I’m having trouble setting up a Zapier trigger. I want to use an optional field called customer_id in my trigger URL. Here’s what I did:
- Set up the trigger
- Added this URL:
http://mysite.com/api.php?action=get_orders&customer_id={{customer_id}}
When I test it, everything looks good. Zapier gets a 200 status and a list of results. But when I try to save the Zap, it fails with a 500 error saying my API isn’t responding.
In the logs, I see Zapier is sending a GET request like this: action=get_orders&customer_id=%7B%7Bcustomer_id%7D%7D&api_key=XXXXXXXX
It looks like Zapier isn’t replacing the {{customer_id}} placeholder. Any ideas on how to fix this? I’m stumped!
Having worked with Zapier extensively, I can relate to your frustration. One solution that’s worked well for me is using Zapier’s ‘Catch Hook’ trigger instead. It’s more flexible for handling optional parameters.
Here’s what you can do:
Set up a ‘Catch Hook’ trigger in Zapier. This gives you a webhook URL.
Modify your API to send a POST request to this webhook URL, including the customer_id when available.
In your Zap, you can then use the received data as needed in subsequent steps.
This approach bypasses the issues with URL parameters and gives you more control. It’s a bit more work upfront, but it’s saved me countless headaches with similar setups.
Remember to update your API documentation for this change if others are using it too.
hey ethan, i had a similar headache with zapier. try using a custom field instead of directly putting {{customer_id}} in the url. set it up as an optional field in your trigger, then use something like {{custom_field__Customer_ID}} in the url. zapier handles those better for optional stuff. good luck!
I’ve encountered a similar issue before, and it sounds like you’re running into a problem with how Zapier handles optional fields in trigger URLs.
Instead of using {{customer_id}} directly in the URL, try setting up a custom field in your Zapier trigger. Name it something like ‘Customer ID’ and make it optional. Then, in your trigger URL, use the reference to this custom field like this:
http://mysite.com/api.php?action=get_orders&customer_id={% raw %}{{custom_field__Customer_ID}}{% endraw %}
This approach tells Zapier to only include the customer_id parameter if a value is provided for the custom field. If it’s left empty, Zapier will omit it from the URL entirely.
Also, double-check your API to ensure it can handle requests both with and without the customer_id parameter. This should resolve the 500 error you’re seeing when saving the Zap.