Newly Released Apps and Features

In the previous chapters, we explored a wide array of Zapier’s built-in apps and their capabilities for automating tasks. In this chapter, we will dive deeper into the built-in Zapier apps that have been released since the previous edition of this book (published in 2021), offering functionality to further enhance your automation workflows. Some of these are, at the time of publication, still in the beta user testing phase. We will provide descriptions of their features and offer practical tips on how to make the most of them.

First, we will cover how to get early access to new Zapier features. Then, we will dive into an overview of Looping by Zapier, a built-in app designed to help you process datasets with multiple values. Next, we will explore Sub-Zap by Zapier, a game-changer for modular automation, which allows you to break down complex Zaps into multiple linked components. Then, we will dive into Web Parser by Zapier, which allows you...

Technical requirements

To fully benefit from the content in this chapter, you will need access to a Zapier account. The Zapier Starter plan will provide you with the necessary features to effectively build and implement multi-step Zaps with the features discussed in this chapter.

Early access to new features

The Zapier team works hard to develop new features that will benefit users. These features are released in the alpha phase to a select number of test users, and then in the beta phase when enough testing has been done to release them to a larger audience in staged releases to user groups. In other words, even though a feature might be released in beta, you might not have access to it. You can, however, sign up for Zapier’s Early Access Program to be included in the early-stage user testing groups. You can do that at https://zapier.com/early-access. You can also sign up for notifications about new AI feature releases at https://zapier.com/ai.

Next, let’s dive into an overview of the Looping by Zapier built-in app.

Looping by Zapier – using loops to process datasets

When you have multiple items in a set of data and need to perform one or more actions for each of the individual items rather than as a bulk set, the Looping by Zapier built-in app becomes a handy tool in your Zap-building toolkit. This built-in app enables you to leverage looping functionality to iterate through sets of data so that you can automate bulk actions, process large datasets efficiently, and handle complex workflows with ease. The following figure illustrates how Looping by Zapier works:

Figure 13.1 – How Looping by Zapier works

Here are a few examples where leveraging loops with Looping by Zapier would be useful:

• For meetings that you have set up in your calendar, you will want to send a personalized email to each of the invitees with a Zoom link 1 hour before the meeting’s start time. Instead of setting up individual email actions for each address, you can use...

Sub-Zap by Zapier (feature in beta) – building modular processes

With the Sub-Zap by Zapier built-in app, you can now break down your Zaps into reusable components called Sub-Zaps. This means you can connect your Zaps to Sub-Zaps to run tasks outside of your originating or parent Zap.

As Sub-Zap by Zapier is currently in beta and considered a Developer Tool, we will only provide a brief overview of the built-in app and then provide further useful resources with more details.

Here are a few examples of when you might find using Sub-Zap by Zapier useful:

• When you want to create reusable formulas using Formatter by Zapier steps across multiple Zaps with different trigger events. Instead of having multiple Zaps with the same steps, you can use Sub-Zap by Zapier to call a Sub-Zap that performs the required steps and passes the result to the parent Zap. You can read more about this example at https://community.zapier.com/featured-articles-65/using-sub-zaps-to-create...

Web Parser by Zapier – scraping data from webpages

Web parser applications offer flexibility in extracting and parsing relevant data from websites and can be valuable tools for automating data collection, research, and monitoring tasks. By using the Web Parser by Zapier built-in app, you can automate workflows to gather and extract product details, pricing information, job listings, news articles, and much more from multiple websites. This allows for efficient comparison, aggregation, and analysis of data, saving time and effort. It facilitates the seamless integration of web-based information into broader workflows, enabling organizations and individuals to leverage the power of web data for improved efficiency, decision-making, and productivity.

Here are a few examples where using Web Parser by Zapier would be useful:

• When performing competitor research, you can use Web Parser by Zapier to extract product information and prices from different e-commerce websites...

Transfers by Zapier – moving bulk data between apps

Sometimes, it is useful to move data in bulk between your apps. With the Transfers feature, you can do just that with certain apps. The Transfers feature is standalone, allowing you to move data between apps in bulk, on-demand, or at regular frequencies. In other words, this feature is not connected to your Zaps.

It might be useful to use this feature when you would like to do the following:

• Move historical data for your existing Zaps
• Create a one-off on-demand data transfer
• Move data when you begin to use one or more new apps
• Schedule regular bulk transfers

Before using the Transfers feature, you will need to know the following:

• Frequency: This specifies how many times you want your transfer to run. This could be set to Run Once or to run periodically based on Schedule.
• Source app: The application that you want to send data from – for example, EventBrite. Only certain apps are...

Zapier Interfaces (feature in beta) – building custom forms, chatbots, and visual interfaces

The new Zapier Interfaces feature allows you to design user-friendly interfaces to collect data and trigger Zaps effortlessly. You can harness the potential of user interactions to supercharge your automation workflows by building forms and chatbots, all from within your Zapier account.

With Zapier Interfaces, you create pages and then add components to those pages. Components can be Forms, Text, Tables (using Zapier Tables), Kanban, Link cards, AI prompts, Chatbots, Dividers, and Media. You can read more about the different types of components at https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/15930394291341-Types-of-components-in-Zapier-Interfaces.

Zapier Interfaces is available for free with all Zapier plans but with some limitations. You can get access to premium features such as tracking visitors, customizing branding, removing the Zapier logo, restricting user access, and connecting...

Zapier Tables (feature in beta) – storing and structuring data in tables

The new Zapier Tables feature allows you to create, edit, access, and share tabular records, all stored within Zapier, rather than using spreadsheets such as Google Sheets or databases such as Airtable to store simple data. Not having to use additional tools means that you can reduce your task history overall and have one place for storing certain data.

Important note

This feature is undergoing beta user testing and is still in active development. You should be aware that functionality could change, and it might be wise to keep a backup of your data in another app.

Zapier Tables is a perfect complement to Zapier Interfaces, whereby you can collect form submission data and tabulate it within Zapier, allowing for one easy collection point for data to be stored and transferred to your other apps.

You will be able to link your Tables to Zaps and feed them from interfaces, create filters to specify...

Summary

In this chapter, first, we covered how to get early access to new Zapier features and how to use the Looping by Zapier, Sub-Zap by Zapier, and Web Parser by Zapier built-in apps in our Zaps. Then, we explored how to transfer data between applications using Transfer by Zapier. After, we covered how to use the customizable Interfaces module to create forms, chatbots, and visual interfaces. Finally, we looked at how to use the Tables module to manage and store data in tables.

You should now understand how to leverage Looping by Zapier to process datasets, break down complex Zaps using Sub-Zap by Zapier, extract data from web pages with Web Parser by Zapier, seamlessly move between applications using the Transfers by Zapier module, create interfaces, and manage data effectively with tables.

In the next chapter, you will learn how to manipulate dates and times with the versatile Formatter by Zapier built-in app. We will cover how to convert and adjust date and time values...

Questions

1. What Zapier feature should you use if you want to transfer data in bulk from one app to another?
2. Which two Zapier features currently in beta work well hand-in-hand to capture data and store it in tables?