Are you tired of manually performing repetitive tasks associated with your Google account? Well, Airtable has got you covered! With its Automations feature, you can set up triggers specifically designed for Google users, allowing you to automate common tasks and workflows. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up these triggers and show you how to make the most of them.
Account Authorization
Before you can start using the Google Workspace triggers in Airtable, you need to ensure that your Google account is connected to the Airtable base you’re working in. First, choose the trigger you want to set up, and then either manage your connected accounts or connect a new one. Keep in mind that the authorization process is specific to each individual Google service, so you may need to go through it multiple times for different triggers. It’s also important to note that reauthorizations may be required in the future.
Google Calendar Triggers
Airtable offers three Google Calendar triggers that you can utilize in Automations. These triggers include:
- When event created
- When event changed
- When event canceled
Setting up each of these triggers follows a similar process. You will need to select the trigger you want to use, connect your Google account (or select an already connected account), choose a calendar that will trigger the automation, and run a test to ensure that the connection is properly configured. It’s important to have at least one event in your selected calendar to perform the test.
Once you have successfully tested a Calendar trigger, you can proceed to the next steps.
Google Forms Trigger
For Google Forms, Airtable currently provides one Automation trigger option: “When a response arrives.” To set up this trigger, select it from the list of available triggers. Follow the setup steps to connect to the appropriate Google account, select the spreadsheet and worksheet where your form responses are stored, and run a test to ensure that the connection is set up correctly. At least one form response is required for the test.
Google Sheets Trigger
When setting up an automation, you can choose the “When row created” trigger from Google Sheets. To connect to the right Google Sheet, follow these setup steps: connect your Google account (or select an already connected account), select a spreadsheet and worksheet (the worksheet must have column headers), and run a test to verify that the connection is properly configured.
Add an Action
Once you have configured and tested the trigger, it’s time to add an action. Let’s take the example of finding and updating the corresponding record for a Google Calendar event that has been changed or canceled. In this case, you need to perform two actions:
- Find the record that corresponds to the Google Calendar event.
- Update that record with the new details from the triggering Google Calendar event.
To find the record using the “Google Event ID,” you can use the “Find record” action. After finding the record, use the “Update record” action to update it with the new information from the Google Calendar trigger.
Please note that there’s no need to update the Google Event ID since it serves as a unique identifier for the event.
Test and Enable Your Automation
When testing a Google Workspace trigger in Airtable, you have the option to choose a test record. For example, if you’re using the “Google Calendar: When event created” trigger, you can select an upcoming event or an event that has occurred within the past three months as a test event.
Once you have configured and tested your action, make sure to turn on the automation. In the example we discussed, when an event is changed on the selected calendar, the corresponding record in Airtable will be updated.
FAQs
Now, let’s address some commonly asked questions about Airtable’s Google Workspace Automations.
