Quick on-screen message - Automation?

[Shelly_Stilger]

Is there a script that will just pop up a quick message within an automation?

When someone chooses a particular option from a single-select field, I just want a pop-up window with line of text to show on the screen. An email isn’t useful in this case.

I need to remind them to link the record to another table if they choose this one option. It isn’t a one-to-one link, so the automation can’t do the linking for them (i.e. the update record automation won’t work.) And an email comes too late, in a different context, and I’d rather remind them to do it while they’re in the record, not have to go back after they check their email.

The other idea I had was to have the automation open, or navigate to, the field. Can you “find” a record at a specific field?

[Greg_F]

Hello @Shelly_Stilger !

Welcome to Airtable community!

I do not think a pop up is possible in Airtable.

The really really long way would to use service like cleverpush.com sign up each user for browser notification and use automation to push browser notification to the user who edited the field… Technically possible but sounds like an overkill

How about a nearby “Check” formula field with a really convincing messaging?

[Shelly_Stilger]

Thanks for the suggestion, I think that might work nicely!

[Bill_French]

Shelly_Stilger:

I just want a pop-up window with line of text to show on the screen

This is a really good idea and should have been added to Airtable early in the previous decade. However, should it be possible in an automation context? Probably not, because automations are strictly prohibited from generating any on-screen artefacts because there’s no way for Airtable to know if the automation triggered as a result of a user’s actions or some other event signal. And which user’s screen would such a popup would be intended for? Lot’s of deep issues with that approach.

Here’s an idea - the best user features of automated apps are no user features at all. Eliminate the need for popups or reminders or manual steps (that are often executed without precision) and automate the entire process.

Shelly_Stilger:

so the automation can’t do the linking for them (i.e. the update record automation won’t work.)

I’m not following this. I’m pretty sure this is possible. It doesn’t work? Or, you haven’t figured out how to make it work?

[Shelly_Stilger]

Sorry, it’s possible to use an automation to link a record, but just not appropriate in this case. This is because there are multiple choices among the records in the table to be linked, and the user has to choose among them. We are often working with the needs of our human users, who can forget a step when they are busy and Airtable is new to them.