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Best answer

Google Drive Find Folder action - using with nested folders

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

Hi there,
I’m guessing that you think you answered the question, but you clearly haven’t.

I’m experiencing the same issue:

We have one folder that hosts our ‘Customer’ folders - one folder per client.

We would then like to ADD a ‘sub-folder’ the each ‘Customer’ folder with the name of their vehicle(s) as they are added to our Airtable base.

As you see, we’re having issues!

In our case, the Action would be ‘Find A Folder’ with the whole path (i.e. ‘AUTORRARI 2022/e. CUSTOMER FOLDERS/new Vehicles folder') on Google Drive?

Thanks all!

MR. AUTORRARI.MAIN

icon

Best answer by Troy Tessalone 2 June 2022, 18:57

View original
Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
This post has been closed for comments. Please create a new post if you need help or have a question about this topic.

13 replies

Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Hi @Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN 

This new folder will be created under this Folder:

 

Folder Hierarchy

  1. Autorrari 2022
    1. Customer
      1. Vehicle

 

You’ll need the Customer Folder ID in order to create the nested Vehicle folder.

 

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

Folder Hierarchy

  1. Autorrari 2022
    1. Customer
      1. Vehicle

 

You’ll need the Customer Folder ID in order to create the nested Vehicle folder.

He @Troy Tessalone ,

You NEVER let me down!!!

But I need a bit more clarification…

  1. Autorrari 2022
    1. Customer - we will NEED the SPECIFIC/EXACT name of this folder? (or can we have it ‘SEARCH’ for it?)
      1. Vehicle - ...BEFORE it will create this one?

What I was trying to do was have the zap SEARCH for the folder by matching the CUSTOMER NAME & ID#. Right now the 1st ‘Customer’ level folder is being created when a New Customer is added to Airtable. It then ‘concatenates’ their full name and Unique ID to create the new folder name.

I was then trying to get Google to SEARCH for that folder 1st, then add the new ‘SUB’ folder.

So again, to be clear, what goes HERE:

Is it A. “Customer Full Name [Customer ID]”, or is it B. Something else?

Because if we have to go in and add the “name” of the Customer each time it kinda defeats the purpose of the zap...

Thanks,

MR. AUTORRARI.MAIN

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN 

Better approach would be to do this…

After creating the Customer Folder in GDrive, save the Folder ID into a field in the Airtable Base Table.

Then when you want to create the Vehicle Folders, you can use the existing Customer GDrive Folder ID saved in Airtable to dynamically set as the Parent Folder.

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

My goodness @Troy Tessalone , you are like the busiest guy I know!!!

Good to see you again.

So I’m tracking with you, and I’m TRYING to figure it out on my own, but I keep getting stuck at the same point. When you say to do this:

 

 

“After creating the Customer Folder in GDrive, save the Folder ID into a field in the Airtable Base Table.”

 

...I’ve tracked that suggestion down to us using the “REGEX_EXTRACT()” feature/function of Airtable. (always learning here!!!)

But I feel like I’m running into the same issue here as I did in the drive. Since it will be a ‘dynamic’ address, I’m having trouble knowing where to parse it. For example, if I were to use this (fictitious) link:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KimyboOk_0GodihX46ZKoTpC3fUEBOY1

...I’ve learned that the “ID” portion of this link would be JUST after ‘folders/’ portion, so we would need to REMOVE the beginning portion like this:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/

So when I use this formula:

REGEX_EXTRACT({Customer Folder in G-Drive (link to)}, "/1.*")

...it works PERFECTLY!

BUT, and there’s always a but, what if drive creates the next one with a “2” instead of the “1”? The formula would then have to be:

REGEX_EXTRACT({Customer Folder in G-Drive (link to)}, "/2.*")

So how do I know???

As always, with much love…

MR. AUTORRARI.MAIN

(real nice Airtable… apparently for this post i just earned the “talk to much” badge!?! lol)

Oh, and I stumbled across the “Airtable Formula Playground”! What a kool feature!!! Thx Airtable!

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN 

You shouldn’t need to use regex.

If you use a Zap to create the Customer Folder, then it will return the GDrive Folder ID.

