Multiple users Forms - Conditional Logic not functioning

Alexandra Fodor

Hello,

I created a form that is filled out by 3 parties. The user that initiates the form fills out the first portion than it gets to the second user that assigns the form to the third user that completes the last part. Everyone gets notification so the process works perfect from this point of view.

The issues is that the conditional logic build in the form functions only for the first user. The second and the third user see all the fields although if the logic would work they should be able to see only specific fields based on their selected option. I would also like to mention that the display of the drop down/radio buttons change too for the second/third user, they are able to see only a dropdown no matter how the form was initially built.

Is there a way to freeze the form along the process? the users using the same form should be able to see only the fields triggered by the conditional logic. I don't understand why the form loses this capability for the second/third user. Do I need to change something in the process?

Thank you for your help!

Alexandra

Samuel Mueller

@Alexandra Fodor how are you getting the form to the second person? are you initiating an update request with automation, or are you adding a row of data at each person/step?

Alexandra Fodor

@Samuel Mueller I use an update request to send the same form the second person and I customize the fields. When the second person sends the form to the third person it contains all fields (still through an update request form). I manage the workflow in the automation section.

Samuel Mueller

@Alexandra Fodor Can you send a screen shot of the automation you set up?

Andrée Starå

Hi @Alexandra Fodor

I hope you're well and safe!

Is the second person triggering the request through automation or manually?

Be safe, and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Alexandra Fodor

@Samuel Mueller, @Andrée Starå Sorry for my late reply, here are the print screens of all 3 workflows:

Samuel Mueller

@Alexandra Fodor So a form and an update request are two different things. A form will always add a new row to a sheet, and within a form you can add conditional logic and change the structure of the form and the way it looks.

An update request has much less control. It updates a specific row that's already on the sheet, and it's always in order based on the order of your columns, and you can't change the way an update request looks. You can only change the columns that are included in your update request.

• So in your automation if you have some conditional logic you could add conditional blocks to send different update requests with different columns included. So based on your conditions you will need to customize the message of the update request and choose the columns you want included. This is why the second person is getting all the fields as you mentioned earlier.

Does this make sense?

Alexandra Fodor

@Samuel Mueller Yes, you are right and it makes sense, the form will take all the columns that are in the sheet and it changes the way it looks because I trigger a response through an update request.

In this case, I cannot tweak the form that will get to the third person to show only specific columns because the fields will change based on his/her responses so it will be case dependent (e.g. below the comments field should appear only if the person chooses the option "Yes").

Is there maybe another way for more people to add input into the same line? Should I be looking at other options instead of using forms?

I am a relative new Smartsheet user and I appreciate your help!

Samuel Mueller

Ah - so currently there is no way to create logic in an update request in that way. I can't think of any alternative. @Andrée Starå any other ideas?

Alexandra Fodor

@Samuel Mueller @Andrée Starå I believe I have to create 2 different sheets and link them through formulas. Is that correct?

I have found the below answer given to another user with the same issue

If that's the case do you have some specific training material I can go over? I never worked with formulas before in Smartsheet.

Thank you both!

smartsheetdev.io

Hi @Alexandra Fodor , @Samuel Mueller

The other option to achieve your goal is to use custom Web Form and the API.

The suggested workflow below:

1. Create a Custom Web Form for the first person.
2. The 1st person fills in the web form and the data is being saved into the Smartsheet as soon as this happens the new web form would be send out to a second person but only with the fields that this person needs to fill in. Once the web form is completed and submitted the data is being saved back into the same row as the 1st person and a new web form would be created and emailed to the 3rd person to fill in.
3. 3rd person completes the form and the data is being saved back to the same row.

3 different forms, filled by 3 different people saved into the same row with the option to update (if required).

Below, you can check out a Demo to a custom made web form which saves the data back and can be re-used again.

Please, do not use your real data as anyone can see it!

Link to the form:

https://api.smartsheetdev.io/smartsheet_form

• once you submit the form the data is added to the Smartsheet together with a link that if clicked on will open the web form with the data that had been already filled in.

Click here to preview the smartsheet with current form entries and you can edit them:

https://publish.smartsheet.com/d2543e2b935946f092f7f6dae666a6e4

Samuel Mueller

@smartsheetdev.io How do you make this web form? This has to be hosted somewhere right, or is this hosted by Smartsheet?

smartsheetdev.io

@Samuel Mueller

I have build the webform with HTML and connected it with Smartsheet API and it's hosted on my own server.

This way I can build any kind of a form and customize how it looks etc.

I'm a freelancer and I build solutions around Smartsheet API.