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Append Changes to an Item Column using a Workflow

  • July 1, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 90 views
gabrielorso
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Hello, my problem is a really simple one.

I have a list of Projects (List A), where every item is a project.

 

I have a column for the items called "Proposals Requests". This column is set as "Enhanced Rich Text", "Multiple Lines of Text" and "NO to Append Changes". It's purpose is to register every request made to that specific project.

 

What i want to do is a workflow to add an input on this column, like a new paragraph on top of the text, instead of using Append Changes (this would work better for a number of reasons).

 

For this purpose i have created another list called "Register a Request" (List B). This list works like a Form, where the user should insert all the info about the REQUEST itself, like selecting the project.

 

A Workflow will then be triggered when a REQUEST is added to LIST B, would pick up all the info, build a string and save it on the selected project in LIST A, in the column "Proposals Requests".

 

The Workflow will first save the content from the "Proposals Requests" to a Variable. This Variable will be used to build the String, positioned last in the string. Therefore the String will be formed by "NEW INFO (from List B)" + "OLD INFO (stored in the variable)". 

 

The string will then be updated into the same column "Proposals Requests". Therefore working sort as an APPEND CHANGES Workflow.

 

You can see in the image below.

 

8283iD77A71A1AD22B3C9.png

My problem is that the Variable won't store the OLD INFO (Multiple Line text) from the "Proposals Requests" and i don't know why. 

 

So when the workflow runs, the string becomes just "NEW INFO (from List B)" + "BLANK (empty variable)".

 

I even set a default value for the Variable just to check, but that is also erased when the NEW INFO is stored in the variable, and the outcome is again, BLANK.

 

The part of selecting the project and updating it I've got figured out. The NEW INFO is correctly stored in the column.

 

I've already tried:
- Setting a "1 minute pause" in the workflow, just after i store the old info in the variable.

- Using a temporary column on LIST B so i don't need to use a variable (the outcome is the same).

 

    2 replies

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    • Tarf
    • Novice
    • July 2, 2020

    Hi @gabrielorso,

    how is your "Save project old RFQs" action configured? What is displayed in the wf history, if you log your variable to it?

     

    I would use a query list action:

    • Query List A
    • Where ID equals CurrentItem:LookupToListA:ID
    • Field Proposal Requests -> someMultiLineVariable

     

    gabrielorso
    Forum|alt.badge.img+1

    Tarf, i cannot put in to words how grateful i am (lol).

     

    Your hint actually solved the problem, because as i'm very newbie, i don't know about all ACTION blocks i can use, like QUERY.

     

    The solution was to use the QUERY action block instead of the SET VARIABLE action block. The set variable was not working / was not storing the multiple line text correctly.

     

    Now my Workflow is just 2 blocks:

     

    - Query: which will search LIST A for the project i select in LIST B, when found, it will store the "Proposals Received" column content from that project into the variable.

     

    - Update Item: will update the "Proposals Received" column in the selected project in LIST A, with the new info coming from LIST B + Old info stored in the variable.

     

    I still don't know why the SET VARIABLE was not working though, and using UPDATE ITEM directly also didn't work. Both methods resulted in BLANK. 

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