Action button to allow user to view template (pdf)...

Tiger1 · 10-16-2019 06:32 AM

I am not sure if this is possible. I need my users to have the capability to click an action button (not a workflow rule) that pulls up a view/pdf/doc that they can view.

Case use:
My user is on the phone with a customer. Customer asks about his/her invoice. The user goes to that view - showing invoice data. User can click on a button to export this as a template (i create) of that invoice.

Reason it can’t be a workflow rule - this isn’t an auto triggered event. I created a workflow as well, but for this i need a button.

Does this make sense?

1minManager

Yes you can, but it can’t “pop up” you have to let Appsheet email it to you.

Reply if this is ok and i’ll explain how

Simon@1minManager.com

Tiger1

Yes - email is GREAT. How can i do this?

1minManager

So here’s what I do

Create a new TEXT type column in the speadsheet and set it to hidden in Appsheet. I usually call mine [Report] as thats mainly what it creates.
Create a “set the value of some columns” type action that sets [Report] to “Invoice”
Create another action that sets [Report] to “” i.e. blank
Set both of these actions to be hidden
Create a “excecute a series of actions” action. Chose the first above action, then the second. It must be in that order. Call this third action invoice and make sure its set to “display prominantly”
Create a Workflow where Update event is UPDATES_ONLY and Condition is [Report]=“Invoice” and Target data is the relevant table

Note: Although “set the value of some columns” Actions allow to to do 2 or more things, you must create 2 seperate ones and then group them in a “Execute…” action

So what this does is when your in the App on a paticular row and press the invocie button, it will set [Report] to “Invoice” and then clear it. This forms the trigger for the workflow to fire.

You might find these useful with doing the workflow:

Tiger1

Can that column be a virtual column?

1minManager

No, Workflows can’t trigger off virtual columns

Ami

What if i want the report to include multiple rows? If i apply this to a bulk, by the time all the rows sync, im getting multiple emails rather than just one.

1minManager

@1111 so you need to think of workflows in 2 parts. The first part, which we are talking about here is the trigger. Or simpy put, what causes the Workflow to run.

The second part is what do you want the App to do when the workflow runs.

So in response to what I think you’re asking, you can have a workflow that triggers on the change to one column. But the report it creates can contain multiple columns. Or even pull in data from a totally different table.

Simon@1minManager.com

WillowMobileSys

In the case where you are applying changes to a bulk set or rows, you’ll need to build in some mechanism so you can identify:

That you are processing a bulk set and want to wait.
A signal that the bulk processing has completed.

The workflow will need to check for these signals.

Ami

How would you go about letting the app know that the bulk action has ended?

WillowMobileSys

Most likely we are talking about a situation where you have created an action that executes on a set of rows. You use the selection feature to select your rows and then tap the action.

This Action calls another Action which is a grouped set. The first action sets a flag that processing has started, one or more actions process the rows, then a last action sets the flag that processing has completed.

In Workflow, if there is processing occurring, then workflow to send report does NOT fire. If no processing or processing has completed, then fire workflow and generate report.

This is a simplified description but I hope you get the gist of what needs to happen.

Ami

I think it does. I did the selection manualy by the user in the deck view. I should create an action on a set of rows and only then the second action kicks in. I will try that, thank you very much.

Action button to allow user to view template (pdf) then email it