In this article, we explain how to set a birthday reminder in Excel with Lido. Simply follow the steps below.
Below we outline the steps on how you can set a birthday reminder in Excel using Lido:
If you're not already signed up for a Lido account, you can easily do so for free right here: https://www.lido.app/go/signup.
Lido functions as a versatile spreadsheet tool that enhances your workflow by blending spreadsheet data with email capabilities. To automate the sending of birthday reminder emails, input the necessary details such as recipients, birth dates, and email content.
Once your Lido file is set up, transfer your Excel data into Lido by copying and pasting it, then convert it into a table. Each row in the table should correspond to a birthday reminder email you intend to send. If the recipients vary for each reminder, include their email addresses in your table (consider using column C as shown in the example below). Alternatively, if you're sending emails to the same individuals (e.g., yourself or your team), you can skip this step.
Here's an illustration of how your data for birthday reminder emails might look.
Select the desired range, right-click, and opt for "Convert Range to Table"
Assign a name to your table and save it.
Once your data table is set up in Lido, you're all set. If not, input the data directly into Lido or copy and paste it from Excel.
To determine whether to send the email, we need to determine whether today is the same date as the listed birthday for each person. The TODAY() formula will return today’s date in mm/dd/yyyy format, but we have the birthdays in month day format. The easiest way to compare them is to turn the output of TODAY() into the same format that our data uses.
First, we need to get the month name. The TEXT() formula will do this for a date if we pass “mmmm” as its second argument. So we can use =TEXT(TODAY(), “mmmm”) to get the current month.
We also need the day, which we can get with the DAY() formula: =DAY(TODAY()).
Now we can concatenate these two pieces of information into a single string:
=TEXT(TODAY(), “mmmm”) & “ “ & DAY(TODAY())
The ‘&’ operator just concatenates two values. We need to make sure to include the space between our values, as that’s the format our birthdays are in.
Finally, we want to compare this value to the birthday for each person. For that, we just check if it’s equal to C2:
=TEXT(TODAY(), “mmmm”) & “ “ & DAY(TODAY()) = C2
Hit enter to generate a computed column. This specialized column type in Lido automatically applies the formula to each row, which proves useful when adding more entries to your table.
Let's name this column "Birthday is today."
If your birthday data is in a different format, there should be similar data manipulations that will achieve the same result.
Now, let's work on formulating the subject and body of the birthday reminder email.
Begin by creating templates utilizing the column names from your table as placeholders, denoted by the [@Column] syntax.
Establish templates for both the email subject and body in a new worksheet as outlined below:
Next, merge these templates with your table data from the other tab to make the email content dynamic. Achieve this by creating two new computed columns for Subject and Body, employing the STRINGTEMPLATE() formula within a computed column.
Initiate a new computed column and label it Subject.
Apply the following formula in row 2 of the Subject column:
```=STRINGTEMPLATE(Sheet1!$B$1)```
In our example, Sheet1!$B$1 indicates the location of our subject email template. Ensure you adjust this according to your cell location if it differs; otherwise, the formula won't function as intended. Also, remember to anchor the cell reference with $ to ensure consistency across all rows.
You should now have a subject column displaying various birth dates based on the values in column C.
Repeat the process for the email body. Establish another computed column and apply the formula below, adjusting the cell references to match your sheet:
```=STRINGTEMPLATE(Sheet1!$B$2)```
This will yield something similar to this:
Lido's spreadsheet provides a unique formula type known as Action formulas, which can transmit data externally but require manual initiation to execute. One such action formula is SENDGMAIL, facilitating direct email dispatch from your spreadsheet.
The SENDGMAIL formula operates as follows:
=SENDGMAIL(sender, recipient, subject, body, [status_cell], [cc], [bcc], [attachments])
Here's our basic SENDGMAIL formula:
=SENDGMAIL(<sender-credential>, B2, E2, F2)
Incorporate logic for when to dispatch the birthday reminder email:
To display SENDGMAIL only when today's date matches the birthday reminder send date, integrate an IF statement:
=IF(condition, SENDGMAIL(sender, recipient, subject, body))
Here's how the formula functions:
If the condition is TRUE, the SENDGMAIL formula is displayed; otherwise, FALSE is displayed. Our condition in this case is whether today is that person’s birthday, which we have already computed in column D.
Let's create a new computed column and input our formula below in row 2 (ensure to adapt the formula for your data). Rename the column to "Send Reminder" by double-clicking on the header cell.
```=IF(D2, SENDGMAIL(<sender-credential>, B2, E2, F2))```
As you can observe, the SENDGMAIL formula appears only for dates when dispatch is due.
You've now established a dynamic birthday reminder email system, ready to automate your Gmail birthday reminders!
Right-click on the SENDGMAIL formula and select "Run Action" to send the email. The first time you send an email from Lido, you'll need to authenticate into your Gmail account.
You can also ensure the email looks right before you send it using the “Preview email” option.
Now, let's automate the execution of the "Send Reminder" column. For rows where SENDGMAIL appears, Lido can automatically execute them once daily, even if the file is closed.
Access the menu for your "Send Reminder" column and choose "Run column on a schedule."
Select the preferred time of day for sending your messages, then confirm your selection.
From now on, at your designated time (let's say 1:15 PM or your chosen hour), Lido will automatically review if there are any pending birthday reminder emails scheduled for dispatch, where TODAY matches the reminder_send_date. If such reminders exist, Lido will execute each SENDGMAIL formula, initiating the email dispatch.
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We hope that you now have a better understanding of how to set a birthday reminder in Excel. If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our article on how to set reminders in Excel for a due date or our article on how to set reminders in Excel for expiry dates.
