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Automation speed

  • October 12, 2020
  • 6 replies
  • 39 views
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At this time, I’m purely using automations to copy text fields (usually a record ID) into a linked relational field to connect tables together. I’m wondering if there’s a faster way to do it so that I can avoid issues with the app running alongside my database.

When a user clicks a button in my app, the data on the next screen can only load after the automation has executed. If that’s 5-15 seconds, the user will usually click through to a screen with the wrong data. If I put a timer on the button, I’d have to pick an arbitrary amount of time such as 10-15 seconds to make sure the data loads in time, which would be a while for the app users to wait.

Quick automated copy-paste actions would be really helpful for app development.

6 replies

kuovonne
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  • kuovonne
  • Brainy
  • October 12, 2020

Are your users using Airtable directly, or have you built an app that uses Airtable as the backend? What are your “screens” and how do you control flow from screen to screen?

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  • Brian_Schuster
  • Author
  • Known Participant
  • October 12, 2020

Are your users using Airtable directly, or have you built an app that uses Airtable as the backend? What are your “screens” and how do you control flow from screen to screen?


The users access the app, which sends and retrieves the data from Airtable, so Airtable is the back end. A button fills in one field with a record ID, that record ID gets copied into the linked/relational field, Airtable then creates an array of record IDs with a rollup, and then the app user is navigated to the next screen.

If the array of record IDs related to the linked field is not ready in time, the list won’t show up properly because the app is trying to grab the data from Airtable before it’s there.

That’s where an instant copy-paste from text to linked field would help. The API hasn’t successfully allowed record IDs to be inserted directly into the linked/relational field from Adalo, which is why I’m using the workaround with the copy-paste automation.

kuovonne
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  • kuovonne
  • Brainy
  • October 12, 2020

What are you using to build your front end? Is there a reason why your front end needs to rely on an automation? Can the code behind the button that gets the record ID also create the links?

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  • Brian_Schuster
  • Author
  • Known Participant
  • October 12, 2020

What are you using to build your front end? Is there a reason why your front end needs to rely on an automation? Can the code behind the button that gets the record ID also create the links?


I’m not sure what you mean since this is related to Airtable data. I either need an instant copy-paste from text fields to linked fields or the ability to update a linked relational field directly through the API, which hasn’t been working with Adalo.

Or maybe there’s a clever workaround I haven’t discovered yet?

kuovonne
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  • kuovonne
  • Brainy
  • October 12, 2020

Sorry, I was under the impression that you were using Airtable only for your back end. Then the workaround would be to have your app create the links directly instead of having an automation do it. That way you would know exactly when the fields would be updated.

I don’t know of any way to speed up automations.

B
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  • Brian_Schuster
  • Author
  • Known Participant
  • October 13, 2020

Sorry, I was under the impression that you were using Airtable only for your back end. Then the workaround would be to have your app create the links directly instead of having an automation do it. That way you would know exactly when the fields would be updated.

I don’t know of any way to speed up automations.


No problem, thanks for checking in about it.

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