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I want to create a calculated column based on Workflow Status column which the system is not allowing. The error is "One or more column references are not allowed, because the columns are defined as a data type that is not supported in formulas"

I have one more problem here, I have a workflow with more than 10 versions (12 to be exact) of it. All versions have live workflows running. Now I want to check whether the WF is terminated (means in 'Canceled' state) and then I have to show it in a view if its canceled. But WSS 3.0 (dont know about other versions) doesnt allow me to add more than 10 conditions in creating a view. Thats why I thought of creating a calculated column. Even that doesnt work.

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2 Answers 2

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You can customize the view in SharePoint Designer and add more than 10 conditions. Probably you will need to convert ListViewWebPart to DataViewWebPart before the "Filter" option will appear (I'm using SharePoint 2010 so I can't check this).

10-conditions limit only relates to SharePoint GUI (in browser), while you can create as many conditions as you like using programmatic approach or using SharePoint Designer.

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  • Thanks Omlin, but how about using the status column in calculated field? any ideas?
    – Georgil Mathew
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 11:57
  • Calculated columns don't allow some field types, and I don't think that it'd be easy to workaround this limitation. My hunches say that it would be a very risky venture.
    – Andrey Markeev
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 12:03
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    And yes, also they say that calculated columns are getting updated ONLY when the item is updated, so even if you will find a way to use calculated columns for workflow statuses, they will be useless anyway :(
    – Andrey Markeev
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 12:13
  • ok Omlin, I will try converting the view to XSLT view, but I need the Export to Spreadsheet option working in that. That's the problem I have. Its not working when I tried this conversion. I am getting that menu option, but the Excel sheet only shows the ID..:(
    – Georgil Mathew
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 12:18
  • @GeorgilMathew sorry but can't help with this "Export to Spreadsheet" issue, basically because I don't have WSS3 installed. Please consider creating a separate question for this.
    – Andrey Markeev
    Commented Jan 31, 2012 at 21:30
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For columns that are not allowed in calculations, the standard workaround is to run a workflow that will copy the content of your column to a basic text or number column.

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  • Christophe, I am trying to do just what you are describing (use a workflow) but when I try to copy the hyperlink from Collect Feedback into my new column, it just shows up as [2] (the workflow is In Progress, which has a code of 2). How would I get the actual URL string of the workflow status page into my new column?
    – user10197
    Commented Aug 20, 2012 at 18:53

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