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Workflows

Smartsheet Workflow Rich Text Editor Popout

The rich text editor for workflow alert and email messages in Smartsheet is embedded in a narrow side panel. The editing area is small relative to the amount of text most alert messages contain, making it difficult to draft, read back, or format longer messages without constant scrolling inside the panel.

Without Grid Tools

The daily workaround

Cramped editing surface for long messages
The built-in message editor shows only a few lines at a time, requiring constant scrolling to read and edit a message of more than a few sentences.
Formatting controls obscure content
The rich text toolbar sits above the text area and reduces the visible editing space, making it harder to see the full message while applying formatting.
Hard to proofread in a narrow panel
Reading back a completed alert message for accuracy is difficult when the viewing area cuts the message into short line segments.
No way to resize the editor
Smartsheet does not allow the side panel or message editor to be resized, so users with longer messages have no way to expand the editing area.
Screenshot: Workflow message editor in the narrow side panel
Workflow message editor in the narrow Smartsheet side panel
Screenshot: Only a few lines of message text visible at once
Only a few lines of message text visible at once
Screenshot: Scrolling inside the panel to read the full message
Scrolling inside the panel to read the full message

With Grid Tools

How Grid Tools handles it

Popout to a full-size editing window
Grid Tools adds a popout button that opens the workflow message editor in a larger panel, exposing more of the message text at once.
More visible lines while editing
The expanded editor shows significantly more text in the viewport, reducing scrolling during drafting and proofreading.
Formatting toolbar out of the way
In the larger editing surface, the rich text toolbar does not dominate the visible area the way it does in the narrow panel.
Easier to review long alert messages
Proofreading a completed message is faster when the full message is visible in one view rather than fragmented across a narrow scroll area.
Screenshot: Popout button opening the expanded message editor
Popout button opening the expanded message editor
Screenshot: Full-size rich text editing surface with more visible text
Full-size rich text editing surface with more visible text
Screenshot: Formatting toolbar and content visible simultaneously
Formatting toolbar and content visible simultaneously in the expanded editor

Frequently asked questions

Does Smartsheet let you resize the workflow message editor?

No. The workflow configuration panel and its embedded message editor have a fixed width and cannot be resized natively.

Does the popout editor support the same formatting options as the built-in editor?

Yes. The popout editor is the same rich text editor — all formatting options available in the built-in panel are available in the expanded view.

Can I use column placeholders in the popout editor?

Yes. Column placeholder insertion works the same way in the popout editor. If you also have the Grid Tools Column Placeholder Inserter active, it works in the expanded editor too.

Are changes made in the popout editor saved back to the workflow?

Yes. Content edited in the popout panel writes back to the workflow message field. Save the workflow normally after editing.

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