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Re: Is it possible to upload attachments?

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Bryan_McBride
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Looking over the API documentation, it appears that attachments require a url key, so they must already be available on a web server. Is it possible to upload local files to Airtable via the API? I’d like to build my own form that POSTs to Airtable and uploads an image as an attachment, but it doesn’t look like this is currently possible. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

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Chinara_James
6 - Interface Innovator
6 - Interface Innovator

As promised, my write up of my solution.

Getting Started with the Airtable API | Chinara James

Airtable is an easy way to get a database up and running for a side project or to quickly prototype an idea for app. I have used it to manage track projects, expenses, client contacts and more.

See Solution in Thread

38 Replies 38
Emmett_Nicholas
6 - Interface Innovator
6 - Interface Innovator

Right now this isn’t possible with the Airtable API alone. It’s something we’ll think about for future API versions though. A workaround for now is to use a different service (e.g. Filestack, imgur, etc.) to process the upload before then sending the url to Airtable. When Airtable processes the attachment, it will copy the file to Airtable’s own (S3) server for safekeeping, so it’s OK if the original uploaded file url is just temporary.

Bryan_McBride
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Thanks for the clarification!

Joshua_Deeden
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

+1 For uploading attachments via API. Once I learned this wasn’t possible, my whole world crumbled.

paul_chelly
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

+1, uploading files via URL is pain.

Man_Wtrnt
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

+1, For uploading attachments via API!! would be so helpful…

Debra_White
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

will you ever consider incorporating a CDN or will it always be S3? I’d like to be able to use Airtable to deploy inventory images to a website and am curious about benchmarks.

Nico
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

+1. Does anyone know a service to temporary upload some images?

Andrew_McAllist
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Would also like to see this added to the API.

Changsheng_Wu
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

What’s blocking this feature?

Daniel_Nordby
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Would also really love to see this…going to explore the Filestack/imgur route, but was not estimating that I’d need to for my current little project. :slightly_smiling_face: Presumably no update on this as of March 2018, correct @Emmett_Nicholas?

ssaunier
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

Hi everyone, would also be very interested of providing an URL to add attachments to a record through the API!

Jens_Franke
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

It would be awesome to upload attachments via APIs. There are so many use cases for this feature.

Nicholas_Ewing
5 - Automation Enthusiast
5 - Automation Enthusiast

I’d be really happy to see this as well. Any updates @Emmett_Nicholas?

raoulwegat
6 - Interface Innovator
6 - Interface Innovator

+1 from me too. Disappointed that three years after the initial request uploading attachments using the API is still not available.

Cloudinary is an awesome product that could be used for the file upload that then provides a URL to pull into airtable

nck_capo
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

it can technically be done using GraphQL…

This is possible using api. Have a look on task create example

{
“fields”: {
“Truck_ID1”: [
“1232321321323123”
],
“Task_Type”: “Repairs (Parts & Labour)”,
“Images”: [
{
“url”: “image path”
},
{
“url”: “image path”
}
],
“Job Type”: [
“Order”
],
“Status”: “Client response?”
}
}

@Kapil_dev - the question here is how to get a file directly uploaded into airtable (not just a link to a file hosted somewhere on the web). So, it would require an intermediary solution (like my suggestion of cloudinary) in order to upload the file first, then get the resulting url, then publish that url into airtable. But currently can’t get around that intermediary step.

Have you implemented this with cloudinary and it worked? Would like to try this route.