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Re: Zapier for Image Upload

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Hello, I’d love some help refining a Zap such that it:

Copies a text string from an Airtable formula field to an Airtable URL field, and THEN goes to that URL (which is a hard link to an image) and uploads the image file back into an Airtable attachment field.

The use-case here is barcoding. We have a formula that is dynamically generating image URLs to barcode images. The links work fine, but I don’t yet have a way of actually pulling and uploading the barcode images we’ve linked to.

Any/all help appreciated, THANX!

17 Replies 17
Christopher_Rex
6 - Interface Innovator
6 - Interface Innovator

It will be helpful if you can clarify how the text string is applied to Airtable. Is this added manually through UI or is it also added via Zapier or some other means?

Column/Field 1, Formula, API: “http://www.barcodes4.me/barcode/c128b/” & {Job #}

Column/Field 2, Formula, Image URL: (“http://www.barcodes4.me/barcode/c128b/” & {Job #}) & “.jpg”

Column/Field 3, URL: Copied from Column/Field 2 via Zapier

Column/Field 4, Image Attachment: Image from Column/Field 3 URL to be uploaded via Zapier


The first three fields function fine, as does the Zap that supports Column/Field 3. What I need is the Zap to support Column/Field 4.

Hope that helps clarify; THANKS!

A.

Actually, this works simply by loading the URL into your attachment field in Zapier. I tested this with their sample:
c090c9b30d2a4c630869407886bf79ec40c354b5.png

and the image displayed just fine. Does this solve your issue or are you looking for how to trigger this action in Zapier?

Not sure what I’m missing, but I can’t get my zap to copy the URL string from the formula field into the attachment field.

And I can’t test via Airtable, as it does not allow you to paste an image URL into the attachment field…

did you test your URL string in a web browser to make sure it downloads the
image?

@Christopher_Rex Yes, and they resolve fine.

I did manage to get it working, after rebuilding the Zap. I suspect that the field name mapping got confused along the way, because I didn’t change anything, I simply replicated from scratch.

But regardless, THANK YOU for your help!

@airtable I look forward to a Image URL field type. Or even better, integrated barcode-generation. This would help greatly for anyone using a database to track inventory or discrete items (in our case, creative requests).

A.

Not necessarily your use case, but for anyone who comes across this discussion in the forum this may help, my Sales CRM Dashboard base in Airtable Universe fakes a pie chart by using Zapier to read a calculated win:loss ratio and, based on it, copying a pre-built pie chart image from an attachment field in one table to an attachment field in the [dashboard] table itself. Instructions for building the necessary Zap are contained in a PDF file stored as an attachment field located at the far right-hand side of the [dashboardCalc] table.

Airtable_Universe_Cover_02

This is very cool – did you ever get this working? If so, would you be willing to share your Zap?

Ramon

Yes, it’s working fine. And happy to share my Zap, though not sure how best to do so. Screenshots? Zapier isn’t very export friendly.

But to top-line it… 1. Trigger: New Record in View. 2. Find Record, Search Value is Title from Step 1. 3. Update Record; Record equals Custom Value, Custom Value for Record ID from Step 2, Barcode Image URL equals URL from Step 2.

Hi, Sorry, but is there any chance you could elaborate on this further? Or share your zap?
When I try to add a new record (from Trello to Airtable), I am simply getting the URL… and unfortunately am unable to replicate from the description you have provided.

Much appreciated!

@MandM

Unfortunately I can’t really share screencaps of my Zap as they would reveal many sensitive fields. But I can say that the Zap really is as simple as auto-copying a URL (to a hosted image file) and then pasting it into a second ATTACHMENT field. It’s that latter bit that is key, you must first format the receiving field to be an image container, before auto-pasting the URL.

Good luck!

A.

Thad_K
4 - Data Explorer
4 - Data Explorer

This worked for me, pulling from a Google Sheet with URLs into Airtable! I think Zapier is silently remembering the field type along with the ID and the name so you need to refresh the Action of the Zap if you change the field type from say, “Single line text” to “Attachment” (which is required for this to work).

Nothing much to see in Zapier. It really is just the URL going in. When there is a 404 or non-image attachment at the URL, Airtable flashes red as it gets added to the table and then it goes to blank. This makes me think Airtable is actually downloading it into an attachment, not Zapier.
image.png

The other problem I ran into: Zapier free trial only runs about 1000 tasks easily. I had to manually clear the tasks 15 by 15, until I got to 1000.

Agreed. Our Zap simply copies a formula-generated URL from a Formula field to an Attachments field. Airtable then does the actual “attaching”, which results in a true image attachment. So yes, it seems that the Attachments field is capable of supporting image URLS, just not via the native UI. Use of the API is required for now…

Such Zaps are easy to setup. But also easy to break as they require a trigger view. We’d much prefer the ability to copy an entire column’s worth of formula-generated image URLS and then paste it into an adjacent Attachments column.

We built a solution for this: miniextensions.com/Convert-URLs-to-Attachments. It will process unlimited records, all existing and new ones. And you can schedule it to run regularly.

miniextensions.com_Convert-URLs-to-Attachments

Colin_Rathbun
6 - Interface Innovator
6 - Interface Innovator

Sending a URL to an Attachemen field via a ZAP was working yesterday and today has stopped working. Really don’t get it since I have another field to bring in the URL to airtable and the URL is working…

When the zap runs, I can see the attachment being added in airtable when viewing that table. paperclip ICON comes up. But then after the Icon disappears and no image is uploaded…

This problem is now happening for me, and Airtable support is acting like they’ve never heard or the issue. Did it get resolved for you?