Simply use an Airtable Update Record Step to save the GDrive Folder ID into a field.

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

OK, so NOW i’m tracking you!!! lol

But if I am, i would need the following ID’s:

  • Autorrari 2022 - Parents ID
  •      Customer - ID
  •            Vehicle - New Folder

So: “Parents ID” and “ID”

thx!

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN 

The Parent ID is the ID of the Folder for which a new folder would be created under.

  1. For a new Customer Folder, the Parent ID would be the Autorrari 2022 Folder ID
  2. For a new Vehicle Folder, the Parent ID would be the Customer Folder ID
⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

For the record, I was 100% ready to use that “REGRET” formula!?!?

@Troy Tessalone  YOU IS A 

 

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

AAAAARRRGGGHHHH!

@Troy Tessalone , it’s not letting me even see that new (G-Drive ID) URL fields that I added!?!

Here is what I did:

First I created 2 new URL fields in my ‘Customers’ table:

  • G-Drive: AUTORRARI Folder [Parent ID] (link to)
  • G-Drive: Customer Folder ID (link to)

I then set up my zap to run that one, and it worked perfectly.

So I then created 3 new URL fields in my ‘Vehicles’ table:

  • G-Drive: AUTORRARI Folder [Parent ID] (link to)
       (fyi: i used an automation to copy this ID over from the ‘Customers’ table)
  • G-Drive: Customer Folder ID (link to)
       (...and i used the same automation to copy this ID over from the ‘Customers’ table)
  • G-Drive: Vehicle Folder ID (link to)
       (...and the zap was/is supposed to do this one!?!)

I then went to set up my 2nd zap to run, and it wouldn’t let me see ANY of those 3 fields!

They just aren’t there

As you can see, I even tried typing (parent ID) into the “Folder Name (required)” field. Nuttin’!

I also changed the “Parent Folder” from the ‘Customers’ field to the “AUTORRARI 2022” and back… same result.

So what am I doing wrong here?!?

ty

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Troy Tessalone
Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN 

Airtable only returns data points that have values from records.

Make sure to fill out a full record to use to configure your Zap.

Help article about how to change your trigger test data: https://zapier.com/help/create/basics/change-the-test-data-in-your-zap-trigger

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

Hey @Troy Tessalone , I’m just not getting it! No matter what I try I can not ‘nest’ a folder!

EVERYTHING ELSE I… WE have conquered! But this STUPID…

I’ve even been able to fully automate that Jotform survey… PREFILLED AND ALL!

How much would this be per hour?

Mr. (broke)AUTORRARI.MAIN

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Danvers
Userlevel 7
Badge +12

Hey @Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN 

I can see that @Troy Tessalone has been doing a stellar job helping you out with this one and I’m sorry that you’re not over the finish line yet. Do double check the sample data that you’re getting from Airtable, as Troy has a really good point in his last reply:

Airtable only returns data points that have values from records.

Make sure to fill out a full record to use to configure your Zap.

Help article about how to change your trigger test data: https://zapier.com/help/create/basics/change-the-test-data-in-your-zap-trigger

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
Userlevel 1
Badge

Look Mr. Danvers (@Danvers), I LOVE you all in this Community VERY MUCH! And I GREATLY appreciate the endless help you all have offered! I wouldn't know half of what I do without the help of @Troy Tessalone !

But for crying out loud… if you are offering this as a feature, DOCUMENT IT! Stop sending me to ‘this’ how-to or ‘that’ how-to to “figure it out”. Just document the process.

Why in the world would I have to go to a “how to change your trigger test data” how-to in order to use the “Google Drive Find Folder” action? If there is a problem with the process, fix it! Don’t send people all over to “figure it out” for themselves.

And please don’t miss the irony that this question was “not answered” yet “closed” once before! Come on Airtable… I know that you are better than this!

So until then, I’ll have to assume that this is a ‘still-in-the-pipeline’ project.

Please let me know if this changes.

Thanks,

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN

(PS - I’ve been sent to that “how to change your trigger test data” how-to several times now, and it has not been able to help e once!)

Mr. AUTORRARI.MAIN
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