Read about creative workflows, awesome app tips and interesting use cases.
Howdy Zapier Friends! We are back with another Formatter by Zapier overview. This time we will talk about Extract Number and Extract Phone Number.Recall that the Formatter by Zapier app is the main tool you can use to edit data sent to Zapier. Almost any basic formatting option is possible, but even saying something as generous as that is selling short all of the possibilities that this app offers users!Keep in mind that when you use the Extract transforms in this app, Zapier will only ever pull the first item we find that matches the Extract you are using. If you need to cut strings in multiple parts and access that data, you may need to use our Split Text transforms.For very advanced users there also exists the Code by Zapier app (which supports Python and Node.js), or the Extract Pattern transform in Formatter by Zapier (which lets you leverage Regular Expressions) but those are different topics for the future!Formatter by Zapier: Extract Phone NumberThis option can be found at:Form
Hi, folks! Janine from the Zapier blog team with another automation inspiration article for you. This is one of the ways Zapier uses Zapier: Automatically share out-of-office notifications in team Slack channels.This helps make time away more visible (and, for us, since it's posted in a public Slack channel, it's searchable), which cuts down on the awkwardness of potentially waiting for someone to respond who's actually hiking in the woods for a few days.Krystina Martinez recently put together a tutorial that walks you through how to set this up for yourself. How to set up an automatic out-of-office notification bot At Zapier, we use our HR software, BambooHR, and team chat program, Slack, as the trigger and action apps. But as always, there's flexibility in how you set this up: If your HR software doesn't have a Zapier integration, you could use a shared calendar as the trigger instead. And if you don't use Slack, you could instead send messages to another team chat app or as a genera
Hey hey! Nick here, back with another workflow on this fine Wednesday.Sometimes you have a bit of data that you’d like to run through a Zap, but you don’t always have a specific trigger app to kickstart your workflow. Here are 6 ways you can quickly trigger your Zaps and submit some text in the process (or not)1. Alfred (on a Mac)If you’re a Mac user, the absolute fastest way (using just a keyboard shortcut) is to use Alfred. We have a blog post that outlines the setup. This is my favorite way to send some data to a webhook-powered Zap in order to then run my desired actions. It simply becomes a matter of using the Alfred shortcut to bring up the window, then you type whatever keyword you’ve set up, then either type or paste the text you’d like to send to your Zap.2. Webhook URL Directly in Your BrowserSimilar to the method above, instead of using Alfred to send the data to your Webhook-powered Zap, you can navigate to that webhook directly in your address bar. Doing so will trigger yo
Hey there Zapier friends! Continuing our exploration of the Formatter by Zapier app, let’s take a look at another set of very handy functions: Extract Email & URLWe’ve all been there — we have a great idea for an automation to create in Zapier and after we have thought and created the Zap of our dreams, we run into issues with our data being rejected by one or more of the actions. A Little BackgroundWhen it comes to URLs and email addresses, which characters are acceptable in each is defined by the rules developed by the international standards organization: Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) The IETF defines the standards by which software and other internet technologies follow in order to ensure interoperability across computer systems. Anyone can access these standards documents, called RFCs, and we can find the defined standards for both email addresses and URLs for each via a quick Google search.When it comes to standards on the internet, most APIs will follow most of the
Hey again, Zapier fans! In this article I'm going to explain what Sub-Zaps by Zapier is, how it works, and give some examples of workflows that you could build. Let's jump in!What It IsThis app enables you to build reusable Zap components and systems by building and calling "Sub-Zaps".Ok, but what does that mean? When you build a Zap that has the Start a Sub-Zap trigger, it becomes its own workflow that you can "call" (connect to/send information to) from other Zaps.Still confused? Here's a quick example: https://community.zapier.com/featured-articles-65/an-example-of-using-sub-zaps-by-zapier-to-retrieve-an-access-token-11001Don't be afraid of the use of the words "access token". In a nutshell, I had a process that I needed to use each time I wanted to perform certain actions (retrieving an access token) in a Zap. I could either create this in each and every Zap, which is not quick or obvious to do, or build a Sub-Zap one time that has everything I need, then "call" that Sub-Zap when I
