Automation Add Option to "Multiple Select" Field that might be empty or filled

[Marcus_Lee]

Hello. I have a Status field which is “Multiple Select”. I am trying to build an automation that automatically adds “new” to the Status field when a new record is created. However, the Status field may start empty or it may start filled with other options from the “Multiple Select”.

I can make an automation that works when the field starts empty (just assign “new”), but this will erase any other options if the field starts filled. If the field starts filled, I can assign “new”,{Status}, but this gives an error when Status starts empty ({Status},“new” also does not work). The error is ‘Failed to construct the value for “Fields”.’ So I cannot account for both at the same time. However, my table will have both cases for new records. Am I missing something about how to concatenate the already selected options with my new option?

The work around I have found is to use an additional formula field that either fills “new” or concatenates "new, " to a non-empty field. However I would rather not have this extra field and this seems simple enough that I’m hoping that I am just missing something. Please let me know if you know how to fix this. Thank you!

[Richard_Mitchel]

I must have misread the replies, as I felt the process I outlined was a different process. The OP said a similar process “fails.” The process I outlined doesn’t fail, it just also happens to append an empty value.

[Kamille_Parks]

You didn’t misread. At the time of this topic’s posting the Automation would indeed fail regardless of whether “list of name” or “list of id” was used. In the interim, this has been “fixed” for both so that the Automation can complete but adds an empty select option.

Assuming people don’t want a phantom select option, the answer is still “use a Script Action or use two Automations”

[Richard_Mitchel]

Ah… that makes sense.

And here I thought I had found something.

Thanks!

[Kamille_Parks]

The change in Automation behavior wasn’t documented, to my knowledge, so I’d say count this as a win for pointing it out.

[Nephtali_Chavez]

Richard_Mitchell:

EDIT: One caveat I just discovered is that this will add an empty option AND your appended option if the field is empty to begin with.

Has anyone been able to determine a way to remove the empty option that is produced here?

I have gotten my automation to work at pulling in the status for “AFF Status (test)” based on the “AFF Status (auto)” formula field, but it creates an empty option. The funny thing is that it only creates an empty option for the Acquired and Converted statuses and I believe it is because of the comma. I tried changing the delimiter but then the automation doesn’t work. So I think I just need to find a way to remove the empty option.

!Any help is appreciated!

[Nadav_Ben_Gal]

For those (like me) who are looking for a solution for this problem, just letting you know that now it's not a problem with the (relatively) new feature of "advanced logic". You can add an "IF" statement, that checks if the field to be updated is empty or not. If it is not empty you can use the option from above. If it is empty just proceed as usual