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Question

Google Task coming due does not seem to be usable as a trigger


I’ve been trying MS To Do as a daily task planner and have been transferring repeating tasks from Google Tasks into To Do manually. However, I’m finding there are still gaps in the way To Do handles repeating tasks. Anyway, I thought I’d try a zap to create a task in To Do when it comes due in Google Tasks, and hopefully have the best of both - schedule in Google, manage the task completion in To Do.

My problem is there doesn’t seem to be a trigger associated with a task coming due in Google Tasks. I see New completed, New Task and New List, but nothing associated with the due date.

Am I missing something, or is there some other way around this?

 

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4 replies

Troy Tessalone
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Hi ​@UnabashedGeek 

These are the available GTasks triggers/actions: https://zapier.com/apps/google-tasks/integrations#triggers-and-actions

You would possible have to explore using the GTasks API as a workaround: https://developers.google.com/tasks/reference/rest

Resources for using app APIs in Zaps:

 


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You can work around this limitation by using a combination of Google SheetsGoogle Tasks, and Microsoft To Do.

First, Manually export your Google Tasks to a Google Sheet or you can just use Zapier to automate the export.

Then, Set Up a Zap to Monitor Due Dates

 

  • Trigger: Google Sheets - New or Updated Spreadsheet Row.

    • Set up the trigger to monitor the Google Sheet where tasks are exported.

    • Ensure the sheet includes columns for Task TitleDue Date, and Status.

  • Filter: Filter by Zapier.

    • Add a filter to only process rows where the due date is today or in the future.

    • Example filter condition:

      Due Date is after Today
  • Action: Microsoft To Do - Create Task.

    • Map the task details (e.g., title, due date) from Google Sheets to Microsoft To Do.

  • Set up a Schedule by Zapier trigger to run the Zap daily or hourly.

If you’re open to using Google Calendar instead of Google Tasks, you can set up a more straightforward integration:

  1. Create Google Calendar Events:

    • Add your tasks as events in Google Calendar with due dates.

  2. Trigger: Google Calendar - Event Starts.

    • Set up the trigger to monitor events in your Google Calendar.

  3. Action: Microsoft To Do - Create Task.

    • Map the event details (e.g., title, start time) to Microsoft To Do.

Let me know if this works out for you!


Two great answers. My takeaways are: 

Troy opened a whole new world of resources I hadn’t found, and confirmed what I thought - there is no simple trigger that does what I want, although the REST API may provide a solution - and a whole new can of worms to open (I mean learn from!). This was the answer to my question - apparently I was not missing something.

Pranashinde provided a workaround which looks promising, although I’d need to look deeper to see if it is doable within the constraints of a free Zapier account. Using events instead of tasks would have the side effect of littering the family joint calendar with my tasks, or I’d need to use a separate calendar account, which would complicate using Google Assistant. 

Thank you so much, both of you. Bothe excellent answers which should help many others as well as me.

Fifteen years ago, I’d have said: Screw it, I’ll write my own! Sadly, I haven’t kept up with technology enough to be able to do that any more, so I have to cobble together bits of existing technology, and frankly it’s amazing how much has opened up to let people create custom solutions without programming.


JammerS
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  • Zapier Staff
  • 2259 replies
  • January 14, 2025

Hi ​@UnabashedGeek,

 

We appreciate people in our community who are ready to help us when needed.

 

Thank you for your positive feedback! We're glad the suggestions were helpful and understand the challenges of working within a free Zapier account. It's exciting to see how technology enables non-programmers to create complex workflows, and we're thrilled to support your journey. Feel free to reach out with any further questions or issues.