Hi! Deb here, from the Zapier blog. I'm super conscientious, and a little judgmental, so I do get some satisfaction from reminding people to do things they said they would do and then didn't do. But...only to a point.When something has to happen every day, it's no longer fun to give those reminders. Example: the blog team needs our engineers to do a deploy once a day. But here's the thing: engineers have better things to do than "do a deploy" (not gonna lie, I don't actually know what that means), so they tended to...not do it. We started to manually remind them (VERY NICELY), but after a while, we realized we were being the robot instead of building the robot.So I made a Zap that every day at 9:00 a.m. PT sends the engineers a Slack message reminding them to deploy.The bot does my reminding for me. I still get the satisfaction since I made the bot, but I don't have to actually do anything about it.Of course, I also have reminder bots for myself—that's how I got so conscientious. I rec
Zaps will only trigger for new records added/updated while the Zap is on.I use Google Sheets in a lot of Zaps - and it’s happened more than once that my Zap was actually off when new data was added (or updated) to the Sheet.Depending on the trigger being used there are different ways we can re-trigger a Google Sheets Zap for these changes that happened while the Zap was OFF.New or Updated Spreadsheet Row TriggersIs your Zap using one of the New or Updated Spreadsheet Row triggers?If so - this might be as easy as updating the Trigger Column(s) for any missed data.First - make sure the Zap is currently ON.Then - my Zap below triggers when the “Trigger” column on my Sheet is updated.So to re-trigger the Zap for any rows on the Sheet - all I have to do is update the Value in the Trigger column to a Value that the Zap hasn’t seen in that Row before.Once I update the Trigger column for the Row - the Zap will trigger.New Spreadsheet Row TriggersIs your Zap using one of the New Spreadsheet Row
Hi, I’m Clint, a Customer Champion at Zapier! I’m obsessed with Google Sheets, Zap loops, and edge cases. This Wednesday, I’d like to discuss using multiple IF statements to score a lead based on specific criteria.The ChallengeI had a customer recently whose goal was to score leads based on special criteria they had determined to be important. For example, if a customer said they had an immediate need, they would get 1 point. If they were also in the Manufacturing industry, they would get an additional point. In this way, you could tally a final score for that Lead.The SolutionInitially, we were working on using a series of Paths and math formulas, but that wasn’t working very well. Instead, I finally realized I could use my favorite formatter, the Spreadsheet-Style Formula, and a few IFs added together.Let’s look at the leads first so we can get an idea of what kind of data we have to work with:The three highlighted columns will be used to score the lead. They’ll get 1 point if they’v
Hello everyone! Jesse Parker here, doing a deep-dive into how best use the Formatter utility to format/manipulate phone numbers. Apps that send and receive phone number data often require different number formatting so this can be a useful tool to modify numbers and minimize issues when sending data from one app to another.This option can be found at:Formatter by Zapier — Numbers — Format Phone NumberWhat it Looks LikeIt can... Check to see if a phone number is valid or not Format a phone number based on a list of pre-selected formats including: E164 National International RFC3966 International, No Country Code International, No Hyphens National, No Parenthesis No Symbols, National No Symbols, International It can not... Automatically detect the country code of a phone number (workaround) Remove a “+” and/or pre-existing country code from data coming from your trigger step (workaround) Extract a phone number from a block of text (workaround) Lookup a country by
How are you doing this week, Zappers? This will be a pretty short one, but I thought this could come in handy for anyone who's trying to have a default value in an Airtable field.My Challenge I use Airtable for the Editorial Calendar for Community's content. For the primary field of my Articles table I would like to have the title of the article. But what if there's no title yet? Maybe I just know the theme (like Workflow Wednesday) and the Author (like Nick Simard).Clunky Way #1I could type something into the field before there's a title. Then when we've got a title, we replace the text. It's not so bad, but I don't like how manual it is. (Little Less) Clunky Way #2I could use Airtable's Automations feature to insert a default title there, using some other fields, then I can overwrite it. I hadn't actually thought of this option before I came up with my system because I hadn't delved into native automations in Airtable. For some people this could be a great solution :) A Better Soluti
Welcome back! This week’s Formatter Features article is for all you math nerds out there. I too am a math nerd (*nerd wave*), so it is with great nerd excitement that this week I get to dig deep into math operations.What we’ll be coveringSo first off - let’s put away the graph paper and TI-83’s. You won’t be needing them today. Instead, let’s kick this off by talking about what exactly constitutes a math operation in Formatter and why you might need one. Then we’ll dig into exactly how to get to these math operations.How do I get to math operations?So glad you asked. You can find math operations under Formatter by Zapier > Numbers. Once there, you’ll want to select “Perform Math Operations”.What It Looks LikeWhat is a math operation?Fortunately for us, Formatter is going to do all the hard work of figuring out the order of operations (PEMDAS, anyone?) and the crunching of numbers. But we still need to understand what exactly a math operation is.A math operation is a mathematical pro
