On2Air Action Triggers allow you to trigger a process for automatically updating, modifying, or deleting single or multiple records in bulk to or from Airtable. Action Triggers can be used in Airtable Automations, Airtable Scripting, Zapier (over 2,500 other apps), or a Custom App.
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A Trigger is an action you complete in Airtable that starts the process of a single record or multiple records being updated, modified, or deleted. You can initiate a Trigger through different ways - selecting a checkbox, changing a date, modifying a field, changing text, or adding an attachment, and much more.
You can then use this Trigger in Airtable Automations, Airtable Scripting, Zapier, or in a Custom App to connect with your other Airtable bases or with any other software your company uses.
In this article
- Before Creating a Trigger
- How To Create a Trigger
- Trigger Types
- Trigger Configurations
- Airtable Connection
- Airtable Source
- Trigger Mode
- Modes Available
- MODE: Checkbox
- MODE: Field Updated
- MODE: Date
- MODE: Formula (Advanced)
- Enable Trigger
- Installation
- Create an API Key
- Connect your Action to Zapier
- Connect your Action using Scripts
- Connect your Action to Airtable Automations
- Connect your Action using Node.js
- History Log
- Configure Your Trigger in Zapier
Before Creating a Trigger
Before using Triggers, we recommend you first:
How To Create a Trigger
There are two ways to create a Trigger
From the All Actions page
- Click New Action in the top right-hand side of the screen
- Select a Trigger type
- Click Add Configuration
OR
- Click Triggers in the side menu
- Click New Trigger
- Select Your Trigger Type
- Click Add Configuration
Trigger Types
Single Record Updated - Triggers an update when a single Airtable record or a newly created record meets your specified criteria
Multiple Records Updated - Triggers an update of multiple records when any record or newly created records meets your specified criteria. Can be used to Bulk process data.
Single Record To Be Deleted - Triggers a deletion when a single Airtable record or a newly created record meets your specified criteria
- Please note, this will NOT trigger when you Delete a Record from Airtable by right-clicking and selecting Delete record. Must be deleted by using a Trigger mode type.
Multiple Records To Be Deleted - - Triggers a deletion of multiple records at once when any record or newly created records meets your specified criteria. Can be used to Bulk process data.
- Please note, this will NOT trigger when you Delete a Record from Airtable by right-clicking and selecting Delete record. Must be deleted by using a Trigger mode type.
Trigger Configurations
Single Record Updated
Multiple Records Updated Trigger
Single Record To Be Deleted
Multiple Records To Be Deleted
Airtable Connection
- Select your Airtable Connection - Choose the Airtable account you want to use
Airtable Source
- Select Your Base - Choose your desired base
- Select Your Table - Choose your table
- Select Your View - Choose your view (Optional) Default is all views
- Selected Fields - The fields you want returned to your table or to another sequence after trigger process is complete - (Default is All Fields)Add one or multiple fieldsIf none selected, all fields will be retrieved
- Sort Fields - Sort how the results are ordered Ascending (ASC) or Descending (DESC)You can add one or multiple optionsYou can reorder fields by clicking the bars icon next to the field
Trigger Mode
Trigger Mode Options
Trigger Mode - The mode type for the field in your base being watched for updates, changes, or deletions. Determines how your trigger starts and processes Options * Checkbox * Field Updated * Date * Formula * Last Modified Time
Modes Available
MODE: Checkbox
A checkbox field monitored to initiate the trigger
Mode Configuration (Checkbox)
Checkbox Field - The Airtable checkbox field you want to monitor
Trigger On - Determines if the trigger is initiated when the checkbox field is Checked or Unchecked
Toggle Checkbox on Trigger (Default) - If On (green), this will automatically change the checkbox in your Airtable base back to its original state after the trigger has processed
(On) If your trigger is the checkbox field being Checked, once you've Checked the field and the sequence is complete, your field will automatically be reverted back to the Unchecked state
(Off) If your trigger is the checkbox field being Checked, once you've Checked the field and the sequence is complete, your field will stay in the Checked state
Checkbox Last Modified Field (Required if Toggle Checkbox on Trigger is Off) - Choose a Last Modified Time field in Airtable that is specifically watching this Checkbox trigger field in Airtable. This ensures the Checkbox field does not revert back to the original Checkbox state. The Last Modified Time field is specific to this checkbox field
More Options (Checkbox)
Trigger Window - A timeframe in which records will trigger from the last time the trigger was processed. Any record updated prior to this window of time will be ignored. This is useful to avoid triggering old/previous records.
