Display most recent data entered in a cell

Conv_Eng

Hello,

I am currently developing a sheet that has a 'notes' column I will be entering using to track notes for a given row. In the 'notes' column, I would like to be able to just display the most recent entry within a given cell. In other words, if I were to enter 'test12345' in the cell on a specified date and 1 hour later I add enter 'test678910' in that same cell, I would like it to only display the most recent cell entry (in this case 'test678910'). Is there a straightforward way to accomplish this? I initially tried to accomplish this by creating a system column for 'created' date and then added a 'helper' column that had the formula =INDEX(Notes@row, MATCH(MAX(Created@row), Created@row)), but this did not work. Any help would be appreciated.

Andrée Starå

Hi @Conv_Eng

I hope you're well and safe!

You can use the Latest Comment feature.

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2482475-latest-comment-column

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Have a fantastic weekend & Happy New Year!

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!

Andrée Starå

Hi @Conv_Eng

I hope you're well and safe!

You can use the Latest Comment feature.

https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2482475-latest-comment-column

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Have a fantastic weekend & Happy New Year!

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!

Mike TV

@Conv_Eng

Is the 'test12345' going to still be left remaining in the cell after 'test678910' is added so that both are in the same cell? If not, then why don't you just do a normal VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH without worrying when it was created or modified since whatever is currently in the cell is always going to be the most recent? If the first 'test12345' is going to be left in the cell and both entries are going to be in it, and possibly even a 3rd or 4th thing in the same cell, then I wish you the best of luck at that. It's probably possible but it would take a lot of troubleshooting and brainstorming to get something working for you.

Sometimes you may feel like you need a specific complex formula when really what you need to do is redesign your sheet to work in a smarter and easier manner for the workflow you're trying to manage. This might be one of those cases if you're having 2 or 3 or more values in the same cell and only want to pull out what was the most recent thing added to it.

Conv_Eng

@Andrée Starå, thanks for the 'latest column' recommendation! I was able to accomplish my objective with this feature.

Andrée Starå

@Conv_Eng

Excellent!

Happy to help!