What is the method to remove multiple entries from an Airtable base using Google Apps Script?

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1

I currently have a Google Apps Script that fetches album titles and the count of photos per album. However, I need to delete all existing entries in a specific table prior to inserting new data. Below is the script I’m working with to gather data from the Google Photos library and add it to my Airtable table:

function updateAlbumInfo() {
  var apiKey = ''; // enter your API key here
  var baseId = ''; // enter your base ID here
  var table = 'tab3'; // specify your table name here

  // Fetch albums from Google Photos
  var allAlbums = [];
  var token = null;
  do {
    var currentPage = fetchAlbumsFromGooglePhotos(token);
    if (currentPage.albums && Array.isArray(currentPage.albums)) {
      allAlbums = allAlbums.concat(currentPage.albums);
    }
    token = currentPage.nextPageToken;
  } while (token);

  // Build records for Airtable
  var dataRecords = [];
  allAlbums.forEach(function(album) {
    var recordEntry = {
      'fields': {
        'Album Title': album.title,
        'Photo Count': album.mediaItemsCount
      }
    };
    dataRecords.push(recordEntry);
  });

  // Remove existing records in Airtable
  deleteExistingRecords(apiKey, baseId, table);

  // Insert the new records
  insertRecordsIntoAirtable(dataRecords, apiKey, baseId, table);
}

function fetchAlbumsFromGooglePhotos(pageToken) {
  var requestOptions = {
    method: 'GET',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + ScriptApp.getOAuthToken()
    },
    muteHttpExceptions: true
  };

  var apiUrl = 'https://photoslibrary.googleapis.com/v1/albums';
  if (pageToken) {
    apiUrl += '?pageToken=' + pageToken;
  }

  var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(apiUrl, requestOptions);
  return JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
}

function deleteExistingRecords(apiKey, baseId, table) {
  var url = 'https://api.airtable.com/v0/' + baseId + '/' + table;
  var headers = {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + apiKey,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  };

  // Implement deletion logic here
  // Example: fetch all records and delete them in batches
}

function insertRecordsIntoAirtable(records, apiKey, baseId, table) {
  var url = 'https://api.airtable.com/v0/' + baseId + '/' + table;
  var headers = {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + apiKey,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  };

  var size = 10;
  var chunks = [];
  while (records.length > 0) {
    chunks.push(records.splice(0, size));
  }

  chunks.forEach(function(chunk) {
    var payload = {
      'records': chunk
    };

    var options = {
      'method': 'POST',
      'headers': headers,
      'payload': JSON.stringify(payload)
    };

    UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, options);
  });
}

As I am a beginner in programming and utilized a chatbot to generate this code, I’m struggling to add a step for removing all previous entries in the table before updating it. Could anyone guide me on how to incorporate that into my script?

2

You need to first retrieve and delete the existing records in your Airtable before re-inserting the updated list. To do this, you’ll have to loop through your existing records, fetch them, and initiate a delete request for each one. Modify your deleteExistingRecords function to fetch all record IDs using a GET request first. Use a loop to make successive DELETE requests for each record using the IDs you fetched. Remember, Airtable limits the number of requests, so managing/paging through records carefully can help ensure all records are deleted properly. Additionally, wrap your delete requests in a try-catch block to handle any errors that might occur during the process. This way ensures all records are effectively wiped out before the new batch arrives.