort of bug. I was not able to recreate the issue in a new sheet. When I created the formula in a new fresh sheet the formula worked as expected, transforming the email into a contact. However, in the "old" sheet in which I initially tested it it does not behave the same way, the formula will copy the email as a text, not as a contact, as previously described. I am not sure why this could be happening, the only difference is that one sheet was empty when I created the new column and the other one already had records in it.

Andrée Starå

Hi @Joaquinwood

I hope you're well and safe!

Strange!

Glad you got it working!

Be safe and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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