Hi! Deb here, from the Zapier blog. What I love most about the Zapier Community is seeing all the super-specific things folks are automating. It's fascinating because automation is so powerful, yes, but also because the humans behind the workflows (that's you) even knew these things were possible.Our customer-champion-cum-blog-writer Tyler recently wrote about this on the blog—and her actually suggested that we all take a step back from automation to flex our manual muscles and figure out what else automation might be able to do for us.That's right: he wants us to start by automating less.To get the most out of automation, try using it lessThe idea is that you'll get better at automating if you've practiced it manually first (plus, you have something to fall back on when the robot overlords break all our systems). Here's an example. I use Google Sheets as my to-do list, and I used to just type all my tasks in manually. By doing that, I learned what information was relevant for me to ha
Hey Zap fans! Nick from the Community team, coming atcha with another Formatter Features article! I’ll be covering number and currency formatting in Formatter by Zapier.You can't always count on numbers/currency coming into your Zaps with the exact format that you need. Today we’ll be looking at the following: Format Number Format Currency Format NumberThis option can be found at:Formatter by Zapier — Numbers — Format Number What It Looks Like What It Can (and Can't) DoTo make sure you don't go into your Zap with false assumptions, let's briefly cover what is and is not possible with Format NumberThings you can do with this transform option: Choose the format for grouping and for decimal Specify the incoming decimal mark Use line items to format multiple numbers with one Formatter step Things you can not do with it: Make numbers negative/positive based on incoming value Perform mathematical operations Perform rounding or padding of the number Some Ways to Use ItFormat Number
As a ‘Geriatric Millennial’, I’m part of what is sometimes called the ‘analog youth, digital adult’ generation: I’m tech savvy enough to want technology to work instantly, whilst still occasionally being floored by how much it can do. I expect the internet to provide information at my fingertips whenever I demand it, yet I still have a childlike glee when I create an automation that my ten year old self would never have dreamed of. The Zapier Chrome extension has just enough magic to impress my younger self, whilst giving me instant access to automation and information that my adult self demands. Trigger Zaps at the push of a buttonThe Zapier Chrome extension allows you to trigger Zaps using an extension in your Chrome Browser. You install the extension in the same way you would any other, through the Chrome Webstore. Once it’s installed, you can create Zaps using the extension as a trigger. To learn more about installing and getting started with the Zapier Chrome Extension, check out
Hi! Deb here, from the Zapier blog. As a user of Box (work), Dropbox (home), and Google Drive (both), I get the fact that the cloud storage options can be a little overwhelming. They all feel...vaguely similar?That's why we recently published an article about what to look for when you're evaluating cloud storage apps:How to evaluate and choose a cloud storage appOne of the main criteria is integration capabilities. The whole point of the cloud is to store stuff—your cloud storage app is not a place you want to hang out. Instead, try things like automatically saving certain email attachments to the cloud, saving new social media posts to the cloud, and more.(Here are more tips on how to keep your files and folders organized with automation.)Which cloud storage app do you use—and why? Let me know in the comments!
Heyo Zappers! This week's Workflow Wednesday post will be a pretty quick one. I wanted to show an example of a way to use Sub-Zaps by Zapier in order to simplify a tedious process.The Challenge Sometimes an app integration doesn't do what you need it to, so you venture into API territory. In this example I'm using Webhooks by Zapier and I need an access token when making an API call. Tedious Way #1You could copy some master Zap that contains the exact Webhooks step you need, then change the other steps in the Zap as you see fit. It's better than option 2:Tedious Way #2Recreate the Webhook step each time, by looking at a Zap or something in a document you've saved. Yes, the rest of the steps will be exactly what you need, but there's a whole bunch of manual work.A Better SolutionWouldn't it be great if you could build a Zap that only retrieves the access token, then plug that value into the other Zaps that need said token? Enter Sub-Zaps by Zapier. They exist as standalone Zaps to which
Formatter Features: Date Add/Subtract & CompareHey again, Zappers! Nick here, from the Community team. I’ll be taking you through some date-related features of Formatter by Zapier.Dates come in many formats, and the various apps you're using may not line up nicely with one another. Sometimes you have time zones to contend with, or maybe you need to figure out how many days between two dates.Today we’ll be looking at the following: Date Add/Subtract Compare Dates Date Add/SubtractThis option can be found at:Formatter by Zapier — Date/Time — Add/Subtract TimeWhat It Looks LikeWhat It Can (and Can't) DoBefore you start to make assumptions or get your hopes up, let's briefly cover what is and is not possible with Add/Subtract Time.Things you can do with this transform option: Add/subtract months, days, or hours to a given date Change the format for the finalized date Specify the precise format for the incoming date Things you can not do with it: Process multiple dates at a time (
