Hi, I am generating a URL by concatenating a URL string and then the Airtable record ID. Between my URL string and that ID, there is always a byte mark like “%EF%BB%BF” added (for example, when using the URL in an email automation). Any way to remove that since the URL leads to a 404 otherwise?
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Remove Byte Marks "%EF%BB%BF" added to Formula URL
+6Best answer by Justin_Barrett
I helped someone else with this exact issue the other day, though the data was different (a number, not a URL):
How are you creating the ID? Your latest example is using a field reference, so my hunch is that this field is likely a formula that uses the RECORD_ID() function. However, this function can be added directly to your other formula:
"URL-String" & RECORD_ID()
If you still get the BOM, you could try wrapping one or both pieces in the TRIM() function, which is supposed to strip whitespace from the ends.
"URL-String" & TRIM(RECORD_ID())
…or…
TRIM("URL-String") & TRIM(RECORD_ID())
+2How are you concatinating the the URL string and the record ID? I don’t get a BOM when I concatenate and send that URL in an email. I get som extra text string though. Weird.
+6I did CONCATENATE(“URL-String”, {Record ID})
Or just “URL-String” & {Record ID}. Both caused the BOM.
+21I helped someone else with this exact issue the other day, though the data was different (a number, not a URL):
How are you creating the ID? Your latest example is using a field reference, so my hunch is that this field is likely a formula that uses the RECORD_ID() function. However, this function can be added directly to your other formula:
"URL-String" & RECORD_ID()
If you still get the BOM, you could try wrapping one or both pieces in the TRIM() function, which is supposed to strip whitespace from the ends.
"URL-String" & TRIM(RECORD_ID())
…or…
TRIM("URL-String") & TRIM(RECORD_ID())
I helped someone else with this exact issue the other day, though the data was different (a number, not a URL):
How are you creating the ID? Your latest example is using a field reference, so my hunch is that this field is likely a formula that uses the RECORD_ID() function. However, this function can be added directly to your other formula:
"URL-String" & RECORD_ID()
If you still get the BOM, you could try wrapping one or both pieces in the TRIM() function, which is supposed to strip whitespace from the ends.
"URL-String" & TRIM(RECORD_ID())
…or…
TRIM("URL-String") & TRIM(RECORD_ID())
That worked, thank you!
+2I'm late to the party but I'm dropping this here for anyone else who encounters this problem because I've just struggled with it for a couple of weeks now.
I came across the following on Stack Overflow:
%EF%BB%BF is an percent encoded byte sequence of ZERO WIDTH NON-BREAKING SPACE(aka BOM in UTF-16/UTF-32). In UTF-8, it's just an extra character.
It get's introduced into Airtable automations when copy/pasting from one automation to another by highlighting an entire string of text including the variable, and then pasting that into another automation.
Doing so adds the variable plus a plain text label of the variable on a new line, plus at least one "zero width non-breaking space".
It's easy to delete the plain text label because it's visible, but the "zero width non-breaking space" (i.e. completely invisible UTF-8 character that breaks urls) is, well, invisible and not so easy to find.
It sounds like it might be introduced into other Airtable fields in a similar way.
Just delete the line with the offending url and start fresh without pasting anything and that will resolve the problem by deleting the "zero width non-breaking space" in the process.
+4I'm late to the party but I'm dropping this here for anyone else who encounters this problem because I've just struggled with it for a couple of weeks now.
I came across the following on Stack Overflow:
%EF%BB%BF is an percent encoded byte sequence of ZERO WIDTH NON-BREAKING SPACE(aka BOM in UTF-16/UTF-32). In UTF-8, it's just an extra character.
It get's introduced into Airtable automations when copy/pasting from one automation to another by highlighting an entire string of text including the variable, and then pasting that into another automation.
Doing so adds the variable plus a plain text label of the variable on a new line, plus at least one "zero width non-breaking space".
It's easy to delete the plain text label because it's visible, but the "zero width non-breaking space" (i.e. completely invisible UTF-8 character that breaks urls) is, well, invisible and not so easy to find.
It sounds like it might be introduced into other Airtable fields in a similar way.
Just delete the line with the offending url and start fresh without pasting anything and that will resolve the problem by deleting the "zero width non-breaking space" in the process.
That worked, thank you!
+4I'm late to the party but I'm dropping this here for anyone else who encounters this problem because I've just struggled with it for a couple of weeks now.
I came across the following on Stack Overflow:
%EF%BB%BF is an percent encoded byte sequence of ZERO WIDTH NON-BREAKING SPACE(aka BOM in UTF-16/UTF-32). In UTF-8, it's just an extra character.
It get's introduced into Airtable automations when copy/pasting from one automation to another by highlighting an entire string of text including the variable, and then pasting that into another automation.
Doing so adds the variable plus a plain text label of the variable on a new line, plus at least one "zero width non-breaking space".
It's easy to delete the plain text label because it's visible, but the "zero width non-breaking space" (i.e. completely invisible UTF-8 character that breaks urls) is, well, invisible and not so easy to find.
It sounds like it might be introduced into other Airtable fields in a similar way.
Just delete the line with the offending url and start fresh without pasting anything and that will resolve the problem by deleting the "zero width non-breaking space" in the process.
Perfect. I lost a couple of hours to this one.
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