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Mar 12, 2021 12:18 AM
Is there a way to run an automation where I can find the next empty cell in a column?
I am trying to run an automation where the next empty cell in a column is found and then copy some value from another table over to that empty cell. For example, I have a table with usernames and passwords and another table with names and empty columns for usernames and passwords which will be copied over from the other table.
I know there is a FInd Records action where I can look for empty cells, but that action returns all empty cells and not only the first empty cell.
I think I can get this to work by creating a third linking table where I can automate creating new rows with values from both tables but I am sure there is a simpler way to just find the first instance of an empty cell on a column.
Name | Username | Password |
---|---|---|
Peter | User1 | Password1 |
Joe | User2 | Password2 |
Mary | User3 | Password3 |
Paul | ||
Albert | ||
Bob |
Mar 12, 2021 07:16 AM
Welcome to the Airtable community!
This can be done with a scripting automation.
Here is some other food for thought:
Airtable is not a great place to store passwords. Anyone with access to the base can see all of the passwords. But perhaps these are passwords where low security is okay?
Since the passwords exist in a different table, consider using a linked record field and look-up fields instead of copying the text strings. Leveraging linked records is one of the powers of Airtable.
A script can identify the first record in a view that has an empty field. However, the order of rows can change. Because Airtable is really a database (versus a spreadsheet), records don’t have a fixed position and are not aware of their positions.
Mar 13, 2021 09:03 PM
Hi Kuovonne,
Thanks for the warm welcome and for your comment.
The passwords are just an example but it helps explain what I am trying to achieve. I will definitely be linking these tables together though.
Thanks for suggesting a script to do this. Now that I know that this cannot be done simply with just Airtable automations, I will read more into Airtable scripts.
May 20, 2023 07:13 PM
HI, does anyone have an example on solving this? I'm looking for a similar solution where i have about 1000 rows which have account number column filled and via a submitted form, i want to pre-assign user data into the 1st row where a column is empty.