Using Scripts to Create Multiple Records in Automation

[Samantha_Hebert]

Hey,
I’m working on a project management base were each ‘project’ has a series of associated ‘tasks’ that are populated upon the creation of each project. We’re a civil engineering company so each ‘project’ has 178 associated tasks. I’ve created a standalone record for each step, and want to automate 178 new records to a third table and then link the newly made project to each of those records. I think scripts are the only way to do this. Does anyone have some advice? Thanks!

[TheTimeSavingCo]

Hm, could you check the permissions for the linked field, as well as the table that you’re creating the records in? If nothing looks amiss there, DM me an invite link to your table and I’ll take a look for you

[TheTimeSavingCo]

Ahh that’s super interesting. Having the template project and linked tasks in the production table makes so much sense.

Sigh, I’ve got a few setups where there were multiple template projects where I ended up creating the tables Template Projects and Template Tasks for those, and I hit the maintenance complications that you mentioned

I’m going to go back and fix them up so that they’re set up the way yours are, thank you very much for sharing your solution

kuovonne:

I don’t currently offer consulting services to new clients, but there are several other script writers who could write such a script. (@Adam_C you should try building this setup if you haven’t already.)

Yeah, definitely. Seems like a pretty interesting problem to solve

[Frank_Kroondijk]

Brilliant! thanks, the only solution I found so far. Should be a more elegant solution being part of the automation script.

[MFAB]

@kuovonne, @Adam_TheTimeSavingCo or anyone: do you know of a “New Project with Tasks from Template” sample script or something close to it available for purchase?

As someone with nominal coding skills/experience the lion’s share of what I employ I’ve learned from sample code so I’d like to try it myself that way before hiring someone to write it for me from scratch.

I have the same setup of separate Project and Task tables with templates in each. Another option I am going to explore is setting up a button in the Projects table combined with Kuovonne’s Prefilled Form extension that allows me to select specific tasks to create for that project from a list of template tasks.

I would assume that route would also run most efficiently from a script to create the new tasks vs an automation.

[kuovonne]

MFAB:

do you know of a “New Project with Tasks from Template” sample script or something close to it available for purchase

I’m not personally aware of one. I have written many such scripts but I find that each one contains so much customization and I have not had the time to write a version that is generic enough to sell while still being easy enough for non-coders to customize.

MFAB:

someone with nominal coding skills/experience

Since you already have coding skills, I suggest you jump in with trying to write you own. The scripting documentation has a lot of code snippets.

MFAB:

button in the Projects table combined with Kuovonne’s Prefilled Form extension

This doesn’t quite sound right to me.

MFAB:

I would assume that route would also run most efficiently from a script to create the new tasks vs an automation.

There are many ways to do things in code. It is possible to create tasks from a template using only automations and no scripting. However, I personally prefer scripting methods. Scripts take fewer automation runs, are generally faster, and require fewer helper fields.

[TheTimeSavingCo]

Not really I’m afraid. Here’s something somewhat similar that you may find useful?

[Alex_Blanes1]

@TheTimeSavingCo I'd love to see an example of your reworked Projects / Tasks base!