Enhancing Your Automation Workflow: Modifying the SourceSheets Object in Smartsheet Reports

Discover limitations in modifying the `SourceSheets` array in Smartsheet Reports and learn how to enhance your automation workflow efficiently. --- This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/69858612/ asked by the user 'Ryan McBee' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/17339149/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/69899519/ provided by the user 'Alex Argumedo' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/13669444/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions. Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Is there any way to modify the SourceSheets object in Reports Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l... The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license. If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com. --- Enhancing Your Automation Workflow: Modifying the SourceSheets Object in Smartsheet Reports As you're working on automating the creation of Smartsheets and generating reports from them, you may find yourself facing a common challenge. Specifically, how can you modify the SourceSheets object in Reports to include newly created sheets without having to go through each report manually? This task could significantly streamline and enhance the efficiency of your workflow, so let’s delve deeper into this issue. Understanding the Problem You have an automated script that creates new sheets from a template and populates them with data regularly. Your reports compile information from these sheets for easy presentation and analysis. Although much of the process is automated, you find yourself needing to update the reports to include the latest sheet IDs each time a new sheet is created. It’s a repetitive task that can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Assessing the Capabilities of the Smartsheet API When it comes to modifying reports using the Smartsheet API, it’s important to note the following limitations: No direct modifications: Currently, the API does not support altering the SourceSheets of a report directly. This means you cannot add, remove, or edit the array of sheets included in a report once it has been created. Limited functionalities: The API primarily allows for sharing and exporting reports and offers few other features. This limitation means there are no straightforward methods available for dynamically updating report contents based on new sheet generation. What You Can Do Instead Even though the API does not provide a way to modify report objects directly, there are still some steps you might consider to enhance your automation process: Replicate reports in a new location: If your reports are within a folder or a workspace, consider copying the entire container. This may allow you to create a new report that includes the latest sheets. However, this approach would require manual intervention initially. Use automation tools: Explore third-party integration tools or platforms that interface with the Smartsheet API and can facilitate deeper customization of reports. Some automation tools may offer features that extend beyond the API limitations. Request API features from Smartsheet: If modifying reports is crucial for your workflow, consider submitting feedback or a feature request to Smartsheet's support team. User queries often help prioritize future API enhancements. Conclusion While it’s disappointing to discover that the API does not currently support direct modifications to the SourceSheets object in reports, understanding the limitations can help direct your efforts towards optimizing your current automation workflows through other means. By focusing on alternative approaches, you can still find effective ways to enhance efficiency in your report management processes within Smartsheet. If you have additional questions or require further insights into Smartsheet automation, feel free to reach out or explore the available documentation for more tips on maximizing your use of the platform.