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HTML to Markdown Zapier Formatter adding random line breaks

  • 5 September 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 175 views

Hey!

I’ve noticed a really annoying bug (or it seems to be) with the ‘HTML to Markdown’ Zapier Formatter.

When feeding HTML into the formatter, it continue to outputs the Markdown which I use for post automation with LinkedIn/Facebook- but I noticed it adds random line breaks throughout the copy. (see below)

 

 

After investigation, I noticed these “random” line breaks actually mirror exactly how the Formatter outputs it’s example when running a test. (see below)

 

 

This means the formatter is adding additional line breaks after the words;

  • product
  • removing
  • and
  • want

...as well has a 3 random spaces] at the end of every paragraph or empty line.
(you’ll be able to see this within the markup output at the bottom)

Annoying, right? Has anyone else noticed this or found a solution to the bug? or have I missed something here.

 

The HTML fed through the formatter...

👋  Are you a Wrike user?<br />&#x1f680;  It&#39;s T-Minus 3 days until we launch Wrikified for all Wrike users, a product we&#39;ve design and built...<br /><br />Wrikified simplifies and improves task output for Wrike users, by removing excess features from the project management software, giving you a clean and simple interface. Built for production individuals and teams who just want beautiful Wrike tasks.<br /><br />Want to know more?<br /><br />#wrike #projectmanagement #taskmanagement #launch #producthunt<br />

with the Markup output…

👋 Are you a Wrike user?  
🚀 It's T-Minus 3 days until we launch Wrikified for all Wrike users, a product
we've design and built...

Wrikified simplifies and improves task output for Wrike users, by removing
excess features from the project management software, giving you a clean and
simple interface. Built for production individuals and teams who just want
beautiful Wrike tasks.

Want to know more?

#wrike #projectmanagement #taskmanagement #launch #producthunt

 

5 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +14

Hi @ChrisWatterston 

Good question.

If you have a Zapier paid plan, you can try reporting this issue via a ticket to Zapier Support: https://zapier.com/app/connections

You may want to try adding another step: Formatter > Text > Trim Whitespace

Thanks @Troy Tessalone - I’ll give support a shot!

Trim Whitespace only acts on the start and end of a string (not within), although I did try to no success.

Cheers.

Userlevel 7
Badge +14

@ChrisWatterston 

A Code step can be configured to do the conversion of HTML to Markup.

You may want to try asking ChatGPT for that code.

@ChrisWatterston , I found your post because I was having the exact same issue. Apparently we’re the only two people that have voiced frustration over this. I was able to solve my issue though, and detailed it here:
https://1radwebsite.com/zapier-formatter-hates-google-docs/

Hope this helps you, if you still need it :) - Mark w/ RAD Websites

Userlevel 7
Badge +11

Hey folks 👋

I just came across this thread and spotted that the Support team added @ChrisWatterston to a bug report for this issue where the Formatter transform “Convert HTML to Markdown” is adding additional lines. 

@RADRaze2KX - I’ve added you to the list of folks being affected by this issue as well. I can’t make any promises around when it will be resolved by, but adding you to the list does help to increase it’s priority and allow us to notify you by email as soon as it’s resolved.

In the meantime if you’ve not already used ChatGPT to generate the necessary code for the workaround Troy suggested, you could try using our Code with AI feature to generate the code needed to convert HTML to Markdown. See our Generate a Code step using AI (Beta) guide for more details. Hope that helps! 🙂

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