Best answer

How to get updated data via API polling delay or POST "Catch Hook"?

  • 22 August 2020
  • 7 replies
  • 370 views

Userlevel 1

We are using a third-party API. We have a Zap that polls as the trigger on a new record. The problem that we have is that the user is still completing data entry so the trigger fires too early.

What we would like to do with a Zap is this:

TRIGGER (poll - on a new record, some user data is available here)

DELAY (wait 3 minutes)

FETCH all the complete user data

ACTION


I don’t know what Zapier function I need to Fetch the complete user data from the same record. What could be a solution here?

Alternatively I can use the “Catch Hook” POST from the website to trigger the Zap.  However sometimes the user doesn’t complete all the data entry, so I need a way to POST when the user ceases data entry, and send all the data they have entered up to that point.

i.e.

USER 1

Enters some data, and stops (closes browser or screen)

POST data

 

USER 2

Enters some data

Enters more data

Enters more data, and stops (closes browser or screen)

POST data


How could I achieve this?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Best answer by Wemakefuture 25 August 2020, 07:44

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7 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +7

Hi @markos ,

Did you already try to use the Zapier delay action? With this, you can delay the Zap in any way you like and have it continue in a later stage.

Hope this helps you! Let me know.

~Bjorn

Userlevel 6
Badge +7

@markos use python and requests for it, there you can later again poll the header/data and use it in your zap. 

Userlevel 1

Hi @ForYourIT. Thanks for the reply. I tried the Zapier delay action, but it only delays the action from the original polled data. The action after it only uses the original polled data and doesn’t fetch the updated data.

@tweiland. Your solution sounds interesting, could you please elaborate on how it would work. Thanks.

Userlevel 6
Badge +7

@markos use the delay from @ForYourIT  and present the data at a new endpoint on your website/Service/Back-End whereever. Then poll the data with a python snippet. 

https://zapier.com/help/create/code-webhooks/python-code-examples-in-zaps

 

Best practices: when do this create an ID for/in the triggerdata and check against that ID in the pyhton. Otherwise you could mix-up data :)

Userlevel 1

Ok @tweiland sounds good. Thank you for the extra info. I’l need to find a developer to write the code for me.

Userlevel 6
Badge +7

Keep us posted :) and if you need consultation feel free to start chating!

Userlevel 6
Badge +7

 

You can use this too. If you dont like to code it in python/js.