Google Sheet > Update Row doesn't work

(Blago Yanakiev) #1

Hi, Flowxo team, you are great!

But I’m running on an issue that I can’t solve. What I want to achieve is to get user’s input via a Webhook and then fill it in a google sheet. There is a formula that uses the input to calculate a result. Then I use a Google Sheet > Get Row to get the result and send it back via a HTTP Request.

This is my Google Sheet:

I want to fill data in row 3, columns B & C. The formula is in D3.

(Blago Yanakiev) #2

After getting the initial input from the webhook, my steps are as follows:

A. Google Sheet > Search Row
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Abdzb-BHZnkayTMjeqVTCmlLvEQrAAEw/view?usp=sharing

B. Google Sheet > Update Row
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sP0WLo_AWBcmqSuknT44N5zUZxiq2EkA/view?usp=sharing

(Blago Yanakiev) #3

C. Google Sheet > Get Row
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qh6L6CtYExi0lT9pd2vx5bpdIC0hDJ7K/view?usp=sharing

In the interactions log everything looks normal to me. The interaction is successful. This is what is shown for the Update Row step:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17O0I2hYQBeQu2k_t6D-SI0DZd4_vuSWf/view?usp=sharing

But no values are filled in the sheet and the result cell (D3) always stays to 0.

Could you advice what could be the issue here? Thanks in advance!

P.S. Sorry I had to split the post because as I new user there is a limit on how many links and images I could put in a single post…

(Karen Barker) #4

Hi there,

Unfortunately we have a bug in the Google Sheets integration at the moment that an update row action removes the formula from that row. However, in the meantime I do have a couple of solutions for you. :slightly_smiling_face:

Within Flow XO we do actually have a Number service. You could use this to work out your calculation within Flow XO first and then update the row with all the values, hence making the formula irrelevant in the Google Sheet.

Alternatively, you could strip the columns with formulas in out to another worksheet in the same Google Sheet. The update is only affecting the specific worksheet that you have specified and so the formulas aren’t being removed and would then update on the next worksheet.

I hope this helps. :thumbsup:

(Blago Yanakiev) #5

Thanks a lot, Karen!

I think I’ll use the second solution.
The formula is too complex and I don’t think the Numbers service will handle it. I need to calculate the number of whole weeks between 2 dates and add or subtract based on the dates. I guess this is out of the reach of the Numbers service or am I wrong?

What I didn’t get: I see that my formula is really missing from the Google Sheet (as you said) but also no values are entered into the Google Sheet when the Update Row was triggered lastly.

Shouldn’t I see the values entered into the sheet? And shouldn’t they stay there until the next time the Update Row function is triggered?

And last question: If I now go ahead and add a new sheet to my document (to put all formulas in it), do I need to delete my current flow in Flowxo and redo it from scratch? I read somewhere in your documentation that you should not change how the Google Sheet document is set up after you start working on the flow.

(Karen Barker) #6

Hey,

It would be possible in Flow to create the formula but it will take a few steps. There’s a post here that shows how to calculate the number of days between 2 dates. Once you’ve got the days it would be relatively simple to work out the whole weeks and then add/subtract whatever is required here.

Sorry I’d missed the fact that none of the row had actually updated. Unfortunately you won’t be able to have your column names starting with {{. Flow XO uses the {{ }} notation to represent internal variables and therefore the header names are being translated into the variable (probably null given the variable doesn’t exist) and so there is no column of that name to update.

To use a different sheet or update the column headers you’ll just need to redo the Google Sheet actions in your flows. Unfortunately the sheet details are imported when the account is first connected and can’t be refreshed without recreating the specific actions.

Thanks :slight_smile:

1 Like
(Blago Yanakiev) #7

Hi again, Karen! Thanks for all your help!

Unfortunately, I still have the issue where my Google Sheet doesn’t get updated.I did all you said:

  • Removed {{ from the names of the columns
  • Moved all formulas to a separate sheet
  • Redid all Google Sheet actions
  • I even turned OFF the old flow and created a new one from scratch but even this didn’t help.

This is my Update Row setup + the log of the interaction:

All seems normal to me but still, the google sheet doesn’t get updated. Could there be an issue with the Spreadsheet permission scheme?

I also have one more issue now. I’ll post in a separate comment to be able to attach screenshots.

(Blago Yanakiev) #8

My second issue now is that the HTTP Request in the end of my flow, which sends the outcome back to Chatfuel stopped working. Now it sends nothing instead of the value.

Here is my setup + the interaction log:

As you can see, with the Get Row action I do get a value but then the HTTP Request doesn’t send anything.

Could you please help with these 2 issues?

(Daniel Beckett) #9

Is it just the formulas that aren’t working or is the update row action not inserting any values at all?

For the webhook it doesn’t look like your output is in the correct format. All outputs are enclosed in double brackets, e.g. {{ }}. Are you selecting them using the outputs button (xo icon)?

(Blago Yanakiev) #10

Hi Daniel,

The Update Row action is not inserting any values at all.

About the webhook: I’m selecting the value via the xo icon.

(Blago Yanakiev) #11

Hi again,

I’ve rebuilt the flow completely from scratch. Removed all dashes from the attributes’ names and from the columns’ names in the Google Sheet.

I’m not sure which of those fixed the issue but it seems now that everything works.

Thanks for your help, Daniel!