Hello, I have a table with names and phone nu...

[Alfredo_Pou]

Hello, I have a table with names and phone numbers. I need to select several and send an SMS to each one with the current status of the task. How do I select and trigger the sending of messages?

[Alfredo_Pou]

I have no problems with sending mail, I already worked with workflows. What I do not realize how to do is the selection. That is, select who to send by checking boxes.

[Phil]

@Alfredo_Pou

As you know, if you want to trigger a workflow you need to trigger a data change to invoke the workflow.

Topic “Sending Email from an Action Button” describes how you can use a button to trigger a data change that in turn invokes the workflow.

If you prefer, you could add a field to act as the workflow trigger. You could then directly modify the value in that field to trigger the workflow.

[Alfredo_Pou]

That’s what I thought to do to trigger the workflow. What I wanted to achieve is something like what you see in the image. Select several contacts at the same time and modify in a single action “that column”, instead of creating an inline table and adding record by record. Those checkboxes appeared automatically in that app of the image, and they allow me to execute a system action, like delete. I do not know how to activate the boxes, or how to create the action that enter, for example, the date on which the SMS was sent. Yes I know how to do the workflow to send the SMS when the column is updated. Apologies for not having explained me correctly. Thank you.

[Phil]

Here are two approaches you can consider. See the following topics: 1. “Sending Email When a Row is Updated to Have a Specific Column Value” 2. Sending Email from an Action Button

In this article help.appsheet.com - Workflow

Workflow help.appsheet.com

[Alfredo_Pou]

I did exactly what you tell me! It gives me a lot of happiness when I discover those things by myself! Thanks for the help you permanently provide!

[Phil]

@Alfredo_Pou

Try the following: 1. In you worksheet add a new column called “EmailSent”. 2. Regenerate the table to pick up the new column. 3. Set the new column’s type to “DateTime”. 4. Go to Behavior > Action and create a new action called “SendEmail”. For “Do this” specify “Data: set the value of a column”. For “To this value” specify “NOW()”. Save the new action. 5. Make sure you have a “Table View” defined for the table. 6. Open the table view and click the box with the embedded check mark at the top right. This allows you to select one or more data rows in the table. This may be a beta feature and I am not sure it is available to everyone at this point. If you don’t see the box with the embedded check mark that may be the reason why. It will be available to everyone shortly. 7. Once you have selected the rows you want to send email to, click the “SendEmail” action button. This will set the value of the “EmailSent” column in the selected rows to the value NOW(). 8. Add a workflow rule that is triggered by updates to the table. In the workflow Condition check the value of the “EmailSent” column.The expression should return “true” if the value in the column is within the past few minutes. You are probably safe looking for a value in past 5 to 10 minutes.

[Phil]

@Alfredo_Pou

Workflow rules are always executed on the server,never on the client.

When sending SMS messages, the server sends the SMS to the Twilio online SMS service. If the SMS recipients are in the US or Canada, you can use the AppSheet Twilio account. If the SMS recipients are in other countries, you must create your own Twilio account and configure the SMS workflow to use that account. SMS cost vary greatly by country. In some countries an SMS message cost 10 or 20 cents per message.

It is also theoretically possible to use some other SMS service if you can communicate with that external service via a webhook. Using you own Twilio account is obviously easier, so that is what most people do.

[Alfredo_Pou]

One more question, I do not understand how the SMS are sent, I am asked for a Twilio server. I do not know what it is. I can not send the SMS directly from my cell phone?

[Alfredo_Pou]

What I want is to do it like when I click on the message icon, which uses the messages on my cell phone. I have 10000 free SMS per month and I wanted to use them in my application to notify clients of the status of their repair. Is there any way to do it other than with a workflow?

[Alfredo_Pou]

I made it! By creating the action it allowed me to select. Thanks for everything!

[Phil]

@Alfredo_Pou

Glad you figured it out.

I just posted one way to do it, but you figured it out before I did. Good work!