Offline form 'Created Date' column discrepancy with actual submission date

Hi all,

I've been supporting a project that's utilizing Smartsheet's offline form submission. We want to capture the date of each form submission. However, since this is a large and fast-paced project, and we're doing A LOT of data collection, I tried to minimize the friction a person experiences while collecting data. So I setup the 'Created Date' column assuming that would capture the timestamp the moment a person presses 'Submit.' I'm finding that this is not the case.

Is Smartsheet not programmed to do this? Is the 'Created Date' column filled with the timestamp of when the submission is sent over WiFi (once it's connected)? I have added a date column the Data Collector manually fills, but I'd very much like a feature hard-coded into Smartsheet that captures the date of the form submission automatically, even if offline, the moment the 'Submit' button is pressed.

Here is a screenshot of 2 rows: the first row is correct, because I'm assuming it was connected to WiFi and submitted the same day. The second row I know for a fact was collected on 8/26, yet the 'Created Date' column shows 8/27. Again, this is presumably the timestamp for when the form was submitted over WiFi.

Created_v_actual.png

Any info on this would be helpful.

Thanks!

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Best Answers

  • Paul Newcome
    Paul Newcome ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓

    The only way to reliably do this is to have the user enter the date directly into the form.


    The Created Date column does not capture the submission of the form but rather the creation of the row.


    Even if connected when you submit the form... If you click on Submit at 11:59:59pm, if there is any kind of lag whatsoever in between the clicking of the Submit button and when the row is created, you could potentially have a date of the next day and 12:00:00am.

    10 xviz.com

    Come see me at ENGAGE 2023! I have "Happy to help" buttons!

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  • conorhanson
    edited 09/15/23 Answer ✓

    Got it. Thanks for verifying and clarifying, Paul!

Answers

  • Paul Newcome
    Paul Newcome ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓

    The only way to reliably do this is to have the user enter the date directly into the form.


    The Created Date column does not capture the submission of the form but rather the creation of the row.


    Even if connected when you submit the form... If you click on Submit at 11:59:59pm, if there is any kind of lag whatsoever in between the clicking of the Submit button and when the row is created, you could potentially have a date of the next day and 12:00:00am.

    10 xviz.com

    Come see me at ENGAGE 2023! I have "Happy to help" buttons!

    If you can't find me roaming the floor, I will most likely be at the 10xViz Partner Booth.

  • conorhanson
    edited 09/15/23 Answer ✓

    Got it. Thanks for verifying and clarifying, Paul!

  • Paul Newcome
    Paul Newcome ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    Happy to help.

    10 xviz.com

    Come see me at ENGAGE 2023! I have "Happy to help" buttons!

    If you can't find me roaming the floor, I will most likely be at the 10xViz Partner Booth.

I initiated a support request on this, and the Smartsheet support team clarified that it functions according to its intended design, where it checks the box when a new record is created using the 'New' button within the dynamic view.<\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":343,"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations","allowedDiscussionTypes":["discussion","question"]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[{"tagID":443,"urlcode":"dynamic-view","name":"Dynamic View"}]},{"discussionID":110369,"type":"question","name":"data shuttle filter lacks an option to filter rows dynamically on date fields","excerpt":"I need to apply a dynamic filter criterion to a date field, specifically filtering for rows where the transaction date is current day, within a data shuttle workflow. Unfortunately, I can only find static date choices, which is inconsistent from what's possible in Smartsheet reports (where I can use the \"is today\" filter).…","snippet":"I need to apply a dynamic filter criterion to a date field, specifically filtering for rows where the transaction date is current day, within a data shuttle workflow.…","categoryID":343,"dateInserted":"2023-09-16T17:39:28+00:00","dateUpdated":"2023-09-18T14:55:38+00:00","dateLastComment":"2023-09-20T16:19:49+00:00","insertUserID":166645,"insertUser":{"userID":166645,"name":"Naren","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Naren","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-09-21T22:49:21+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"},"updateUserID":166028,"lastUserID":166645,"lastUser":{"userID":166645,"name":"Naren","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Naren","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-09-21T22:49:21+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"},"pinned":false,"pinLocation":null,"closed":false,"sink":false,"countComments":4,"countViews":34,"score":null,"hot":3390115157,"url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/110369\/data-shuttle-filter-lacks-an-option-to-filter-rows-dynamically-on-date-fields","canonicalUrl":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/110369\/data-shuttle-filter-lacks-an-option-to-filter-rows-dynamically-on-date-fields","format":"Rich","tagIDs":[474],"lastPost":{"discussionID":110369,"commentID":396228,"name":"Re: data shuttle filter lacks an option to filter rows dynamically on date fields","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/comment\/396228#Comment_396228","dateInserted":"2023-09-20T16:19:49+00:00","insertUserID":166645,"insertUser":{"userID":166645,"name":"Naren","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Naren","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/defaultavatar\/nWRMFRX6I99I6.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-09-21T22:49:21+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭"}},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/"},{"name":"Get Help","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/get-help"},{"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations"}],"groupID":null,"statusID":3,"attributes":{"question":{"status":"accepted","dateAccepted":"2023-09-20T16:19:59+00:00","dateAnswered":"2023-09-20T05:46:50+00:00","acceptedAnswers":[{"commentID":396127,"body":"

@Naren<\/a>, while you will need an extra column its easy to accomplish.<\/p>

  1. Create a new column called say \"Today\"<\/li>
  2. In the column, create a column formula, for TRUE \/ FALSE, to check if the date in JVd Date = Today(). <\/li>
  3. This way you will get TRUE for columns where JVd Date is today. <\/li><\/ol>

