Common Tasks in Project Tracker

New to Airtable. I have an established set of ~ 8 tasks that need to be performed for each new client. Is there a way that when I enter a new client (currently automatically added per Zapier) that these tasks can somehow be pre-populated so that I can simply click “checkbox” when each stage is completed. I figured out a way to group clients but I must manually drag client names to pick up each task. I would rather have this automated (or create a similar end result) so that every new client will have same series of steps or tasks assigned to them. (not sure this image is visible as uploaded)

Another way automatically to generate a task list for each client is to use a linked record for each task; by pasting a list of identifiers into the linked-record field, you can create a full set of tasks for each client. You can paste the values manually or through an integration service such as Zapier or Integromat. (In Zapier, if the paste is performed into the same record that triggers the Zap, it’s considered a two-step Zap and can be executed from a free account.)

I tossed together a quick demo base to illustrate this. (It’s a shared, read-only link, so duplicate the base into your own workspace to be able to examine and modify it.)

To see how this works, create a new [Client] record and enter the client name. Then select {LinkText}, press Ctrl-C to copy the value, select {Link2Tasks}, and press Ctrl-V to paste the copied value. Airtable will pause a moment, telling you it’s ‘Pasting…’, and then show you it’s created eight new linked records in the [Tasks] table.

One caveat: Each new [Client] must have a unique name; otherwise, when pasting {LinkText} for the second instance of the client, the record will be linked to the first instance’s [Tasks].

As you can see in the [Tasks] table, you can key off the task number to create a more explanatory {Task} description. I’ve also concatenated a checkbox used to indicate completed tasks with the task description to provide a listing of tasks showing which have or have not been completed. (The {Tasks} rollup field in the [Client] table uses an aggregation function of ARRAYJOIN(values,'\n'). This creates a CRLF-delimited listing of statuses and tasks. Unfortunately, even at a Row Height of ‘Extra Tall’ only the first six tasks are displayed — but the same field, when used in a Page Designer Block, will display all eight.

To get around Airtable’s LIFO listing of rolled-up linked records, I’ve defined the [Tasks] identifiers in reverse order; sort [Tasks] by the primary field to return the list to its expected sequence. You can filter or group [Tasks] by {Client} to simplify task management.

Since you are creating new client records using Zapier, you could conceivably bypass the whole {LinkText} step and simply create your identifier list using Formatter by Zapier; paste that value into {Link2Tasks} in the record you are creating.

Another way automatically to generate a task list for each client is to use a linked record for each task; by pasting a list of identifiers into the linked-record field, you can create a full set of tasks for each client. You can paste the values manually or through an integration service such as Zapier or Integromat. (In Zapier, if the paste is performed into the same record that triggers the Zap, it’s considered a two-step Zap and can be executed from a free account.)

I tossed together a quick demo base to illustrate this. (It’s a shared, read-only link, so duplicate the base into your own workspace to be able to examine and modify it.)

To see how this works, create a new [Client] record and enter the client name. Then select {LinkText}, press Ctrl-C to copy the value, select {Link2Tasks}, and press Ctrl-V to paste the copied value. Airtable will pause a moment, telling you it’s ‘Pasting…’, and then show you it’s created eight new linked records in the [Tasks] table.

One caveat: Each new [Client] must have a unique name; otherwise, when pasting {LinkText} for the second instance of the client, the record will be linked to the first instance’s [Tasks].

As you can see in the [Tasks] table, you can key off the task number to create a more explanatory {Task} description. I’ve also concatenated a checkbox used to indicate completed tasks with the task description to provide a listing of tasks showing which have or have not been completed. (The {Tasks} rollup field in the [Client] table uses an aggregation function of ARRAYJOIN(values,'\n'). This creates a CRLF-delimited listing of statuses and tasks. Unfortunately, even at a Row Height of ‘Extra Tall’ only the first six tasks are displayed — but the same field, when used in a Page Designer Block, will display all eight.

To get around Airtable’s LIFO listing of rolled-up linked records, I’ve defined the [Tasks] identifiers in reverse order; sort [Tasks] by the primary field to return the list to its expected sequence. You can filter or group [Tasks] by {Client} to simplify task management.

Since you are creating new client records using Zapier, you could conceivably bypass the whole {LinkText} step and simply create your identifier list using Formatter by Zapier; paste that value into {Link2Tasks} in the record you are creating.

@W_Vann_Hall I don’t suppose your base is working anymore. I duplicated it, added a new entry to Clients table and copied the LinkText field to Link2Tasks, but it keeps showing Pasting… (almost 10 min now). Do you still managed to use this? Thanks