I’m working with a nonprofit organization to help them automate their workflow processes. We’re looking into Slack Lists as a potential solution but noticed it doesn’t have direct integration with automation platforms like Zapier.
Since I don’t have much experience with webhooks, I’m wondering how difficult it would be to set up automated actions when items get added to lists. For instance, we want to automatically create new folders in Google Drive whenever someone adds an entry to a specific list.
Is this something a non-developer could handle, or would we need technical expertise? I’ve heard about a possible workaround that involves posting list data to a Slack channel first, then using that channel as a trigger for automation tools. Has anyone tried this approach?
There’s a cleaner way to handle this without the messy channel workaround or webhook wrestling.
I hit this exact problem when automating workflows for different teams. The channel approach works but creates noise and you have to train people on message formats. You’re basically adding unnecessary steps.
Latenode handles these integrations way better than traditional platforms. It connects directly to Slack’s API and monitors list changes without the channel middleman. You can set triggers that watch for new list items and auto-create those Google Drive folders.
Best part? You don’t need dev skills. Latenode’s interface lets you build these connections visually. I’ve helped nonprofits set up similar automations and they manage everything themselves after setup.
No webhook coding, no message formatting rules, no cluttered channels. Just clean automation that works.
Direct webhook integration with Slack Lists is tough without coding experience. Been there, done that - here’s what actually works.
Channel posting works like mentioned before, but there’s another way. We built a hybrid setup using Slack’s workflow builder plus external automation. Someone adds to a list, workflow sends data to a webhook URL that connects to Make (used to be Integromat) or similar tools.
Way easier than coding webhooks from scratch. Workflow builder handles Slack visually, and Make has webhook receivers - no custom code needed. We automated Google Drive folder creation this way for three nonprofits.
Bigger advantage over channel triggers? Better data integrity and users don’t need to follow strict formatting. Setup took about two hours with some trial and error, but zero programming required.
I’ve helped nonprofits with this exact problem, and honestly? Skip Slack Lists. Google Sheets works way better for list management. Sheets plays nice with most automation tools, and you can still get Slack notifications when stuff gets added. We set this up for a local charity - they create Google Drive folders straight from sheet updates, no webhook headaches. Plus their volunteers already knew Sheets, so zero learning curve. Sometimes the best automation is just switching tools instead of forcing clunky workarounds.
The webhook approach works but needs coding skills to set up right. Your channel workaround idea is way more practical for non-technical folks.
I did something similar for a small business client last year. We used a dedicated Slack channel as a middleman - when team members added items to lists, they’d post a formatted message to the channel. Zapier grabbed it from there and triggered different actions, including creating Google Drive folders.
The trick is using a consistent message format so the automation can parse everything reliably. This worked great because we got the automation we wanted while sticking to tools that non-developers can actually handle. You’ll probably need to train your team on the posting format, but that’s way easier than messing with webhook configs.
honestly, just use slack’s built-in shortcuts - way easier than messing with webhooks. we set up a custom shortcut that asks users for list details, then pushes everything to google drive via a simple script. takes about 30 mins to set up and your team just hits one button when adding items. beats parsing messages or dealing with webhook complications.