Well, well, well. This wasn't the post that I set out to write but during the course of trying to create a Workflow Wednesday article I realized I was faced with several possible options for accomplishing my goal. So I thought I'd give you a little behind-the-scenes look at my thought process :)The Workflow What I'm ultimately trying to accomplish is to use the Zapier Chrome extension to trigger a Zap that will auto-generate an image that looks something like this:Source: https://zapier.com/apps/slack/integrations/google-sheetsHow to Create the Image AutomaticallyThe way we have the image auto-generated is by using an app called Glitterly. My Thought Process Going InTrigger: Zapier Chrome Extension (trigger from the 2-app page)Action: Get the app names from the URL (https://zapier.com/apps/slack/integrations/google-sheets)Action: Look up the app logos, to insert them into the image template in GlitterlyAction: Send the image link back to the Chrome extensionIn Reality, There Are Multip
Welcome back, Zappers! This is our 5th installment in the Formatter Features series and today we’re going to be looking at how to use Formatter to alter date formats. Missed the first five? You can check them out here:What We’ll be CoveringFixing dates that are in the wrong formatDates aren’t always sent from one app in a format that other apps are expecting, which can cause the day and month values to be swapped around!Custom Date FormatsThere may be times when the date format you need isn’t one of options available to select, so you’ll need to use custom date variables to create a custom date format.Extracting the time from a dateSometimes we’ll receive both a date and time value in a field, but we only need the time. With a Formatter step we reformat it to extract just the time.Converting Unix timestamps into readable datesUnix timestamps are a nice way for a computer to reference a date and time in seconds, but for us humans, they aren’t so easy to understand!How to use Formatter t
Jared here from Zapier Support.If you’re like me - you have some Zaps that are critical to your business and want to make sure you are always on top of any issues with those Zaps.For the purposes of this post - we’re going to assume my business critical Zap is this one below - which catches new webhooks from my lead system, looks up a row on a Google Sheet and then sends an email to the new prospect. What follows below is my 3 Zap System for monitoring this Business Critical Zap.In all cases - I’ve chosen to send myself an SMS Message. But you could choose any notification method or multiple notification methods (by adding additional steps to the Zaps).Zap 1 - Zap Turned OFF NotificationThe first Zap would notify me any time my Business Critical Zap is turned OFF.Step 1. Trigger Zapier Manager Zap Turned OFFThe Zapier Account that Owns the Zap would want to create/own this Zap also - as the trigger will only work for Zaps that have the same Owner. Step 2. Send Notifications This could
What’s up Zappers? Welcome to the 4th installment of the Formatter Features series (and last of the spreadsheet-style formula posts). If you haven’t done so already, please check out the first three:What We’ll be CoveringMEDIAN / AVERAGEMEDIAN: Returns the median (the middle value) of a list of numbersAVERAGE: Returns the average of a list of numbersROUNDDOWN / ROUNDUPROUNDDOWN: Returns a number rounded up to a certain number of decimal placesROUNDUP: Returns a number rounded up to a certain number of decimal placesWhen Might You Use Each One?Let’s take a look at some use cases for each of the above-mentioned functions. That might help you to understand the relevance of these particular spreadsheet-style formulas.MEDIAN / AVERAGEFirst, let’s look at the difference between the median and average of a set of numbers. You may have seen them used interchangeably, and in some cases the results might be close. Depending what you’re trying to calculate you may want to use one over the other.M
Hey, Zapier community! Janine from the blog team here with another set of automation tips for you, this time about email newsletters.I've often had a hand in creating email newsletters for my company. Sometimes, they were completely automated. Other times, they were completely manual. And often I wished for something somewhere in the middle.Staff writer Krystina Martinez put together a collection of ways you can use automation to improve how you manage your email newsletter, like adding or segmenting subscribers, keeping lists up-to-date in your CRM, repurposing campaigns as content, and creating backups. Read her article and pick one new Zap to try.Improve your email newsletter with these tips Then, come back here and tell us how it went!
Hey there, Zapier Community! Janine here from the Zapier blog team. One of our staff writers recently talked with a few Zapier Experts, @AndrewJDavison_Luhhu of Luhhu and Paul Kortman of Connex Digital, about how they approach automation—particularly for complicated processes that might feel overwhelming.Their recommendations came down to these five things: Start with an outline Find the inefficiencies Review the decision points Dive in and start simple Stay flexible For more on how to put these tips in action, read our piece:How to automate a manual process without feeling overwhelmed What manual processes do you want to automate? (Or, if you've automated something that you're proud of, share that in the comments!)
