Hi @Morkus 

Check this help article about trigger types: https://zapier.com/help/create/basics/set-up-your-zap-trigger

That link really doesn’t help and I already read it a few times before posting...

The question is how does Zapier know that I have new data? I think my App would have would have to call some URL to POST the data. Perhaps that’s what you mean by the web hook from the app → Zapier?

I get the part where you have a web hook that can send data to an App since that would be part of some service or whatever, But getting “new” data notification (and the data) from an app would have to be done from the App’s side I think. Then Zapier would get that notification via the URL and act on it.

So, unless the app POSTs the data when it’s ready to the URL, I don’t see how Zapier would know when some third party web app had a new record or new information.

Perhaps my question is not clear.

@Morkus

There are 2 types of Zap triggers that can be used with the Webhook app as a Zap trigger. (see below)

For the INSTANT trigger type, the origination app when a new event happens would send a data payload to the webhook provided by the Zap trigger, which would fire the Zap.

For the POLLING trigger type, the Zap will check and pull new data on a regular cadence by using an app’s API.

Zap app integrations use either webhooks or APIs to get new data, thus simplifying the ability to connect apps by removing technical concepts.

For example, here is Mailchimp’s documentation about using webhooks: https://mailchimp.com/developer/transactional/docs/webhooks/

Trigger types

There are 2 types of triggers:

1. Polling trigger: the majority of triggers are polling triggers.
   With a polling trigger, Zapier will check for new data from your trigger every 1 to 15 minutes in order to start your Zap, depending on your pricing plan.
2. Instant trigger: with an instant trigger, your trigger app will send Zapier an instant notification whenever there's new data.
   Zaps with instant triggers are labeled Instant on your dashboard and in the Zap editor.

That is helpful.

So, to summarize:.

1. Instant trigger would be where my app would do a POST using the Zapier-created web hook passing whatever.
2. The polling trigger would be when Zapier calls the web hook I supply to connect to my app. My supplied web hook knows how to connect to my app.

I think my confusion is that the app I’m connecting to does not have a Zapier connector. Thus, I’m using a REST call URL that the app itself uses to get data from it. So, my natural question was how would Zapier know what “new data is”? I think the answer in this case is that it wouldn’t and it would be up to me to supply a URL that brings back the data wanted.

If Zapier has a connector like with Office 365, then it totally abstracts all the nasty MS “Graph” stuff and keeping the connection alive and all that stuff. I get that. :)

Does this make sense or am I off still somewhere?

Thanks Troy!

@Morkus

If an app doesn’t have a Zap app integration OR doesn’t support webhooks, but does have an API, then you can use the Webhooks app “Retrieve Poll” trigger to get data from an app’s API endpoint you supply.

Here’s a help article about data deduplication in Zaps: https://zapier.com/help/create/basics/data-deduplication-in-zaps

This may help explain:

Thanks!

You guys are the best.