    Now as this represents a static column, you can use filter on this column in your data shuttle. Also, you can hide this column in sheets so as not to add clutter. Hope it helps. Let me know if you need any further clarity on above steps.<\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":343,"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations","allowedDiscussionTypes":["discussion","question"]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[{"tagID":474,"urlcode":"data-shuttle","name":"Data Shuttle"}]},{"discussionID":108840,"type":"question","name":"WorkApps - Admin Permissions on Assets","excerpt":"Hi, We are using WorkApps more and more to create a \"one-stop shop\" where users can go to access forms, sheets, reports, dashboards & dynamic views. Some users have admin access to sheets, and we lock certain columns to ensure that editors can only amend specific information. However, when sheet admins use WorkApps then…","snippet":"Hi, We are using WorkApps more and more to create a \"one-stop shop\" where users can go to access forms, sheets, reports, dashboards & dynamic views. Some users have admin access…","categoryID":343,"dateInserted":"2023-08-11T03:12:23+00:00","dateUpdated":"2023-08-11T08:46:32+00:00","dateLastComment":"2023-09-19T17:24:04+00:00","insertUserID":125212,"insertUser":{"userID":125212,"name":"Neil Watson","title":"","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/Neil%20Watson","photoUrl":"https:\/\/aws.smartsheet.com\/storageProxy\/image\/images\/u!1!pglbKXXltro!HIFbX6W_ivo!Lnqe5-nvNY5","dateLastActive":"2023-09-21T20:04:17+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭✭✭✭✭✭"},"updateUserID":91566,"lastUserID":111441,"lastUser":{"userID":111441,"name":"jeremypyles","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/jeremypyles","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/drupal_profile\/files\/2019-11\/b9\/65\/nb9656e7387a82b731c1b080f19fcd3ff.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-09-19T17:42:11+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭✭✭"},"pinned":false,"pinLocation":null,"closed":false,"sink":false,"countComments":5,"countViews":149,"score":null,"hot":3386870787,"url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108840\/workapps-admin-permissions-on-assets","canonicalUrl":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/108840\/workapps-admin-permissions-on-assets","format":"Rich","lastPost":{"discussionID":108840,"commentID":395935,"name":"Re: WorkApps - Admin Permissions on Assets","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/discussion\/comment\/395935#Comment_395935","dateInserted":"2023-09-19T17:24:04+00:00","insertUserID":111441,"insertUser":{"userID":111441,"name":"jeremypyles","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/profile\/jeremypyles","photoUrl":"https:\/\/us.v-cdn.net\/6031209\/uploads\/drupal_profile\/files\/2019-11\/b9\/65\/nb9656e7387a82b731c1b080f19fcd3ff.jpg","dateLastActive":"2023-09-19T17:42:11+00:00","banned":0,"punished":0,"private":false,"label":"✭✭✭"}},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Home","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/"},{"name":"Get Help","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/get-help"},{"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations"}],"groupID":null,"statusID":3,"attributes":{"question":{"status":"accepted","dateAccepted":"2023-08-11T23:36:29+00:00","dateAnswered":"2023-08-11T18:10:14+00:00","acceptedAnswers":[{"commentID":390276,"body":"

    Sounds about right. Are you looking for some kind of guidance on a specific issue?<\/p>"},{"commentID":395935,"body":"

    Unfortunately WorkApps are meant for data users and not much if any administration, design or creation by sheet owners can be done directly in the WorkApp.<\/p>

    Because of this, a lot of our users (who do have access to higher level stuff) abandon the WorkApp and prefer to work directly in the sheets so they can do high-level changes.<\/p>

    Then they forget about the WorkApps during meetings and I say, \"open the WorkApp and let's keep using the WorkApp ok?\"<\/p>

    They do that, hit a wall and then say \"see, this is why we abandoned the WorkAppin the first place...we can't do half the stuff we need to in the WorkApp...\"<\/p>

    Sigh.<\/p>

    😔<\/span><\/p>"}]}},"status":{"statusID":3,"name":"Accepted","state":"closed","recordType":"discussion","recordSubType":"question"},"bookmarked":false,"unread":false,"category":{"categoryID":343,"name":"Add Ons and Integrations","url":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/categories\/apps-and-integrations","allowedDiscussionTypes":["discussion","question"]},"reactions":[{"tagID":3,"urlcode":"Promote","name":"Promote","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":5,"count":0},{"tagID":5,"urlcode":"Insightful","name":"Insightful","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":11,"urlcode":"Up","name":"Vote Up","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0},{"tagID":13,"urlcode":"Awesome","name":"Awesome","class":"Positive","hasReacted":false,"reactionValue":1,"count":0}],"tags":[]}],"initialPaging":{"nextURL":"https:\/\/community.smartsheet.com\/api\/v2\/discussions?page=2&categoryID=343&includeChildCategories=1&type%5B0%5D=Question&excludeHiddenCategories=1&sort=-dateLastComment&limit=3&expand%5B0%5D=all&expand%5B1%5D=-body&expand%5B2%5D=insertUser&expand%5B3%5D=lastUser&status=accepted","prevURL":null,"currentPage":1,"total":688,"limit":3},"title":"Trending Posts","subtitle":null,"description":null,"noCheckboxes":true,"containerOptions":[],"discussionOptions":[]}">

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