- No Window. Execute all matching records (Default)
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- 6 hours
- 12 hours
- 48 hours
- 1 week
Example: Your trigger has been processing on a regular basis, but you need to disable it temporarily. You then decide to re-enable the trigger 4 weeks later. If you choose your Trigger Window as '1 Week', no records from the last 3 weeks will be processed when you re-enable the trigger. If you had 'No Window. Execute all matching records' chosen as your Trigger Window option, any record meeting the criteria in the last 3 weeks would be processed when you re-enable the trigger.
Last Trigger Timestamp Field - Timestamp field for each time the trigger is executed
Trigger State Storage - Creates a snapshot of the entire record information at the time of the trigger in JSON format. You must have a Long Text field in your Airtable base to capture this information.
- Each time the trigger runs, you can bring the previous record information into Zapier. This is useful for determining the difference (DIFF) of any field in your table from the previous snapshot and the current information
Example: Select the Checkbox in your table to begin the trigger sequence
MODE: Field Updated
A specific field monitored for changes in order to update and sync data to a second field
Mode Configuration (Field Updated)
Updated Field - The field being monitored to initiate the trigger * This can be any Airtable field type * If using a Multi-Line Text field, the Comparison Field must also be a Multi-Line Text Field * Currently, cannot be a Rich-Text formatted field (Airtable bug)
Comparison Field - The field being updated/changed once the trigger is processed * Must be an Airtable text field type * If using a Multi-Line Text field in the Updated Field, the Comparison Field must also be Multi-Line Text
Example: Watch Airtable field Updated Field Trigger for changes. Sync Airtable field Updated Field Comparison to display same data as Updated Field Trigger
More Options (Field Updated)
Trigger Window - A timeframe in which records will trigger from the last time the trigger was processed. Any record updated prior to this window of time will be ignored. This is useful to avoid triggering old/previous records.
- No Window. Execute all matching records (Default)
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- 6 hours
- 12 hours
- 48 hours
- 1 week
Example: Your trigger has been processing on a regular basis, but you need to disable it temporarily. You then decide to re-enable the trigger 4 weeks later. If you choose your Trigger Window as '1 Week', no records from the last 3 weeks will be processed when you re-enable the trigger. If you had 'No Window. Execute all matching records' chosen as your Trigger Window option, any record meeting the criteria in the last 3 weeks would be processed when you re-enable the trigger.
Last Trigger Timestamp Field - Timestamp field for each time the trigger is executed
Trigger State Storage - Creates a snapshot of the entire record information at the time of the trigger in JSON format. You must have a Long Text field in your Airtable base to capture this information.
- Each time the trigger runs, you can bring the previous record information into Zapier. This is useful for determining the difference (DIFF) of any field in your table from the previous snapshot and the current information
MODE: Date
The specific Date field being monitored for changes in order to update and sync the date to a second Date field type or Text field type
- Also works with Formula fields - Be sure your formula contains valid date formatting
- Triggers once the date and time specified has passed
- Ex: If Date is 8/15/20 11:30AM, it will process AFTER 11:30AM has passed on 8/15/20, even though the fields are out of sync because you changed the date
Mode Configuration (Date)
- Date Field - The Date field being monitored to initiate the trigger Must be an Airtable Date field type
- Comparison Field - The Date field type or Text field type being updated/changed once the trigger is processed Must be an Airtable Date field type or a Text field type
More Options (Date)
Trigger Window - A timeframe in which records will trigger from the last time the trigger was processed. Any record updated prior to this window of time will be ignored. This is useful to avoid triggering old/previous records.
- No Window. Execute all matching records (Default)
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- 6 hours
- 12 hours
- 48 hours
- 1 week
Example: Your trigger has been processing on a regular basis, but you need to disable it temporarily. You then decide to re-enable the trigger 4 weeks later. If you choose your Trigger Window as '1 Week', no records from the last 3 weeks will be processed when you re-enable the trigger. If you had 'No Window. Execute all matching records' chosen as your Trigger Window option, any record meeting the criteria in the last 3 weeks would be processed when you re-enable the trigger.
Last Trigger Timestamp Field - Timestamp field for each time the trigger is executed
Trigger State Storage - Creates a snapshot of the entire record information at the time of the trigger in JSON format. You must have a Long Text field in your Airtable base to capture this information.
- Each time the trigger runs, you can bring the previous record information into Zapier. This is useful for determining the difference (DIFF) of any field in your table from the previous snapshot and the current information
Example: Watch Airtable field Date Trigger for changes. Sync Airtable field Date Comparison to display same date and time as Date Trigger
MODE: Formula (Advanced)
Create your own custom formula to initiate a trigger
Mode Configuration (Formula)
- Formula - Add your own custom formula
Field to Monitor for Updates (Optional) - Select a Last Modified Time field type that needs to be updated to re-process a trigger
- CAUTION: if left blank, this will re-trigger on ALL matching records EVERY time trigger is processed. Be aware of potential unwanted re-triggering.
