Month to Start automation

TEATom · 03/27/25

I have a programmer schedule with a column titled "Month to Start" with each month as 3 letters, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, etc. I am wondering if I need to enter new automation for each month to trigger an email to any programmer who has a task in that month (so as not to send an email that clogs up inboxes with all months). Or is it possible to set up one automation that can specify without setting one up for each month?

Paul Newcome · 03/31/25

@Paul.Woodward It looks like your solution incorporates things from Excel that do not work in Smartsheet. You may want to double check your source(s).

@TEATom This will be the formula that will check a box for any assignments the have a [Month To Start] in the current month:

=IF((FIND([Month To Start]@row, "JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec") + 2) / 3 = MONTH(TODAY()), 1)

You would then set up your alert to be triggered on a recurring basis (select a date based trigger and then select "Custom" instead of "Run Once" and have a condition of the box being checked.

Paul.Woodward · 03/28/25

In Smartsheet, you can set up a single automation to handle this scenario without needing to create a separate automation for each month. You can achieve this by utilizing a dynamic condition in your automation setup that checks the "Month to Start" column against the current month. This way, the automation will only trigger emails for the relevant month, keeping your communications efficient and targeted.

Steps to Set Up Dynamic Monthly Email Automation:

Define the Current Month in a Formula:
- First, add a helper column (let's call it "Current Month") in your sheet.
- excelCopy=TEXT(TODAY(), "mmm")
- This formula converts today's date to a three-letter month format (e.g., "Jan", "Feb", etc.).
Create the Automation Rule:
- Go to Automations > Create a Workflow in your Smartsheet.
- Trigger: Choose a trigger that makes sense for your needs, such as "When rows are added or changed."
- plaintextCopy[Month to Start] = [Current Month]
- This condition ensures that the automation only triggers for programmers whose tasks are set to start in the current month.
Set Up the Email Action:
- Define the action to send an email.
- Configure the email to include the necessary information about the task and ensure it is sent to the appropriate programmer (possibly using a contact column in your sheet).
Test Your Automation:
- After setting up your automation, test it to ensure that it functions as intended. You might want to set a few test entries with different months to see if the emails are only sent for the current month.
Adjust as Necessary:
- Depending on your specific needs or findings during testing, you may need to adjust the formula or automation settings.

TEATom · 03/28/25

Thank you. In the

excelCopy=TEXT(TODAY(), "mmm")

I should only need the text after the = sign, correct? Doesnt seem to be working for me. Any thoughts as to why?

TEATom · 03/31/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/478455#Comment_478455

In the

excelCopy=TEXT(TODAY(), "mmm")

I should only need the text after the = sign, correct? Doesnt seem to be working for me. Any thoughts as to why?

TEATom · 03/31/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/478742#Comment_478742

I found that this works:

=MID("JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec", (MONTH(DATE(2025, 3, 31)) * 3) - 2, 3)

Paul Newcome · 03/31/25

@Paul.Woodward It looks like your solution incorporates things from Excel that do not work in Smartsheet. You may want to double check your source(s).

@TEATom This will be the formula that will check a box for any assignments the have a [Month To Start] in the current month:

=IF((FIND([Month To Start]@row, "JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec") + 2) / 3 = MONTH(TODAY()), 1)

You would then set up your alert to be triggered on a recurring basis (select a date based trigger and then select "Custom" instead of "Run Once" and have a condition of the box being checked.

Paul.Woodward · 04/01/25

Thank you so much!

TEATom · 04/01/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/478805#Comment_478805

SO I do not need a Current Month column? I could just use this formula in the new column and the automation would check that? SOrry not sure I am following.

=IF((FIND([Month To Start]@row, "JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec") + 2) / 3 = MONTH(TODAY()), 1)

Paul Newcome · 04/01/25

That is correct. The formula would go in a checkbox column and will check the box on any row that is the current month. You would then build out your automation to include a condition of this box being checked.

TEATom · 04/01/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/478963#Comment_478963

And I still need to specify the row and date in the formula?

=IF((FIND([Month To Start]@row, "JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec") + 2) / 3 = MONTH(TODAY()), 1)

TEATom · 04/01/25

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/478967#Comment_478967

Becuase I keep getting error with this:

=IF((FIND([Month to Start]@row, "JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec") + 2) / 3 = MONTH(TODAY(2025, 4, 1)), 1)

Paul Newcome · 04/01/25

No. You should be able to use it exactly how I have it. The TODAY() function will automatically pull today's date.

TEATom · 04/01/25

I see the issue. ALl of the months in Month to Start are in capital letters. I may need to change them because when I changed to formula to all caps it no longer sees the month names JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC