Welcome to the Smartsheet Forum Archives
The posts in this forum are no longer monitored for accuracy and their content may no longer be current. If there's a discussion here that interests you and you'd like to find (or create) a more current version, please Visit the Current Forums.
Ability to lock an individual cell
I've seen a number of community entries referencing a desire to be able to lock an individual cell. I too would vote a resounding yes to a feature of this type. I've got a number of task list sheet where this is needed. My sheets have 10 major task and each major task has a number of subtask under them. My columns are various date entries such as:
Start, Actual Finish Date, and Contract Due Date
I only want these date field entered for the Major Task line, not each of it's sub task. I can't lock the subtask row because there are a couple of columns that do need to be filled out for the subtask (Assigned to, Item Completed). I would like to cell lock each of the date cells for each of the subtask.
Right now I'm having to fill these cells with black background color to not show any mistaken entry.
I'm trying to make tasklist sheets as simple as possible for a group of PMs. Once I get them used to using collaboration tools I can add more options.
Comments
-
put in an Enhancement Request via the link on the right side of the forum screens. make the idea stick.
-
I understand the desire to lock cells.
However, I believe your current solution may be better from an end-user perspective.
It is obvious that your blacked-out cells have no data. An empty cell is not so obvious, in a spreadsheet like view. Adding "No Data Here Please" only makes it worse.
At least to me.
Currently, a cell that is locked (by row or column) can be edited by an Admin without warning or message. I would imagine that would not change if cell-only locking were added.
Additionally, adding the check for locked cells and an icon to show it (which would be needed to avoid most "why can't I edit this?" queries) would take up browser processing.
I will be surprised if this is implemented without a fairly significant change to the design.
That opinion is based on extrapolation of what I can see of the design via the GUI and API, not knowledge of the underlying software. I've been wrong before.
Craig
