Automation update single select field

[Richard_Foxwort]

I’m trying to use Airtable Automations to an update to a single select field that I use for status on my records.

I cannot see a way to tell my automation to change the value in this field to one of the pre-defined possible values for my status field, so I tell it to just use the name of one of my values.

The Automation then creates an entirely new status for my single select filed, with that name, so I wind up with a duplicate value in my single select field, and the record status is set to that duplicate value with an identical name, rather than to my desired value.

This means that my downstream automations triggered from that desired status do not fire, because the record is set to some new status which is completely separate, even though it has the same name.

How can I make my automation update the single select field value to one of my predefined possible values?

[Mike_Shaw1]

so you are just putting data into the field and it doesn’t pick from your list so it could add new data if you put a new term, or misspell FYI, this is documented in the Airtable Automations here:

Airtable Support

Update record Action

When building an Automation, you may choose the "Update record" action. When the automation runs successfully, a record will be created in a specified table. The "Update record"...

[Richard_Foxwort]

Thanks for the reply Mike, yes I’m performing a simple automation basically same as in the documentation you linked to.

Not sure in your answer are you implying that same spelling should result in it picking an existing field value?

I’m updating my field with a value that is the exact same spelling as for one of the existing options in my single select field, however it creates a new option for that field - the new option has exact same name and spelling as one of the pre-existing options.

Is there any way to make it use the pre-existing value?

Cheers

[kuovonne · Accepted solution]

Have you checked for a leading or trailing space in your single select value?

[Richard_Foxwort]

Sorry @Mike_Shaw1 and @kuovonne, of course you’re both right - I did have a typo in the value for my single select field, and it does work as expected if the value name is exactly the same.