Smartsheet is a powerful platform for project management and collaboration, offering various formatting options to enhance readability. However, users often encounter a common challenge: how to bold specific portions of text within a cell, rather than the entire content. This article delves into the limitations of native Smartsheet formatting and explores a workaround using Unicode text generators.
Currently, Smartsheet's built-in formatting tools apply to the entire cell content. This means you cannot select specific words or phrases within a cell and bold them using the standard formatting options. As Paul Newcome, a Community Champion, pointed out, "[a]t this time you can only apply formatting to the entire contents of a cell."
This limitation can be frustrating for users who want to emphasize particular keywords, highlight important data points, or create a more visually appealing presentation within their sheets.
While Smartsheet's native formatting has limitations, a clever workaround exists using Unicode text generators. This method, suggested by Mr. Moeen, involves using external tools to convert regular text into bold Unicode characters.
Here's how it works:
Example:
Let's say you want the phrase "Project Timeline" to appear bold in a sentence within Smartsheet.
As demonstrated by Shanky Paul in the Smartsheet community, you can also combine Unicode bold with data from other cells using formulas. This enables dynamic bolding based on cell content.
For instance, if you want to bold a specific word and then include text from another cell, you can use a formula that incorporates the Unicode bold characters.
While the Unicode workaround provides a solution for bolding specific text portions, the Smartsheet community has expressed a strong desire for native support for this feature. Paul Newcome encourages users to "[s]ubmit a Product Enhancement Request" to advocate for this functionality.
By submitting such requests (available directly on the Smartsheet website), users can directly influence future updates and improvements to the platform.
Although Smartsheet currently lacks native support for bolding specific text portions within a cell, users can effectively leverage Unicode text generators to achieve this effect. While it's not a perfect solution, it offers a valuable workaround until Smartsheet implements this feature natively. By staying informed and actively participating in the Smartsheet community, users can continue to optimize their use of this powerful platform.
