关于Smartsheet表单自定义实现单次提交生成多行数据及重复信息预填充的技术问询

Hey Anthony, great question—this is such a common frustration with Smartsheet's out-of-the-box forms, especially for repair request workflows where users need to submit multiple items at once. Let’s break down both of your desired solutions with practical, actionable steps that avoid the bulky multi-form/sheet setup you tried earlier:

方案1：单次表单提交生成多行Sheet数据（共享联系人信息） #

Smartsheet’s native forms don’t support dynamic "add more" item rows out of the box, but you can combine form design with automation or the Smartsheet API to pull this off:

原生自动化（无代码）方法 #

1. Design your form with repeated item fields: Add core contact fields (Name, Address, Email) at the top, then create sets of item-specific fields (e.g., Item 1 Part #, Item 1 Serial #; Item 2 Part #, Item 2 Serial #—you can add as many sets as you think users will need, or hide extra sets and show them via conditional logic if the user indicates they have more items).
2. Set up a workflow automation to split entries into rows:
   • Go to your Sheet’s Automation tab and create a new rule triggered by "When a row is added".
   • For each item set that has data, add an action to Add Row in the same sheet. Copy the contact field values into the new row, and populate the item-specific fields from the corresponding set in the original submission row.
   • Optional: Add an action to archive or hide the original submission row once the split is done, so your sheet only shows individual item rows.

API-powered dynamic solution（适合无限条目需求） #

If you need users to add as many items as they want (no fixed limit), you’ll need to use the Smartsheet API:

1. Build a custom front-end form that lets users dynamically add/remove item rows.
2. Use the Smartsheet API to send a request that creates multiple rows in your sheet when the form is submitted: each row will include the shared contact info plus one item’s details.
3. Set up a webhook to listen for form submissions if you’re using Smartsheet’s native form as the entry point—parse the submitted data (you can store multiple items in a single text field with a delimiter like |, then split it via script) and create a new row for each item.

方案2：提交后自动预填充联系人信息（减少重复提交冗余） #

If splitting into multiple rows feels too complex, you can drastically reduce user redundancy by pre-filling contact info for subsequent submissions:

1. Enable form pre-fill with URL parameters:
   • Go to your form’s settings and find the Prefill Form option. Generate a pre-fill URL template that includes your contact fields as parameters, e.g.:

     https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form?EQBCT=your-form-id&Name={Name}&Address={Address}&Email={Email}
     

2. Automate sending a pre-filled link after submission:
   • Create a new automation rule in your Sheet triggered by "When a row is added".
   • Add a Send Email action, targeting the submitter’s email (pulled from the form’s Email field).
   • In the email body, insert the pre-fill URL, replacing the {Name}, {Address}, etc., placeholders with dynamic values from the submitted row (use Smartsheet’s field variables like {{Name}} and {{Address}}).
3. When users click the link, the form will automatically populate their contact info—they just need to enter the new item’s details and submit again.

This way, users don’t have to retype their contact info for every item, and you avoid the hassle of managing multiple forms or sheets.

Hope these solutions help streamline your repair request workflow! Let me know if you need clarification on any of the steps.

备注：内容来源于stack exchange，提问作者Anthony Johansen