Automations: include attachments

wgtaylor17

This caught me guard the first time I created an automation using an alert. Using anything other than "When An attachment is: Added, Changed" as the trigger will not include any attachment links in the email.

I would love an enhancement so if you have different triggers (I.E. When "status" changes to "complete") an alert would include links to any attachments in the email!

This would be helpful for 3rd parties who don't have a Smartsheet account so they can view/download any related documents. For internal users they can just reference the original sheet.

If anyone is interested in a work around here you go: Create a helper sheet and set up an automation to copy rows to the helper sheet when trigger point is reached. On the helper sheet, set up the desired alert using "When An attachment is: Added, Changed" as the trigger. When the rows are copied, Smartsheet will push out the alert with the attachment links included. The downside to this method is the alert will reference the helper sheet not the original sheet ☹️

Mina Fard

Currently, there is no way to add an attachment to the Message only part of the workflow. We need this feature to be added, so we don't share the whole sheet with the users, instead we only want to share the attachment and a message. This is in the "Alert someone"

Jessica Chandler

I vote for attachment capabilities as part of an automated message. I LOVE the generate document automation so much and the ability to change the sender on the automation.

Now I just need the ability to tweak a few things and then have it fire off for the person to keep the document for their records. The update request workaround isn't great for my use case because these are users who do not have regular interaction with smartsheet so I don't want to confuse them.

Hytham_Zayed

Please add the feature to add an attachment to the 'Alert Someone' workflow.

This will allow email recipients (contacts) to receive and view an attachment in addition to the subject/message of an email.

Thanks!

LDP

I agree with everyone else. I'm running into this issue now and think this really needs to be a function added. The attachment to a row is great, but limited to almost useless without the ability to add it to a notification.

Laura Miller

We have customers adding attachments to a form, but there does not appear to be a way to include the attachment to the workflow email that is sent. Not every form will have an attachment, so we cannot use it as the trigger. Please add the capability for attachments to be sent in the workflow email.

Laura Miller

I also need an attachment to be included in an automated email if present. We have customer submitting requests and some include an image with their form submission. We have this set up to automatically email a customer service team with all of the relevant information, but we cannot include an image if one is shared. Not every request will include an image, so it can't be the trigger. This seems like an odd limitation to automation and is pretty disappointing - including the option to have any/all information on a row be included in an automation action seems fairly basic of a request/requirement.

Andrée Starå

Hi @Laura Miller

I hope you're well and safe!

I haven't tested this, but have you tried adding the trigger for added attachment and then another trigger?

Did that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic weekend!

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, Awesome, or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

Jaime Holder

I too am voting for the ability to include attachments direct to email, instead of having people click a link to smartsheet sites.

I also agree this seems to be an oversight on Smartsheet's part, since we all presumed it was possible (before we found this very long post about how it won't do what we need it to do).

Let us pick the attachments to be sent with the automated message please.

Lori Flanigan

I vote for the functionality to send an alert (message only) to someone with or without a Smartsheet account and within or outside my organization, and include an attachment in that alert.

When creating the automation, we should have the choice of which attachment(s) to include in the alert.

George Manolas

As requested many times above I also vote for the functionality to send an alert (message only) to someone with or without a Smartsheet account and within or outside my organization, and include an attachment in that alert.

When creating the automation, we should have the choice of which attachment(s) to include in the alert.

Like many other users I assumed this was standard functionality within Smartsheet Automations, and now am unable to provide our internal staff and external customers with the automated delivery of information as planned.

High priority needs to be given by Smartsheet to provide this core functionality, please.

Philip Selzer

How on gods green earth has this not been added yet? you have the ability to generate PDF but not send them as attachments? I am dealing with people outside our company that does not use smartsheets. I want an automation to send them an email with the PDF attachment. This seams like 101 stuff. Is there a list of the top priorities smart sheets with adding features? maybe a timeline on features that are upcoming? this community seams like they have been screaming for this for years and nothing has happened.

Greg Johnson CC

Yes this would be a nice feature to have... and they definitely have the technology...

However, I highly doubt we will ever see it added.

As I grumbled myself as well today wishing to locate the same feature - my guess it's a business decision that all comes down to what's the cost to transmit all that data and who pays for it. The bandwidth/cost to email URLs is microscopic. Compare that to potentially unleashing 10 million+ Smartsheet users using their site as an unlimited bandwidth email server.

Data storage and transmission all have costs, it's why your Smartsheet plan probably has a data storage limit unless your on the Enterprise edition.

I think in a similar fashion data transmission cost is the underlying reason why every email provider limits file size attachments and makes you send links to large your files.

Hey, here's hoping I'm wrong.

MichaelBuch

I'll chime in with my vote for better, enhanced workflow email capacity when attachments are involved.

My recipients are not Smartsheet users and are easily confused by all the Smartsheet wrappings. (Most won't even read the detailed instructions I have to include.) I already use a MacGyver hack with a second sheet just to trigger an Alert. But I have to go in and manually delete extraneous draft copies of a pdf to make sure that only the latest, final is included. THIS TOTALLY BUSTS THE NOTION OF APPLICATION AUTOMATION!!! I want an email where I don't have to share the sheet either - ALL the recipients need is the pdf. That's it!!!

If I have to manually adjust each and every single final Alert, I'm ready to dump Smartsheet. I'll go back to total manual operation. Why not?!?!?!? I will at least avoid confusing my recipients with all the Smartsheet gobbedleygook and give them exactly what they want - nothing but a simple email with a pdf!

Richard King

I too would like to be able to have this function available.

After using a link on an approval automation the individual loses the ability to download an attached document, if forgotten to do so with the opened link.

I would like to be able to send an Alert email once a row is approved and the email to have the row attachments.