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Connect Coda with other apps using Zapier

This is a how-to for using the Coda app in Zapier to connect your Coda docs to external data

Updated today

Coda integrates with Zapier, giving you the ability to connect Coda to over 1000 other apps that you work with every day. Zapier is a platform that makes it easy for anyone, not just developers, to build workflows that extend across two or more apps. Continue reading to learn about some ways you can pair Zapier and Coda.

📣 Want an even easier way to connect Coda to the tools you use? Packs offer direct integrations with hundreds of tools, including Slack, Jira, Google Calendar, Salesforce, and many more. Learn more about Coda Packs here.

Within this article, you'll find...

Triggers and actions

In Zapier, these automated workflows are called Zaps. Zaps consist of two components: triggers and actions. Triggers cause the workflow to begin. Actions are what happen as a result of the workflow. Each app in the Zapier marketplace has its own set of available triggers and actions. In Coda, the available triggers and actions are as follows:

Triggers:

  • New Row (a new row is added to a Coda table)

  • Updated Row (a row is updated)

Actions:

  • Create Row (add a new row to a Coda table)

  • Update Row (update an existing row)

  • Upsert Row (add new or update an existing row, in a single step)

  • Find Row (search for a row in a Coda table, and optionally create a row if no matches are found)

  • Copy Doc (creates a copy of a Coda doc)

In the following sections, we'll explain how to set up Zaps that use some of these triggers and actions.

Create new row in a Coda table

You can create a Zap that, when triggered, adds a new row to a Coda table. This trigger can come from Coda or from another app. To create this type of Zap, follow these steps:

ℹ️ If you don't have a Zapier account, sign up and create one first at Zapier.

  1. In Zapier, click the + Create button in the upper-right, and select Zaps

  2. Click into the step labeled Trigger.

  3. Using the search bar, search for and select your trigger app. This will be the source of your trigger, and the source of the data that eventually gets pushed into your Coda doc.

  4. Follow the prompts to configure your trigger step. Learn more here.

  5. Once your trigger is complete, click into the Action step.

  6. Search for and select Coda.

  7. You'll then be asked to choose your action event. Choose Create Row.

  8. Next, in the Account field, you'll need to select a Coda account.

  9. If you've already connected your Coda account to Zapier, you should see that account in the list and select it. Then jump to step #11.

  10. If you haven't yet connected your Coda account to Zapier, click + Connect a new account.

    1. This will open a pop-up prompting you to create an API key from Coda. To do so, go to coda.io/account.

    2. Scroll to the API settings section, and click Generate API token.
      ​

    3. Give the API token a memorable name, then click Generate API token to confirm. Note: Do not add any restrictions to the token.

    4. You should now see the new token in the list of Coda API tokens. Click the Copy token button to copy it to your clipboard.

    5. Return to the pop-up window from Zapier, and paste the copied token into the field. Then click Yes, Continue to Coda.

  11. Now that your Coda account is selected, click Continue to progress with the setup.

  12. Using the drop-down menus, select the doc and table to which this Zap will add rows.

  13. After a moment, the page will refresh with a list of columns that you can insert data into.

    1. Note: If you need to add more columns, go back to the Coda doc to add them and then refresh the Zapier page. It may take a few seconds for the new columns to show up.

  14. For whichever columns you want to be auto-filled when the new row is added, add the appropriate text or data.

  15. Finally, hit Continue, test the step, and set your Zap live.

Upsert a row in a table in a Coda doc

With the Upsert Row action, you can either add a new row or update an existing row in Coda, depending on whether the table already contains a matching row. Since this is done in a single step, note that you will not have access to the data within existing rows before updating them. Once you've created your Zapier account, follow the steps below to set up the Zap:

  1. In Zapier, click the + Create button in the upper-right, and select Zaps

  2. Click into the step labeled Trigger.

  3. Using the search bar, search for and select your trigger app. This will be the source of your trigger, and the source of the data that eventually gets pushed into your Coda doc.

  4. Follow the prompts to configure your trigger step. Learn more here.

  5. Once your trigger is complete, click into the Action step.

  6. Search for and select Coda.

  7. You'll then be asked to choose your action event. Choose Upsert Row.

  8. Next, in the Account field, select your Coda account. Then click Continue.

    1. If you've already connected your Coda account, it should appear in the list here. If you haven't yet connected your account, check out step #10 in the previous section for instructions.
      ​

  9. Using the drop-down menus, select the doc and table to which this Zap will add or update rows.

  10. In the Matching columns field, select the column(s) that should be used to check whether a matching row already exists in the column. Zapier will use the values in these columns to identify whether a row should be created or updated, so be sure to select columns that contain unique identifiers. If this column is left blank or Zapier does not find a match in the Coda table, a new row will be created.

  11. After a moment, the page will refresh with a list of columns that you can insert data into. For whichever columns you want to be auto-filled when the row is created/updated, add the appropriate text or data.

  12. Finally, hit Continue, test the step, and set your Zap live.

Trigger an action when a row is created or updated

While the previous sections explain how to create Zaps that

When Coda is a trigger, you can trigger actions in other apps when you create new rows in Coda.

  1. In Zapier, click the + Create button in the upper-right, and select Zaps

  2. Click into the step labeled Trigger.

  3. Use the search bar to find and select Coda.

  4. Click into the Trigger event field, and choose whether you want this zap to be triggered by a New Row or Updated Row.
    ​

  5. In the Account field, select your Coda account, then click Continue.

    1. If you've already connected your Coda account, it should appear in the list here. If you haven't yet connected your account, check out step #10 in the previous section for instructions.

  6. Use the drop-downs to select the Coda doc and table where you want the trigger to come from. Then hit Continue.

  7. Follow the prompts to test the trigger, then continue building out the Action step of your Zap as desired.

Once you're finished with the setup and testing, be sure to turn your Zap on. Now this Zap will be triggered whenever a row is created or updated in the selected Coda table.

FAQs

Why don't I see formula-based columns in the column list in Zapier when I am creating/updating a row?

Since formulas apply to the entire column, we do not allow you to edit them on a per-row basis. For this reason, we do not expose them in the create/update row action in Zapier.

How do I write to people or relation columns?

If you write to a people column or a relation column, we will auto-convert raw text values based on an exact match (eg, "Molly" won't map to "Molly Rose" or "Launch Site" won't map to "Launch the Website")

Do you support time stamps in your date-time and date column formats?

Yes, we will automatically convert Unix time stamps to date-time and date column formats. Note that we render these times in Pacific time.

Why do I get a 401 error when trying to connect Coda to Zapier?

Go to coda.io/account, find the API Settings section, and check that there aren’t any restrictions on the API token for Zapier. Zapier can’t connect to Coda with anything less than a full-access API token.

What can I do with the Coda Zapier integration? What apps can I connect to?

Here are some of our favorite ways to connect with other apps:

  1. Gmail - Save labeled emails from your Gmail inbox in a Coda doc

  2. Google Forms - Save new Google Form responses to a Table

  3. GitHub - Create rows from new GitHub pull requests

  4. Slack - Create rows when new messages are posted

  5. JIRA - Update and create rows when new issues are created in JIRA

  6. Hubspot - Add new deals from Hubspot to a Coda doc

  7. Twitter - Save new Twitter mentions to Coda

  8. Zoom - Create rows based on meetings

  9. Typeform - Save new entries to Coda

  10. Dropbox - Create rows from new files in Dropbox

  11. Intercom - Add new companies to a Coda doc

  12. Google Calendar - Add new or updated Calendar events as rows in Coda

Related resources

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