More Options (Formula)
Trigger Window (Displays if Field to Monitor for Updates is used)- A timeframe in which records will trigger from the last time the trigger was processed. Any record updated prior to this window of time will be ignored. This is useful to avoid triggering old/previous records.
- No Window. Execute all matching records (Default)
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- 6 hours
- 12 hours
- 48 hours
- 1 week
Example: Your trigger has been processing on a regular basis, but you need to disable it temporarily. You then decide to re-enable the trigger 4 weeks later. If you choose your Trigger Window as '1 Week', no records from the last 3 weeks will be processed when you re-enable the trigger. If you had 'No Window. Execute all matching records' chosen as your Trigger Window option, any record meeting the criteria in the last 3 weeks would be processed when you re-enable the trigger.
Last Trigger Timestamp Field - Timestamp field for each time the trigger is executed
Trigger State Storage - Creates a snapshot of the entire record information at the time of the trigger in JSON format. You must have a Long Text field in your Airtable base to capture this information.
- Each time the trigger runs, you can bring the previous record information into Zapier. This is useful for determining the difference (DIFF) of any field in your table from the previous snapshot and the current information
MODE: Last Modified - A specific Last Modified field in your table
Mode Configuration (Last Modified)
Last Modified - The Last Modified Time Field in your table you want to monitor and use for updates/changes
Buffer - The amount of time between when the Last Modified Time field changes and when the trigger begins Useful when typing in a text field and Airtable automatically saves your text which changes the last modified field. The buffer time prevents the trigger from running too quickly.Options * No Buffer * 5 Minutes * 10 Minutes * 30 Minutes * 1 Hour
More Options (Last Modified)
Trigger Window - A timeframe in which records will trigger from the last time the trigger was processed. Any record updated prior to this window of time will be ignored. This is useful to avoid triggering old/previous records.
- No Window. Execute all matching records (Default)
- 30 minutes
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- 6 hours
- 12 hours
- 48 hours
- 1 week
Example: Your trigger has been processing on a regular basis, but you need to disable it temporarily. You then decide to re-enable the trigger 4 weeks later. If you choose your Trigger Window as '1 Week', no records from the last 3 weeks will be processed when you re-enable the trigger. If you had 'No Window. Execute all matching records' chosen as your Trigger Window option, any record meeting the criteria in the last 3 weeks would be processed when you re-enable the trigger.
Trigger State Storage - Creates a snapshot of the entire record information at the time of the trigger in JSON format. You must have a Long Text field in your Airtable base to capture this information.
- Each time the trigger runs, you can bring the previous record information into Zapier. This is useful for determining the difference (DIFF) of any field in your table from the previous snapshot and the current information
- CAUTION: If using the Trigger State Storage field with Last Modified Mode, configure your Last Modified Field to exclude this field! If not, it will continually trigger over and over because it's automatically updated each time the trigger is processed.
Advanced Options
Maximum Records - Choose the maximum records returned and processed per trigger execution Each time Zapier checks for a change, this determines how many records are processed and returnedOptions * ALL (Default) * 1 * 10 * 25 * 50 * 100 * 200 * 500 * 1000
Backfill Fields - Use any other Airtable field from your table in another step in your sequence workflow - (Default and Recommended is On/Green) * This setting is available due to the Airtable API not returning the field data
Flatten Output - Remove extraneous data from certain Airtable fields - (Default and Recommended is On/Green) * When returning data, the Airtable API attaches additional, unnecessary information to some fields, such as attachments and collaborator
Lock Fields on Name - Uses the actual text Name of the field you chose in Mode Configuration instead of the Unique field ID to watch for changes to trigger on (Default is Off - Default watches for the Unique field ID) * Name is useful if you want to create a duplicate field and watch the name instead of the ID
- Click Save Update Details
Enable Trigger
Once all configurations are set
- Toggle Enable (green) to enable your Trigger
Delete Trigger
- Click Delete Trigger
- Click Yes, I want to delete this action
- WARNING: This action cannot be undone
Installation
Installation allows you to quickly start using your On2Air Triggers, Updates, or Searches.
You can connect to On2Air using Zapier, Scripts, Automations, and Node.js.
Create an API Key
If you haven’t created an API Key to connect On2Air to other apps, create one now
- In the Installation tab, choose your Installation Source
Zapier - Use in Zapier Script - Use in the Scripting App in Airtable Automation - Use in Automations in Airtable Node.js - Use in your program or application
- Select the corresponding API Key
Connect your Action to Zapier
To connect to Zapier, you have 2 options
- Connect by creating a new Zap
- Connect by choosing a pre-made template
Connect by creating a new Zap
- Choose Zapier as your Installation Source
- Choose your API Key
- Begin the process of creating a new Zap in Zapier
- Choose On2Air as your app
- Enter the API Key when prompted
- Finish configuring your Zap
Connect by choosing a pre-made template
Choose one of the On2Air pre-made templates for Zapier
COMING SOON!
