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Auto Update of today() or now() formula

  • December 6, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 67 views
T
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Hi guys,

I have a formula that I want to update automatically if a condition is met -
IF({U/C Date}=TODAY(), “yes”, “no”)

Based on the answer to that formula being “yes” I am trying to use integromat to send an email.

It is my understanding that the today() function will not update until the base is reloaded or a record is edited, therefore my question is - can I use zapier or integromat to update the base on a schedule each day and therefore have the today() function update without the need for a human to open Airtable?

Any suggestions would be really helpful.

Thanks,

4 replies

Justin_Barrett
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Welcome to the community, @Theo_Field! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes:

Probably, though it’s kind of redundant. If you build this in Integromat, for example, you’re running a scenario to force-refresh Airtable, which would then lead to another Integromat scenario being triggered to send the email.

It would be cleaner to just have a single Integromat scenario set up to run once a day and send emails based on records found where the {U/C Date} value matches today’s date. The scenario would begin with a “Search records” action, using a filter formula of {U/C Date}=TODAY(). The rest of the scenario would be set up to send the email as you wish.

T
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  • Theo_Field
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  • Known Participant
  • December 6, 2019

Welcome to the community, @Theo_Field! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes:

Probably, though it’s kind of redundant. If you build this in Integromat, for example, you’re running a scenario to force-refresh Airtable, which would then lead to another Integromat scenario being triggered to send the email.

It would be cleaner to just have a single Integromat scenario set up to run once a day and send emails based on records found where the {U/C Date} value matches today’s date. The scenario would begin with a “Search records” action, using a filter formula of {U/C Date}=TODAY(). The rest of the scenario would be set up to send the email as you wish.


Thanks @Justin_Barrett - I wasn’t sure if it would still catch the match if the sheet hadn’t been updated!

If I set up the integromat scenario as suggested, will I need to worry about time zones? I am in New Zealand and I’m having some issues in Airtable with the today() function matching to the {U/C Date} field.

Justin_Barrett
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Thanks @Justin_Barrett - I wasn’t sure if it would still catch the match if the sheet hadn’t been updated!

If I set up the integromat scenario as suggested, will I need to worry about time zones? I am in New Zealand and I’m having some issues in Airtable with the today() function matching to the {U/C Date} field.


When using the search action in Integromat, it always captures Airtable data in its most updated state.

Airtable’s TODAY() function uses GMT for comparison. What you might try is making a formula field named something like {Today Local} that manually shifts TODAY() based on your offset from GMT. From what I see, New Zealand is GMT+12, so try this for {Today Local} :

DATEADD(TODAY(), 12, "hours")

Then in Integromat, you’d set up your Airtable search action to use the following filter:

{U/C Date}={Today Local}

FWIW, if you ever find yourself using Integromat’s own “today” option in a field calculation, make sure that you’ve set your timezone in Integromat’s settings.

T
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  • Theo_Field
  • Author
  • Known Participant
  • December 8, 2019

When using the search action in Integromat, it always captures Airtable data in its most updated state.

Airtable’s TODAY() function uses GMT for comparison. What you might try is making a formula field named something like {Today Local} that manually shifts TODAY() based on your offset from GMT. From what I see, New Zealand is GMT+12, so try this for {Today Local} :

DATEADD(TODAY(), 12, "hours")

Then in Integromat, you’d set up your Airtable search action to use the following filter:

{U/C Date}={Today Local}

FWIW, if you ever find yourself using Integromat’s own “today” option in a field calculation, make sure that you’ve set your timezone in Integromat’s settings.


Thank you for your suggestions @Justin_Barrett - I think I am getting somewhere based on what you suggested, however I was still having some issues with the dates matching and allowing the Integromat scenario to run.

However I am testing using the native today() within Integromat - it looks like it will read the date in the {U/C Date} field and compare it to my local date (set within my profile settings).

The other option I was testing was to extract the day as in integer using Day() from both fields and then using {U/C Day}={Local Day} in Integromat. That may be a little more complicated than needed, but it seemed to be working.

Justin_Barrett
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