Send Email but Create a File as Well?

[mykrobinson]

morning, folks. Need some assistance thinking through an automation. What i have currently is working, and extracts a week's worth of "seen by provider" records from a dataset, formats the records based on a template, and emails a spreadhseet to a group of people.

I have other automations that post things to Google Chat groups, and i'd like to add an extra step to this automation to post a link to the generated spreadsheet, or direct attach the spreadsheet in a Google Chat.

Here's a screenshot of what is currently happening



and i "think" my question is, how do I also generate a file and collect the link to the file? I can handle the webhook to send a message to Google Chat, but I am not quite sure how to get a link to the files that are created. I already have this email automation set to archive the files, but is there a way to have AppSheet kick out that URL when the file is created for the email?

[mykrobinson]

bumping this one as well. I assume there is a way to extract the archive patch from AppSheet and push that to chat through my webhook, I just need some help finding and capturing that patch when it creates and archives the file.

[SkrOYC]

To capture the path, you should make that path manually. This is the same process we use to access files made through bot from inside of our apps.

Now, the problem I see is that I'm not sure that you would be able to send files via webhook using a relative path, I tried before and had some success by refering to the actual file column.

I suspect that some wait step between your file creation and webhook is also needed

[Aurelien]

Hi @mykrobinson 

As @SkrOYC  said, you need to do this manually.

Basically, you write down the future path name of your file, then use it to create the file.

I suggest you have a look there:

How to call the PDF Link that i created - Google Cloud Community

[Kevin_Ra_CEO]

@mykrobinson If you are familiar with AppScripts or can add a team member for a few days that is, all of these intra-Google Workspace tasks become a lot easier to manage and extend AppSheet's capabilities. In our IT department, we consider AppSheet and AppScripts as ONE PRODUCT where AppSheet handles the workflows and UI and UX, and AppScripts extends the functionality of working with other Workspace apps or external apps.

In my opinion, the solutions offered are just going to lead to another dead end when you think of the next automation you want to add to the sequence. That is why Google added the "Call a Script" button in Automation/Tasks. Its already integrated and offers unlimited choices and capabilities. 

[mykrobinson]

All of this is new to me and I'm currently learning Apps Script as I go. I can definitely see the benefit and power of it, i just have not fully learned it to the point of saying I am "fluent"

[Kevin_Ra_CEO]

Well let me give you some advice that I learned from a LOT OF MISTAKES and $$$ WASTED - AppSheet is NOT intended to be the glue between a connection of Workspace apps. AppSheet is just ONE of the Workspace apps (Gmail, Sheet, etc.), and it's equal in the hierarchy to the others. AppScripts is the glue that binds them ALL together.  Check out Saparis on YouTube. While she is not the best teacher for learning AppScripts without knowing Javascript (she makes a lot of Javascript references) she gives the BEST Workspace explanations when it comes to tying the apps together with App Scripts. 

Go on Upwork or Fiverr and hire a decent AppScripts expert for $25 an hour and have them give you a four-hour season. One-on-one instruction for four hours is all you need to learn the basics.

In our app development process at Parcel Revenue, this is how see it:

AppSheet = Appetizer ; AppScripts = Main Meal; Integromate/Zapier/API = Dessert

Isn't the whole point of eating to get the dessert! 😉

We build up quickly in AppSheet to get the Sheets data into workflows and automation and build the UIs to cover all devices, then extend that with AppScripts to bring all of the rest of Workspace AND all the apps outside of our AppSheet/AppScripts instance (and everything they can do, which is pretty much everything there is that can be imagined) into our tech stack.