Connect your Action using Scripts
Once you create your Trigger, On2Air automatically generates a Script for you to add to the Scripting App in Airtable. The Script contains almost everything you need to use your action immediately.
- Once you’ve chosen Scripts as your Installation Source and your API Key, click Copy to Clipboard
- Paste the script into the Scripting App in Airtable or into On2Air: Scripts
In the generated script, you will see an output of what the data will look like. There are several areas in the script marked as ‘TODO Item(s)’. You will need to review each TODO, add your logic to the script, add values, or other relevant instructions.
When you update the TODOs, it’s automatically added in the Output to be available for future steps if needed
- Review and complete each TODO Item
Number of TODO Items in each On2Air Action Type
TRIGGERS Single Record Update - 1 TODO Item Multiple Records Updated - 1 TODO Item Single Record to Be Deleted - 1 TODO Item Multiple Records to Be Deleted - 1 TODO Item
UPDATES Update(Insert) Multiple Records - 3 TODO Items Create New Single Record - 3 TODO Items Delete Single Record - 2 TODO Items Update (Insert) Multiple Records - 3 TODO Items Delete Multiple Records - 2 TODO Items Create New Multiple Records - 3 TODO Items
SEARCHES
Search Multiple Records - 2 TODO Items Search Single Record - 2 TODO Items
Connect your Action to Airtable Automations
You can use Actions directly inside of Automations in your base. Using On2Air: Actions in parallel with Automations is essential to perform a variety of functions not available within Airtable.
With Actions, you can update to other bases.
You can also search records. With Actions, you can search via formula without having to loop through all the records.
With our Update type, you have the ability to update a record, then create a record if one does not exist.
- Once you’ve selected your Installation Source and API Key, click Copy to Clipboard
- Open your base in Airtable and open the Automations tab
- Create a Trigger in Airtable
- Next, add an Action (Airtable version)
- Click Run script
- Paste the code into the text editor
In the generated script, you will see an output of what the data will look like. There are several areas in the script marked as ‘TODO Item(s)’. You will need to review each TODO, add your logic to the script, add values, or other relevant instructions.
When you update the TODOs, it’s automatically added in the Output to be available for future steps if needed
- Review and complete the TODO Item(s) in the script
Number of TODO Items in each On2Air Action Type
TRIGGERS Single Record Update - 1 TODO Item Multiple Records Updated - 1 TODO Item Single Record to Be Deleted - 1 TODO Item Multiple Records to Be Deleted - 1 TODO Item
UPDATES Update(Insert) Multiple Records - 3 TODO Items Create New Single Record - 3 TODO Items Delete Single Record - 2 TODO Items Update (Insert) Multiple Records - 3 TODO Items Delete Multiple Records - 2 TODO Items Create New Multiple Records - 3 TODO Items
SEARCHES
Search Multiple Records - 2 TODO Items Search Single Record - 2 TODO Items
Connect your Action using Node.js
You can use Actions in your program or application
- Once you’ve selected your Installation Source and API Key, click Copy to Clipboard
- Paste into your program
History Log
_Coming Soon! _
Configure Your Trigger in Zapier
Accept App Invitation
Once you sign up for On2Air: Actions, you will receive a link from the Openside team to add the On2Air app to your Zapier account
- Click the link
- An invitation screen will be displayed
- Select Accept Invite and Build a Zap
Create A Zap
- Click Create Zap
- Choose App & Event
- Choose App
- Search for the On2Air app
- Select the On2Air app
Choose Trigger Event
- Select Perform On2Air Trigger
- Click Continue
Choose Account
- Click Sign in to On2Air
- Another window will open displaying Allow Zapier to access your On2Air Account
- You will need to enter the Zapier API Key you created earlier in the field
- To view your API Key or to create a Zapier API Key, click Create/Select an API Key to your On2Air account here
- Copy your API Key
- Paste your API Key in the field
- Click Yes, continue
- Your On2Air account is now connected to Zapier
- Click Continue
Customize Trigger
App
- Choose Actions
Actions Trigger - Displays a list of the Triggers you have Enabled in On2Air: Actions
- Select the Trigger you want to use
- You can also click Configure to configure your Trigger in On2Air
Advanced Settings
Trigger Only Once - Set to Yes if you only want to record to trigger 1 time
Response As JSON String - Set to Yes if you want the response as a JSON string instead of an object
- Click Continue
Find Data
- Click Test Your Trigger to ensure it’s set up correctly
- Click Continue
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