Add data to EXISTING record using Web Clipper

So… not possible? You can’t use web clipper to add data to a field of an existing record?

I’m also curious about this. Didn’t everybody get the same email from @Katherilne at Airtable on Jan. 8 with the following update?

• Web clipper now supports linked record fields , allowing you to select an existing linked record when clipping from a web page.

Great announcement but Airtable failed to update their User Manual to explain exactly “how” that’s supposed to happen.

Anybody?

What if you’re not clipping linked records. What if you just want to update any old record…

It would be great if you could elect at least one field in web clippers (like URLs or page titles) to act as a matcher.

When the value for the matcher field in the extension clipper matches that of your Airtable, an extra button called ‘Update’ could show up in the clipper.

That way you would have the choice to update an existing record or add a new one.

I just wondered if you know if this is now an option Dean, to use web clipper to add to an existing record?

I was thinking exactly the same, and came across your post, but can’t see any updates since.

Hi Caroline, I haven’t checked the clipper functionality for some some months. I did not find a no code solution at the time.

Has anyone discovered how this works yet?

Hi @Flash-Point

You can add a linked record field to web clipper and then manually browse the linked items. You can’t add new options (which is annoying, same for a select field). Where are you stuck exactly?

Hi @Databaser

Thanks for clarifying.

I guess I was expecting something more, like being able to add new options, or more importantly update existing records via the linked field. But obviously that’s not the case.

So I gather that there is still no option to use web clipper on already existing records?

Does anyone know if that’s a functionality that will be included in furutre versions?

Cheers.

Not that I know of. You can always ask Airtable directly via support@airtable.com.

Also interested in this.

There’s a workaround to adding new records through the Web Clipper -

Let’s say, you have a Books table that has a linked record that relates to an Authors tables

1. Add a text field in your Books table that’s similar to the name of the field you want to be able to add + the word ‘Text’

So, your field name in the Books table is “Authors”, add a text field called “Authors-NEW”

2. Set up an automation -

Trigger

“When record matches conditions”

Choose Your Books table

Conditions
“When Author-NEW ‘is not empty’”

Action

“Create Record”

Choose your Authors table
In the Name field, insert your ‘Author-NEW’ field value
In the Books linked record field, insert your Title field value

This will automatically create a new record in Authors and match it to the related Book.

This is not a perfect workaround because you have to have an extra field, but it does help.

Hi Hannah,

Great idea, is it possible to make it work for multiple new records?

Hey Michael,

The web clipper only works with single records. However, the automation will trigger for any records where Author-NEW is not empty, whether that’s 1 or 100. :slightly_smiling_face:

I wasn't sure I understand the proposed solution so I have worked on my own figured out and here is my way of doing it:

https://air.tableforums.com/t/airtable-web-clipper-dead-instruction-resource-4-years-later-still-no-... 

Maybe it's the same way proposed here but I wasn't sure I understand what is being proposed here. The field that was updated shows up in the main table and then I can have automation to copy it. This should also work for multiple records if I link the field with multiple records when I am creating the Web clip.