Fill empty cells with enrichment data

Enrichment fills empty cells and does not overwrite a cell that already has a value (the one exception: a first or last name cut to an initial, "Z.", is completed by the full name; a list rule's Enrich "Cells" setting can also be set to overwrite). A run — an enrichment of selected rows or of the whole list — fills the empty cells of its rows by itself on the server as results arrive, with the rule "only empty cells"; there is nothing to confirm, and the list does not need to stay open (see "How enrichment works"). This article covers the "Fill empty cells with enrichment data?" dialog that only an AI Analysis from the Enrich menu still shows, exactly what a fill changes, why some cells stay empty, and how to take over stored data later.

The dialog#

After an AI Analysis from the Enrich menu (gender, job titles, industries …), ListPlus asks: "Fill empty cells with enrichment data?", naming how many rows were analysed and offering to fill their empty cells with the results. Lookups — from the Enrich menu, the selection bar, the wand icon or the record panel — don't ask: the server fills the empty cells as it goes. The dialog only appears while the list stays open — if you navigate away before it shows, reopen the list and use "Apply values" (see below) to apply the results.

• Yes, fill empty cells — writes the enriched values into every column that already exists and is currently empty for the affected rows. Cells that already contain a value, including one you typed yourself, are never touched.
• No thanks — closes the dialog and changes nothing. The enrichment results are not lost; they stay stored with the row and can be filled in later at no cost.
• Don't ask again — a checkbox in the dialog. Once ticked and confirmed, future runs skip the dialog and fill empty cells automatically. The choice applies in this browser.

The dialog only opens when there is at least one empty cell a match could fill; if nothing qualifies, ListPlus skips it entirely.

What "fill" actually changes#

Filling only ever affects cells that are empty for the current row and column combination — never a cell that already has a value. The written values are saved automatically, exactly like typing into the grid yourself, and ⌘Z / Ctrl+Z (or Undo in the list header) takes the whole fill back as one step. The underlying enrichment result always stays available and can be applied again later.

Fill only writes into columns that already exist in your list. If none of your columns match a piece of returned data (for example, enrichment returned a job title but your list has no job-title column), that value is simply skipped — ListPlus does not create a new column for it. Add the column yourself first if you want that value captured.

Why cells can stay empty after clicking Yes#

• No match found — the enrichment run did not return a value for that row (for example, a lookup found no phone number).
• No matching column — a value came back, but your list has no column for that kind of data, so it has nowhere to go.
• You clicked No thanks — nothing was written; the data is still stored and can be taken over later.
• The cell was not actually empty — fill never overwrites an existing value, including a placeholder you typed yourself.

Take over later#

If you clicked No, or closed the list too early, the enriched data is still stored with each row. Select the affected rows and open the Enrich menu. When any selected row has enrichment data, an "Apply values" button with a row count appears at the top. It opens "Merge Enriched Information" on the "Fill empty" tab, which writes only into empty cells and costs no credits, since it only copies data ListPlus already has. See "Transfer data record by record, or join columns from another list" for the full record-by-record review flow, including the option to overwrite existing values instead.

Values shown in the record panel#

The record panel also offers this directly. Under "From sources", each value that fits a column has Take over: under "Additional data" it fills the empty cell, under "Different from the list" it replaces the list's value. It costs no credits and is saved automatically.

Related topics: enrichment-overview · take-over-and-join · which-enrich-button · price-list.

FAQ#

What does the "Fill empty cells with enrichment data?" dialog do?#

It appears after an AI Analysis from the Enrich menu (gender, job titles, industries …) and asks whether to write the results into empty cells. Clicking "Yes, fill empty cells" fills only cells that are currently empty; "No thanks" leaves the grid unchanged and keeps the data stored for later. Lookups — from the Enrich menu, the selection bar, the wand or the record panel — don't ask: the server fills the empty cells itself as results arrive.

Will filling empty cells overwrite data I already have?#

No. Only cells that are empty are written; a cell that already has a value, including one you typed yourself, is left alone — the one exception is a first or last name cut to an initial ("Z."), which the full name completes. A list rule's Enrich "Cells" setting can be set to overwrite.

Are the filled cells saved automatically?#

Yes. Once you confirm the dialog, the filled cells are saved automatically like any edit you type; ⌘Z / Ctrl+Z (or Undo in the list header) takes the whole fill back as one step. The enrichment data itself is never lost.

Why did some cells stay empty even after I clicked Yes?#

Either the enrichment run found no value for that row, your list has no column matching the type of data that came back, or the cell already had a value and was correctly left alone.

What happens if I click "No thanks"?#

Nothing is written to the grid. The enrichment results stay stored with each row, and you can apply them later for free using "Apply values" in the Enrich menu.

How do I fill cells later if I skipped the dialog?#

Select the rows and open the Enrich menu. An "Apply values" button appears when the selected rows have enrichment data. It opens "Merge Enriched Information" on the "Fill empty" tab, which writes only empty cells and costs no credits, since it just copies data already fetched.

Does filling empty cells cost credits?#

No. Filling cells with stored enrichment data, whether from the dialog or from "Apply values" later, is free — credits are spent when the enrichment lookup itself runs, not when its results are copied into the grid.

Why didn't the dialog appear at all after my enrichment?#

Only an AI Analysis from the Enrich menu asks; lookups (including the wand and the record panel) fill by themselves. For an AI Analysis, either there was nothing to fill, you had ticked "Don't ask again", or you left the list before it finished — the dialog only shows while the list is open. Use "Apply values" from the Enrich menu to fill in the results afterward.

Can I move a value I see in the record panel straight into its column?#

Yes. In the Record panel under "From sources", each value that fits a column has Take over: under "Additional data" it fills the empty cell, under "Different from the list" it replaces the list's value. It costs no credits and is saved automatically.

Does enrichment ever create a new column for data I don't have a column for?#

No. Fill only writes into columns that already exist in your list; a returned value with no matching column is skipped. Add the column yourself first if you want to capture that data.

Why don't I get the "Fill empty cells?" question any more?#

Lookups no longer ask: the wand, the record panel, the selection bar and the Enrich menu's lookups fill empty cells on the server by themselves. Only an AI Analysis from the Enrich menu (gender, job titles, industries …) still asks before writing its results.