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I am testing an automation setup where a user fills out a form with a multiple select field to indicate the social media platforms and post types they wish to share content on around a singular topic (i.e., they could select Instagram - Story, Facebook - Post and Instagram - Post all at once) and then an automation that creates new records in a separate table for each of the post types selected in that form (so, three entries based on the example I shared above). These created records are also linked to the initial table with a linked records field.

The issue I have is figuring out how to update the records in the second table if anything changes in the first table (i.e., the name of the post topic or the social posts desired). I’ve attached my automation setup and am just stuck on how to populate the Platform + Post Type field when the first automation that creates the individual records for each of the multi select options chosen in the initial form.

Does anyone know how to remedy this?

Automation attempt to update records in table 2 with new information if things are changed in table 1.
Table 2
Table 1

 

Hey ​@ashley_24,

If I’m following, I would probably suggest a different approach.

3 tables:
Requests
Request Lines
Post Type

Have Post Type be its own table, where each record would be a combination of a {Type} and {Platform}.
Each Request would be linked to one or multiple Post Types.
Automation would trigger upon certain condition being met, would find records on Post Type where Requests has any of record id of the request that triggered the automation. Then you’d have the repeating group which would create a record on Requests Line for every record found on Post Type.
Field Post Type for the Request Line table would be mapped with the record id of the Current Item of the repeating group. In that way, you’ll get a specific line for each post type requested under the request.
For last, you would also link the Request Line to the actual Request that triggered the automation (by mapping it on the automation).

If Name of the Post is a field found in request table, then by having a lookup (more on lookups here) of Name from Requests at a Request Line table, any change to Name of the Post would automatically reflect on the Request Line.

Does this help or is it too confusing?

I’d be happy to go through it together on a call. Feel free to grab a slot using this link!

Mike, Consultant @ Automatic Nation 
YouTube Channel

Hmm, with reference to the screenshot of Table 1, the issue you’re facing is if ‘Ashley Testing’s Social Posts becomes the following:

Instagram - In-feed static
Instagram - Reel
Facebook - Story

Where there’s a possibility of a new post being added and an old post being deleted, right?  

If so, this gets kind of tricky.  I think the easiest way to deal with this would be to:

  1. Disconnect the original records and delete them
  2. Create new records with the new selection of Social Posts

If that isn’t feasible, the next best thing to do would be to use a script to help you figure out which Social Posts records already exist and then delete / add the one you want.  If you want to keep the old data (e.g. the data from Facebook - In-feed Static and have it transferred to ‘Instagram - Reel’) then this becomes much more complicated though

If scripting isn’t on the table, then you’d need a ‘Tasks’ table with an automation that would basically replicate the scripting functionality

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