I have an address formatted like this:
556_StreetName_Ave_CityName_11111
I’m trying to use code to remove everything after the last three underscores. My goal is to eliminate _Ave_CityName_11111, leaving just 556_StreetName.
Here’s the code I’m working with:
output = "_".join(input['street_name'].split("_")[:-3])
However, I encounter this error:
Bargle. We hit an error creating a run python. :-( Error:
'unicode' object has no attribute 'copy'
This is how my setup looks like in Zapier. I’m unsure why the error arises since the logic appears sound when tested locally. Has anyone faced this problem? What’s the reason behind the unicode error during string manipulation in Python on Zapier?
This unicode error happens when Zapier passes data that’s already been processed through their system. It’s not your logic - the data object gets corrupted somewhere in the pipeline. I fixed it by creating a fresh string variable before doing any operations. Instead of working directly with the input, try clean_input = '{}'.format(input['street_name']) first, then run your split on that. Zapier’s data objects sometimes carry metadata that conflicts with string methods. Also check if there are null or empty values coming through - they might be causing the unicode object to behave weird during the join operation.
I’ve hit this same unicode error in Zapier’s Python environment. The problem is usually how Zapier handles data types internally. Your string logic looks fine, but Zapier often passes data in weird formats that break during processing. Try wrapping your input in a string conversion first: output = "_".join(str(input['street_name']).split("_")[:-3]). This forces it into a proper string instead of whatever unicode object Zapier’s sending. You could also add some debugging to check your input variable’s type before processing. Zapier’s Python environment is pretty finicky with data types, especially text from forms or APIs.
zapier messes with data types, causing unicode issues. try converting your input to str first, like output = "_".join(str(input['street_name']).split("_")[:-3]). and make sure your input really has those underscores—zapier can alter it when sending.