Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a conditional formatting rule.
Conditional formatting allows you to create rules on your sheet, whereby the formatting of individual cells or entire rows will update when certain criteria are met. For example, if a task is past due, you may want the text to turn red and bold to ensure that it's quickly noticed.
Use conditional formatting to automatically highlight key information in your sheets, making them easier to read and more valuable for your whole team.
Apply automatic formatting with conditional formatting rules
Conditional formatting doesn’t change cell values. To change cell values based on criteria, use a formula.
Conditional formatting from linked cells isn’t preserved in the destination sheet.
There are three steps to apply conditional formatting:
- Set conditions for the rule.
- Define the format applied when the conditions are met.
- Set where you want the format applied.
Set conditions for the rule
The condition determines what triggers the formatting change.
When working in timeline view, switch to grid view to set up conditional formatting.
- On the top toolbar, select Conditional Formatting
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. - Select Add New Rule.
- Select <set condition>
Keep in mind
- Available criteria depend on the column type. For example:
- For a checkbox column: The criteria would be Checked or Unchecked.
- For a date column: It might be in the past or in the next [x] days.
- Smartsheet looks at the numbers in a column formatted for percentages as values between 0 and 1. Use decimal values to get the correct comparison, for example, 0.25 for 25% or 0.5 for 50%.
- To further customize your rule, select define custom criteria at the top of the criteria box.
- To format rows that don’t meet your criteria, check the Apply format when condition is NOT met box.
Define the format
Set the desired text format for when the row meets your defined conditions.
- In the Conditional Formatting dialog, select this format.
- Use the pop-up box to style your formatting:
- Font: Choose a font style.
- Font Size: Set up the text size.
- Other formatting buttons: You can bold, italicize, underline, or strikethrough the text and change the text or background color.
- Task Bar: Use this if you use Gantt chart, timeline, card, or calendar view to automatically change the task bar color when the row meets the identified conditions.
Set where you want the format applied
By default, the format applies to the entire row. To change this, follow these steps:
- Select what to format:
Select entire row.
Or
- Select the column(s) where you want to apply the formula. This applies the formula to the cells in the selected columns.
- Select OK.
If multiple rules have the same condition and formatting, Smartsheet consolidates them into a single rule.