How do I add steps after a loop has completed - but the loop has a filter in it

Question

I have an API call which returns a list of bookings. If there are 0 bookings, we use Path B. Otherwise if there is data - I have Path A which uses data received from an API call and loops over that data. I only want to see bookings where the user has not cancelled (and thus needs to be completed) so I have added a filter to check the booking status. For these bookings I add a detailed calendar event.

However, if all bookings that were returned by my api call are the incorrect status type I need to create another detailed calendar event. I therefore need to break out of the loop or somehow continue if my filter never passes in any iteration of the loop.

If I add a filter at the end of the loop as advised in other threads, it will of course never be run. How can I break out of this loop?

sean.faughey · Accepted Answer

I’ve managed to complete my task. Here is how I did it:

I moved the api call and the looping logic into a javascript code step. This code took my bookings json data into an array and used the .some command toreturn true or false based on my conditions. This avoided the inability to break out of a loop in Zapier. I then simplified my zap by moving the other filters into this js code. I was then able to have 2 simple paths to create my calendar events.

// Construct the API URL using the input date
const url = `{MY-URL}`;

// Fetch bookings from the API
const response = await fetch(url, {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': '{API-KEY}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  }
});

// Parse JSON response
const data = await response.json();

// Ensure bookings is always an array
const bookings = Array.isArray(data.bookings) ? data.bookings : [];

// Function to convert DD/MM/YYYY → YYYY-MM-DD
function toIsoDate(ddmmyyyy) {
  if (!ddmmyyyy || ddmmyyyy.length !== 10) return null; // Expect format DD/MM/YYYY
  const [day, month, year] = ddmmyyyy.split('/');
  if (!day || !month || !year) return null;
  return `${year}-${month}-${day}`;
}

// Convert input date
const inputDateIso = toIsoDate(inputData.date);

// Check if any booking meets the criteria
const hasNeedsCheckIn =
  inputDateIso &&
  bookings.some(b =>
    b?.status === 'needs_check_in' &&
    b?.check_in === inputDateIso
  ) || false;

// Return result
return { hasNeedsCheckIn };

Overall, I think looping currently has too many limitations for what my use case required.

Troy Tessalone · Answer

Hi ​@sean.faugheyAdd Path C with Filter condition: Loop Iteration Last = trueAdd a Filter condition to check if any of the filter conditions match or do not match. (e.g. if any bookings are not cancelled)Paths process in order from left to right.Help links for using Looping in Zaps:https://zapier.com/apps/looping/integrations#help