Interface Tool -- File Browse -- Automatically Choosing Excel Sheet

[smoskowitz]

Hello All --

I am creating a workflow that has the ability to choose the file a user needs to run through the workflow (using the File/Browse tool). When you choose a file, the next step is to choose the sheet (this is an Excel file).

All the files need to use the same sheet. I was wondering if there is a way to have a user choose the file, and it automatically chooses the sheet the need. In this case, the sheets name is simply IPG.

Thanks,

Seth

[BenMoss]

Although this may be possible to build a logic that would process this, and work when running the app locally, I don't believe this is possible when working with the gallery (which I guess you want too). I believe that when you load a file to the gallery via the file browse, Alteryx is loading the file to the server from the users machine, and thus it must know the sheet name to do this.

What you could build is a network drive which both your users and your alteryx server can see. The user hits run, but in the background it's automatically going to that network drive, finding the latest xlsx file and selecting the 'IPG' sheet.

Ben

[smoskowitz]

@BenMoss This will not be used in a gallery scenario. Just trying to make a workflow easier for some people to use.

[BenMoss · Accepted solution]

Unfortunately if you want to use the file browse, the user will always be prompted with a sheet selection. 

You could, build a logic which checks whether they have selected the right sheet and create an error message saying 'please select the X sheet as requested'. Alternatively you could build a logic that regardless of the sheet selection, replaces it with the correct sheet name.

There's another method but I don't perceive it as a particularly great user experience so I won't even suggest that!

To me this is about educating your users, so I would probably use the first option and create an error message if they select the wrong sheet.

With all macro's and applications we build internally we create documentation on how to use them. You could quite simply write in a 'text' element using the interface designer, write a note saying 'please select the sheet X'.

[smoskowitz]

Ok, it was worth asking. :)

[Thableaus]

I was navigating to check something else about this topic and I ended up finding this,

I'd just like to add that yes, it's possible to choose an Excel File withou having to select a sheet.

If you configure your File Browse tool to "Arbitrary File Specification", it turns out that your app doesn't ask for a sheet at all.

This way, if your Sheet name is the same (as the author of the topic mentioned before), you configure your Action Tool to Replace the String of the Full Path of the file, leaving the Sheet Name part untouched.

 

Running the app will only ask for the file and that's it.

@smoskowitz @BenMoss just a great thing to add to this discussion.

Cheers,

[BenMoss]

Hey, thanks for tagging this; I too noticed this recently, but this wont
work on Alreryx Server is my assumption? Have you tested there?

Ben

[smoskowitz]

Thanks for this. I will have to give it a try. Thanks, Seth

[Thableaus]

No Ben, I haven't tested it on Alteryx Server yet. 

But that's a good point. I'll do it later. 

Since @smoskowitz asked for a local solution, I thought of adding this to the topic so it could help people in the future.

Cheers,

[okakosolikos]

For everyone interested,
Yes, it works as a local solution
No, it doesn't work in Alteryx Server; it still requires to pick an excel sheet