AppSheet Bot: Will not trigger on database change (Using Core license and Native Database)

AppSheet AppSheet Q&A
1

I am using core licensing and native database. I have created a bot to trigger on an add to the database. When adding a record from the app, there is no triggering of the bot. Something that may be relevant is, I normalized my databases into unique storage locations do to database count limitations. I have dropped the settings screen and the condition formula below.

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AND([Task_Type] = “Discipline”, [Plan_Initiated] = “CAP”, ISNOTBLANK([Document]), [_THISROW_BEFORE].[Document] <> [_THISROW_AFTER].[Document])

2

First, make sure that the spelling of [Task_Type] and [Plan_Initated] are exactly right with the expected chosen values.

More than likely it is something to do with [Document]. How is [Document] being populated? Do you use an action to pre-populate the field or do you have an Initial Value assigned?

One observation. The Bot is running on ADDs only and the typical use case is for the form to open with an empty field (Document in this case), the user fills it in and then taps save. If this IS your use case, you do not need the “<>” part. You only need to check for ISNOTBLANK().

3

Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to this. This is happening with any bot I create that triggers on a database change. I wonder if it is something to do with my having changed the database storage area. I broke the storage folders up to work around database limitations. Any additional help would be greatly appreciated.

4

I’m not sure what you mean here. AD (AppSheet Database) changes do not directly impact AppSheet automation.

The AD tables feed into the AppSheet tables and then activity within those AppSheet tables is what’s used to trigger the Bots.

If your Bot is not triggering, then there is something in the AppSheet Table row that does not match the criteria. Check on the “tblStudentTasks” row entry Form that:

  1. [Task_Type] is spelled EXACTLY as indicated in the Bot criteria - “Discipline”
  2. [Plan_Initiated] = “CAP”
  3. [Document] is not blank

These three things are all that’s required to trigger the Bot - based on info you have given. If you have carefully verified these three things match precisely then you need to raise an issue with AppSheet Support.

In the meantime, one thing you can test is to point your app to a Google sheet as the datasource to see if that makes a difference. If the problem still exists, something is just not connected correctly and we would need more details about the table, column definitions and entry Form used to try to pinpoint the issue.

5

This is a list of values in the database history when a record is created.

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I am assuming that by absents of the document field it meets the criteria of ISBLANK.

6

Note that a bot is triggered ONLY by changes in the specific table the bot is attached to, NOT to changes in tables containing related (child) rows, nor does the bot trigger on changes to ANY virtual columns.

Your bot is configured to respond to new rows added to the tblStudentTasks. It will not respond at all to changes made to existing rows in tblStudentTasks, nor will it respond to now child rows attached to a row in tblStudentTasks.

7

Thanks Steve!

Task_Type is an Enum type.

Plan_Initiated is an Enum type.

Document is a File type.