Applies to

Smartsheet
  • Pro
  • Business
  • Enterprise

Capabilities

Who can use this capability

You must be a licensed Smartsheet user with Owner, Admin, or Editor-level permission on the sheet to create workflows. Users with Editor-level permissions can only create, edit, or delete alerts or reminders with themselves as the recipient. Learn about workflow permissions.

Customize the content of your alerts and requests

Make it easy for recipients to understand alerts and requests by including customized messages and placeholders, or limit the information, so they only see what they need.

PLANS

  • Smartsheet
  • Pro
  • Business
  • Enterprise

Permissions

You must be a licensed Smartsheet user with Owner, Admin, or Editor-level permission on the sheet to create workflows. Users with Editor-level permissions can only create, edit, or delete alerts or reminders with themselves as the recipient. Learn about workflow permissions.

You can set workflows to run weekly, daily, or at specific times in the day. 

To edit an existing workflow 

  1. In the upper-left area of the sheet, select Automation > Manage workflows.
  2. Hover over the workflow you want to edit and select Edit
  3. Edit the alert message content in the workflow builder.

 

To use dynamic placeholders in a change-based workflow, you must set the Trigger block to When triggered.

 


Customize a message in a workflow

Select Customize message and type your message in the corresponding field. 

Keep these things in mind as you write custom messages:

  • To create placeholders and further customize the message, use braces: {{Task Name}}.
  • The Customize message box has a limit of 2,000 characters. 
  • When you select Message only, a custom message is required. Otherwise, the message body is optional.
  • Use the Send from dropdown to set what appears in the From line of the message. 

View of the dropdown to customize the From field.


Customize the sender's name

The Send from dropdown menu lets you select who you want the alert or message to come from. 

 

The option to Send from my organization is only available for users with Enterprise plans and above.

 

The table shows the Send from name and reply-to addresses for each alert type. 

From name option selected
 
From name notification emailReply-To email address
Send from Smartsheet AutomationFrom name is Smartsheet Automation.Sheet owner’s email address
Send from organization nameFrom name is your organization’s name set by your System Admin.Sheet owner’s email address
Send from triggering user (for Alerts)If an alert is triggered by a single user’s change(s) in your sheet, that triggering user’s name is the From name for the notification email.The reply to is the triggering user’s email address
Send from triggering user (for Alerts)If an alert is triggered by multiple users’ changes in your sheet or if the alert is time-based, i.e., a reminder, then the sheet owner’s name is the From name for the notification email.The reply to is the sheet owner’s email address
Send from sheet owner (for Update and Approval Requests)From name is the sheet owner’s name.Sheet owner’s email address

Select what’s included in an alert or request 

Message includes section 

The Message includes section at the bottom of the page provides three options to choose from. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Links to sheet and all fields: Use this option if you want to include all fields in the sheet. 
  • Links to sheet and specific fields: Choose only the fields the user needs to see. 
  • Message only: Use this if you only need to add a message in the alert.

 

If you’re working with people who don’t use Smartsheet, choosing the Links to sheet and all fields option can be helpful.

 

Comments and attachments in alerts

  • Alert actions in time-based workflows don't include comments and attachments.
  • Alert actions in change-based workflows only appear when the attachment or comment is modified at the time of the trigger event. The alert doesn't include attachments and comments that existed prior to the trigger event. 
  • Update request and approval request actions include all new and existing attachments and comments.

Row hierarchy in alerts

When a change-based alert is triggered for a child row, the parent row is included in the notification. When a time-based alert is triggered for a child row, the parent row is not included in the notification.


Tips for working with placeholders

When you use placeholders (field names in braces), Smartsheet adds the corresponding unique cell data to the alert message for the row.

  • Placeholders in the Approval Requests alert generate a separate notification for every row.
  • Placeholders in Alert someone or Update Requests actions in change-based workflows generate separate notifications if six or fewer rows are triggered simultaneously. If seven or more rows are triggered at once, the system removes the custom subject and body.
  • With the Message only alert type, any simultaneously triggered rows are combined into a single notification.
  • If there are placeholders entered in the custom message for a time-based Update Request, no custom message is sent.
  • Placeholders can’t be used when the Run workflow setting is hourly, daily, or weekly.
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