Mastering Triggering Scenarios in Make.com

Problem: Triggering Scenarios in Make.com

One of the common challenges faced by Make.com users is triggering scenarios effectively. For instance, you might want to send newly added articles from Pocket to your Airtable database. While getting data formatted from Pocket and into Airtable might be easy, getting it to trigger usefully can be a bit tricky.

Solution: Using Android Button and Webhooks

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to solve this problem:

  1. In your Scenario, right click on the Pocket module and select “Choose where to Start” and be sure “From now on” is selected. If you have “All” or “Since specific date” selected, then it will likely grab everything every time it runs.
  2. Use a Pocket - Watch Items as a trigger, but change it to On Demand instead of on a schedule.
  3. Create a second scenario with two Modules. Use “Android - Watch Button” as the trigger. Follow that with a “Make - Run a Scenario” and have it run your first Scenario.
  4. Optionally, add a third Scenario with two modules - Webhook (or Mailhook) and Make - Run a Scenario. With Webhook, simply visiting the Webhook address in a browser would run the original Pocket Scenario. With Mailhook, sending an email to a special email address given by Pocket will run the Scenario as well.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you're unable to get the Make - Run a Scenario thing working, it might be because you're on the free plan which may not have access to the Make API. In this case, you can still use a Webhook to trigger the Scenario, followed by a Pocket Search for Items, but you’d have to keep track of the “Since” field. For that, you can use a Data Store.

Summary

In conclusion, triggering scenarios in Make.com can be a bit tricky, but with the right steps, you can make it work effectively. Remember to use the Android button and webhooks to trigger your scenarios and keep track of the “Since” field using a Data Store if you're on the free plan.

You do have further questions?

Ask your question via E-Mail: Richard@make-app.de
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