Using Zapier across multiple tasks

When you setup a Zap you will configure it against one task. But more often than not you’ll have multiple tasks within a project, and you’d like all the tasks to configure the Zap. 

How do you make this work?

Understanding activity field names

The key is understanding the “name” you give to a feedback component and to make sure this “name” is 100% consistent across all your tasks. To see an example, create a test task:

Add a text area, save your task – then edit the task and click the JSON link top right to switch off the task editor. You will see something like this:

Every feedback component you add has a name field – and it is this name field that is sent to Zapier. If these name fields are not consistent Zapier will error.

Example – teaching lessons via Task

Let’s take a real use case where you are using Task to deliver e-learning content. You would like the Teachers to record the number of students attending the course as well as a picture of the class.

To setup Zapier, you will test your Zap using a lesson. That lesson becomes your blueprint for all other lessons. If we switch off the task editor and look at the JSON for the components we might see:

 "components_attributes": [
 {
 "component_type": "text_area",
 "name": "attendance_number",
 "label": "Estimation of number of kids",
 "extra": {
 "instructions": "",
 "character_limit": 140
 },
 "required": "yes"
 },
 {
 "component_type": "media",
 "name": "class_photo",
 "label": "Photo of the class",
 "extra": {
 "media_types": "photo",
 "instructions": "",
 "media_limit": "2"
 },
 "required": "yes"
 }
 ]

So for any other lesson you add inside the project you will always ensure that the name of your Text Area is “attendance_number” and then name of your Class Photo is called “class_photo”.

Providing you follow this rule as you add more tasks to a project, they will all work as you send data to Zapier.