Automatically marking something as complete when requirements are filled

Options
sync
sync
edited 12/09/19 in Formulas and Functions

Hello,

I was wondering if someone would be able to help me with a problem that I have been struggling with. I would like to make it so that when a checkbox is checked, in another column, called status, that it would switch and say complete. The status column is a Dropbox, containing Completed, In-progress and Not started. Is this possible? Also I don't want to lock the column as it would need to switch between In-progress and not started, however instead of manually having to switch to completed it does it automatically once the checkbox is checked.

 

Kind regards.

Comments

  • Paul Newcome
    Paul Newcome ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    If there is a formula in a cell (including dropbox columns), once you enter or select something different within that cell it erases your formula. You would need to automate ALL options or none of them based on your criteria. It has to be all automated or all manual entry. 

  • Mike Wilday
    Mike Wilday ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Options

    Yes, Paul is correct. If you have a formula in that cell to automatically calculate the completion, but someone was to use the dropdown to change the contents of the cell, your formula would no longer exist. It would be replaced by the current status that the user selected. Also, if you are using reports, fields containing a formula are not editable on the report by users. So the formula would overwrite anyone's ability to select a status in those instances. As Paul indicated you would need to automate all or nothing. In our instances, we have automated status based on the data our users have input in each row. One of the data requirements is the date of completion.

Help Article Resources

Want to practice working with formulas directly in Smartsheet?

Check out the Formula Handbook template!