Automation errors adding text to Google Doc - specifically for listings with dates.

[eleavi02]

Hey all!

I run the backend of a small newspaper, and one thing we do is make a list of "happenings" that we publish each month. I had set up a back-end system via Airtable collection form, and the listings were then compiled into a Google doc via automations, and it was working great until this month when suddenly basically all my automations were failing - suspiciously only ones that involve dates like one-day and multi-day events. 

Did something change with Airtable automations in the past few weeks or what is going on! I had to manually add all the listings this month and it was a pain. Desperately hoping someone can advise, happy to share more info -- could not for the life of me figure it out,

Thank you!!

[Andy_Lin1]

Does your automation include a script? Airtable changed the way dates were handled last year, but this behaviour would only kick in if you change a date field to include a time component, or if you change a date time field to a different time zone. With the change, if you input a datetime string without a time zone, then the date would be rejected. Airtable sent out an email about this (I received it Sept. 2, 2022) and gave the following examples as invalid input:

• “2022-04-05T14:30”
• "2020-09-05T00:00:00" 
• "2020-09-05 07:00"
• "2020-09-08"

That being said, from the way your setup sounds, I don't think you're manually inputting a datetime string, so I'm not sure if this is the problem you're encountering. When the automations fail, what's the error message in the run log?

[eleavi02]

Gotcha, thanks Andy! I don't think it's that because it was working pretty well last month. I am not using a script, I am using a formula field set up to format the dates for text. My time fields are just text fields.

I am attaching a screenshot of one of the error reports, it doesn't provide much info just says Google reported an error.

I'm wondering if there has been a change with Google perhaps? Appreciate whatever ideas you may have!

[Andy_Lin1]

Hmm, maybe it's a permission error? I'd change the step to create a new document (or add a new step and turn the existing step off) and see if that works. Otherwise, maybe "turning it off and back on" might work on the integrations, but if you're using the integration in other workflows, the "turn it back on" step might be tricky.

[eleavi02]

Well, I don't think that's it because some of my automations work and show up in the doc, and some don't  -- still can't figure out why it seems to be inexplicable at this point. I appreciate your response though!