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Auto-adding an attendee anytime a resource is added to a Google Meeting

  • 15 September 2021
  • 4 replies
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Userlevel 1

Saw my identical question asked here 

but the answer is either out of date or I am just not understanding.

 

Essentially every time a resource (Room) is booked in a google meeting I want a specified user to automatically be invited to that meeting as well. As in the thread I linked above, Zapier wants an event for the ‘Action’ part of the zap. I am not sure how I can configure the action to automatically use the event from the trigger portion of the zap.

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Best answer by SamB 17 September 2021, 10:45

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Userlevel 7
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Hey @Jrodd, welcome to the Community! :)

To select the event from the trigger step, you’ll want to do the following:

  • Click into the Event field on the Add Attendee/s to Event action to bring up the dropdown menu.
  • (1) Select the Custom option.
  • (2) Then select the event ID (the unique Identification number that Google uses to identify the event) from the trigger step:

8d01792c8976f6b7bf05d91ccde5194d.png
 

You can find out more about how to use the custom value option to select fields from other steps here: Add custom values to dropdown menu fields in Zaps

 

Hope that helps!

Userlevel 2
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Hi @Jrodd 

 

Depending on where the 'meeting room' data is being stored in the Google Calendar 'Event', you could look to use the native trigger of 'New or Updated Event'.

You can then use a filter step to 'Only Continue if 'Description' Field Contains 'Meeting Room' for example or whichever field has the meeting room booking data.

In the following action step, you could use the 'Add Attendees to Event', for zaps which pass the filter.

As @SamB mentioned above, you can use a custom field to dynamically fill the 'Event id' field to specify the Calendar Event to update from the trigger step.

 

If you need any additional information at all feel free to reach out any time.

Regards, Michael

Userlevel 1

@SamB that appears to have worked.

 

Curiously, it doesn’t work for everyone but I believe I am beginning to understand why, as it likely has to do with accounts that zap uses.

 

@Michael Lucas I think I have set it up to only go through the logic of the app if the Boardroom has been booked, specifically, and that bit is working as expected.

 

So now I am running into a new issue. I was hoping anyone at the company booking a meeting with this resource/room would trigger the zap, but that doesn’t appear to be the case - and I am not quite sure why but I believe it has to do with permissions and this may just be an inherent limitation with how Google Calendar works. As I’ve chosen my account in the trigger for the “Google Calendar account” (I had to choose an account), it seems I either need to be the one to book the meeting, or I need to be included in the invite in order for the rest of the zap to function.

In the case that I do not create the meeting, or I am not on he invite, we get:
 

Error Message:

    Google Calendar: The app returned "Not Found".

 

I have a sneaking suspicion what I am trying to do isn’t actually possible.

Userlevel 2
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Hi @Jrodd 

Great to hear you have had some success with this.

 

Without seeing your Zap steps, this is likely due to needing to select a certain 'Google Calendar' account and certain 'Google Calendar' connected to the account in the trigger step.

 

This means the trigger will only run for that specific Calendar and account, rather than every Calendar and person with a Google Calendar in your organisation.

For example, if you are using the 'New or Updated Event' trigger, this will only be connected to one Calendar.

 

If you would like this to trigger for multiple people and their calendars, for example if multiple different people with Calendar accounts can book the meeting room, you would likely need to duplicate your Zap, and set a different Calendar in the trigger for each zap.

Each of the accounts you would like to use will need to be Authenticated within your Zapier account first to utilise.

If you need anything further for this feel free to reach out or provide some trigger screenshots and I can assist further.

Regards, Michael