Hi @teereximus 

Which app are you using for Step 2?

Google Calendar.

Thanks for the help, @Troy Tessalone!

@teereximus 

You can use this Zap action: GCal - Find Event

You will need to specify the Start Time Before and End Time After.

You may need to use Formatter > Date & Time > options to get the values.

Thanks! So how do I use these fields to ensure that anytime the Zap is triggered it’s finding the correct meeting based on that time of day?

For instance, it’s 2:01p and I have a 2-3p meeting on the calendar for which I’d like to send a slack to all the attendees letting them know I’ll be late. How do I ensure the triggered Zap (I plan on using an Interface button) will grab the correct 2-3p meeting? 
 

Appreciate it!

@teereximus 

Did you try this suggestion?

You will need to specify the Start Time Before and End Time After.

You may need to use Formatter > Date & Time > options to get the values.

If you need system timestamps: https://zapier.com/help/create/customize/insert-the-time-your-zap-runs-into-a-field

Supported date/time formats 

Zapier tries to interpret any date or time you provide. For example, all of the following date formats are supported:

• tomorrow at noon
• next Friday at 7PM (Friday of the next week, not the current week)
• 2/13/2020 8PM EST
• 2020-10-26T16:56 (standard ISO format)
• 1393462573 (a UNIX timestamp)

Note

By default, Zapier uses the ISO 8601 standard for formatting dates. Some apps may use different date and time defaults. If needed, you can adjust date/time values in Zaps by adding or subtracting time from the value within the field.

@teereximus 

As an alternative, maybe try using Zapier Central to build an AI bot to do that for you: https://zapier.com/central

Thanks, Troy. Really appreciate the suggestions but I’m unfortunately not understanding how to put them into action. I can’t specify a particular time because I want this action to dynamically find the event based on whenever I trigger the Zap. This is an example of how it would work for this time period:

For instance, it’s 2:01p and I have a 2-3p meeting on the calendar for which I’d like to send a slack to all the attendees letting them know I’ll be late. How do I ensure the triggered Zap (I plan on using an Interface button) will grab the correct 2-3p meeting?

However, I’m hoping that same Zap could be triggered at 5:05p as well, grabbing the attendee list of my 5-5:30p meeting. Hopefully that makes sense. Thanks again for the help!

@teereximus 

If you need system timestamps: https://zapier.com/help/create/customize/insert-the-time-your-zap-runs-into-a-field

and

You may need to use Formatter > Date & Time > options to get the values adjusted (e.g. Add/Subtract Time).

If you need help, perhaps consider hiring a Certified Zapier Expert: https://zapier.com/experts

Sorry, Troy. I still do not understand the suggestion here. This seems to be helpful for finding the time of the trigger, but then how can I use that to find the appropriate meeting event?

Do I put this timestamp command into the “Start time before” or “End time after”? Maybe the former, and it’ll automatically pull the event that just started?

@teereximus

e.g. You would have to configure logic to take the current timestamp use a Formatter step to +/-N minutes, then use the timestamp as the Start Time Before or End Time After field value.

When in doubt, test it out.

Check the field descriptions for guidance about expected values.

@Troy Tessalone that did the trick!!! Big thanks for the back-and-forth here. Super appreciate the help on this!

That’s awesome @teereximus! A huge thanks to Troy for lending a hand here!

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Community. We’re always happy to help!