Issues with Sending JSON to Airtable Using Next.js Route.ts

Other Questions Airtable
1

I’m facing challenges when attempting to transmit information to the Airtable API through a Next.js app route. I have been storing my JSON object in a variable named inputData. After utilizing body: JSON.stringify({ fields: inputData }),, I manage to add a new entry to my Airtable database, but the entry remains empty. Does anyone have suggestions or insights on how to resolve this issue? Thanks in advance for your help!

// route.ts
import type { NextApiRequest, NextApiResponse } from "next";
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from "next/server";

export async function POST(req: NextRequest, res: NextResponse) {
  try {
    const inputData = await req.json();
    console.log(inputData);
    const sampleData = {
      Name: "Alice",
      Company: "Tech Solutions",
      Challenge: "Problem I am facing",
      Email: "[email protected]",
      Phone: "1234567890",
    };

    const result = await fetch(
      "https://api.airtable.com/v0/appXYZ/Records",
      {
        method: "POST",
        headers: {
          Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.AIRTABLE_API_KEY}`,
          "Content-Type": "application/json",
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({ fields: sampleData }), // Structure must be compatible for Airtable
      },
    );

    return NextResponse.json({ fields: sampleData }, { status: 200 });
  } catch (error) {
    console.log(error); // This will show server-side output in your terminal
    const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : "Unexpected Error";
    return NextResponse.json({ message: errorMessage }, { status: 500 });
  }
}

The dependencies for my project are as follows:

"dependencies": {
    "@example-library/react-form": "^1.0.0",
    "next": "14.1.0",
    "react": "^18",
    "react-dom": "^18",
    "example-package": "^0.8.9"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/node": "^20",
    "@types/react": "^18",
    "@types/react-dom": "^18",
    "autoprefixer": "^10.0.1",
    "eslint": "^8",
    "eslint-config-next": "14.1.0",
    "postcss": "^8",
    "prettier": "^3.2.4",
    "prettier-plugin-tailwindcss": "^0.5.11",
    "tailwindcss": "^3.3.0",
    "typescript": "^5"
  }

I aim to see a row in Airtable populated with the data from my form submission, and I’ve confirmed that I can log the form data correctly on the server, along with successfully posting sample entries.

2

Firstly, ensure that inputData has the same structure as the sampleData you are using when sending requests to Airtable. You should validate whether inputData contains the correct fields before passing it into JSON.stringify({ fields: inputData }). A common mistake is sending an empty object due to incorrectly mapping form data. Additionally, verify your Airtable field names in the app match those in inputData. Any missing or incorrect fields can result in empty rows. Logging your JSON.stringify({ fields: inputData }) output before sending it can be helpful to debug what exactly is being sent to Airtable.

3

Hey HappyDancer99! One thing to double-check is your API key and base ID. I’ve had a similar issue before where my keys weren’t properly configured or expired, which led to empty entries. Silly mistake, but sometimes we overlook simple things. Make sure your .env file is correct! Good luck!

4

I’ve faced something like this in the past. One approach that helped me was verifying the data type sent along with the fetch request. Double-check if you’re sending any unexpected data types that Airtable might not support, like complex objects that need specific handling. Another thing to consider is that Airtable expects particular naming conventions, especially for linked fields; ensure there’s no mismatch there too. Also, using a service like Postman to test your HTTP requests might shed light on what the server sees versus what you expect.