Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out if there’s a way to manipulate data from a Zapier trigger before it gets to an action. I’ve got this situation where I need to clean up some values from a trigger, but I can’t seem to find a good solution.
For instance, I’m working with a Gmail trigger and want to feed it into my CRM. The problem is, all the important stuff for the CRM is in the email body. I was thinking maybe I could use Zapier code to grab what I need from the email and create new fields. But then how do I get that cleaned-up data to trigger the CRM action?
I’ve tried using Zapier code as an action, but that doesn’t seem to work as a trigger too. Anyone got any ideas on how to make this work? I feel like I’m missing something obvious here. Thanks in advance for any help!
You’re on the right track with using Zapier code to manipulate your trigger data. Here’s a solution that might work for you: Use a ‘Code by Zapier’ step immediately after your Gmail trigger. In this step, you can write JavaScript to parse the email body and extract the relevant information. The output of this step can then be used as input for your CRM action.
To set this up, create a new zap with your Gmail trigger, add a ‘Code by Zapier’ step, then add your CRM action. In the code step, write a function that processes the email body and returns an object with the cleaned data. This object’s fields can then be mapped to your CRM action’s input fields.
This approach allows you to transform your trigger data before it reaches the action, giving you the flexibility you need for data cleaning and restructuring.
I faced a similar challenge a while back. Instead of relying solely on a code action, I set up my Gmail trigger and then immediately used a Formatter step to clean and process the data from the email body. The Formatter allowed me to extract essential information using text parsing and regular expressions, so I didn’t have to write custom code. This method ensured that the cleaned data flowed correctly into my CRM action. It turned out to be a reliable and easy-to-maintain solution in my workflow.
hey livbrown, have u tried using Formatter by Zapier? it’s gr8 for cleaning up data between steps. you can set it up right after ur Gmail trigger to extract the important bits from the email body. then just map those new fields to ur CRM action. no need for complex coding!