Confirm to app user if a bot step successfully ran or not

[Suvrutt_Gurjar]

An issue this tip tries to address:

Occasionally the bot runs partially and times out on certain steps.

At times , we app creators or the app users experience that the AppSheet app in general is working but the bot has timed out on a step and partially run.

Assumption in this tip: This tip assumes that the bot running has not totally stopped but it partially runs and the main long running step has timed out. This means it starts but times out on an intermediate step.

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Recently we experienced a situation wherein the bot ran partially when invoked from a grandparent table. It successfully added records to the child table but the step to add records to the grandchild table timed out. Of course it timed out when there were server slowness issues on 20th June 2025. Other times it was running successfully.

While the Enterprise subscription allows to access the audit logs and one can further process those, the following approach can help Core plan app users. It also suggests an ( app ) user friendly approach wherein one may get a sense of successful running of the critical bot steps.

The approach

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The approach suggests adding one text column called say [Report_Log] in the table from which the bot triggers.

A) Basically the first step of the bot sets the text in the [Report_Log] with an action that the bot has started and the completion is awaited. The first step highlighted in yellow in the diagram below.

B) This step is followed by the normal step such as sending report or adding/ deleting rows , calling and api etc. This step is highlighted in light green in the diagram below. The user is basically interested in knowing if this step ran well or not.

C) The final step again sets the [Report_Log] column with an action to a value that the bot is completed. if the normal step mentioned in B) above does not run , this [report_Log} step C) also does not run. This lets the app user know that the bot’s normal step has not run. This step C) is also highlighted in yellow

Short Demo

Bot did not run message capture

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The GIF below shows the testing of this concept. Whenever the column [Enable_Report] is set to “Disable” , the condition in the test bot does not allow the report step to run. The message in the first step A) captures that the bot has started. But since the steps B) and C) do not run, the bot incomplete message set in the first step A) is shown to the app user. Please see this for the record Ann Adams.

Bot successfully ran message

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On the other hand when the column [Enable_Report] is set to 'Enable" , the report step runs, and the last step C) that sets the [Report_Log} to successful running also runs and lets the user know that the bot has run successfully. Please see this for the record Bob Barker.

This way the app users can know if certain bot’s main step ran successfully or otherwise on a particular run.

[Aurelien]

Neat! Thank you @Suvrutt_Gurjar for sharing this!

I use this kind of principle to display a message to user, usually stating “Document creation in progress…” then “Document created successfully”.

I never thought - and love the idea - to monitor bot process completion this way!

[Suvrutt_Gurjar]

Thank you @Aurelien .

Showing the message of document creation in progress and successful completion is another very useful implementation you have shared.

Thank you very much.

[Akkipatel95]

Hello @Suvrutt_Gurjar

I am doing the same setup as first step to add that bot started in the report_status column and then 2nd step which in my case is trigger a script and 3rd step where I am marking report_status blank. But when as user I am clicking on a button I am not seeing anything in the report_status column but another user can see it. I am doing anything wrong here?

[Suvrutt_Gurjar]

Hi @Akkipatel95 ,

If another user can see the status means the bot setup seems to be working correctly.

You may want to look into any user specific setup in the app.

Also could you mention what you mean by the following

@Akkipatel95

But when as user I am clicking on a button

What button you are referring to? Is it an action button that triggers the bot?

[jyothis_m]

Very useful tip . Thank you @Suvrutt_Gurjar

I also implemented a similar method

[Suvrutt_Gurjar]

Thank you very @jyothis_m for the reference. I realize that our tips are almost similar. Yours is at more global or app level in that you have a separate bot monitor table for all the bots in the app. However individual bot monitoring concept is almost identical.

I realize that I could have done a better job of searching a similar tip that I normally do before posting a new tip at my end. I also always make it a point to refer if any relevant tip/post has helped while posting a new approach.

Anyway, I think my tip is almost redundant in light of your tip two years ago. As such I believe it will be more prudent at my end to delete my tip because it does not add any new value to the already existing knowledge base. I will delete my totally inadvertent repetitive post after a while once you and the community gets to view my this latest post in this thread..

[jyothis_m]

Not at all. Your approach is more specific for individual bots and give better insights about the bot status within the table which is actually good. Both approaches can be used based on the use case.

[Suvrutt_Gurjar]

Thank you @jyothis_m . I will retain my this tip post thread. However I must mention that I should have done a better job of searching for similar posts before posting.

[jyothis_m]

irony is that you are the only one who commented on that tip of mine

[Suvrutt_Gurjar]

Yes, I agree. That is why I mention, I should have done a better job of searching. But I must mention that this purely inadvertently happens sometimes . Please go through the post below.

How to find the Index() position of an item from a… - Google Cloud Community

[Akkipatel95]

Yes, It’s action button which triggers bot. Column is also visible for everyone. I thought that In Detail it’s not showing but in the Table as well it’s not showing.