Automate Document Creation & Sharing with Pabbly Connect: A Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to automate document creation and sharing from Airtable records to Google Docs and Gmail using Pabbly Connect. Follow our detailed tutorial for seamless integration.

Watch Step By Step Video Tutorial Below

1. Setting Up Pabbly Connect for Automation

To start automating document creation from Airtable records, you’ll first need to access Pabbly Connect. Visit the Pabbly Connect website and create a free account if you haven’t already. Once signed in, click on the ‘Access Now’ button to reach your dashboard.

From the dashboard, click the blue button to create a new workflow. Name your workflow something descriptive, such as ‘Create Google Docs from Airtable Records and Send via Email’. Click on ‘Create’ to begin setting up your automation.

2. Connecting Airtable to Pabbly Connect

In this section, you will connect Airtable as the trigger application in Pabbly Connect. Select Airtable from the applications list and set the trigger event to ‘New Record’. This means that every time a new record is added to Airtable, the automation will be activated.

• Choose ‘Airtable’ as the trigger application.
• Select the trigger event as ‘New Record’.
• Connect your Airtable account by providing the API key.

After connecting, select the specific base and table you want to monitor. Ensure you have created a ‘Created Time’ field in your Airtable schema, as this is necessary for tracking new records. Once set up, click on ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to confirm the connection works correctly.

3. Creating Documents in Google Docs

Next, you will use Pabbly Connect to create a document in Google Docs based on the data from Airtable. Choose Google Docs as the action application and set the action event to ‘Create Document from Template’. You’ll need to connect your Google account and authorize access to your Google Docs.

Select the document template you want to use, ensuring it contains variables for the fields you want to populate, such as project name and item details. For example, your template might read, ‘Approval Request for {{ProjectName}}’. Map the relevant fields from Airtable to your Google Docs template.

• Select the appropriate Google Docs template.
• Map the Airtable fields to the corresponding variables in the template.
• Specify the new document name and location in Google Drive.

After configuring these settings, click on ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to create the document. This step ensures that your document is generated correctly with the mapped data.

4. Sharing Documents via Gmail

Once the document is created, the next step is to share it via Gmail using Pabbly Connect. Add another action step in your workflow and select Gmail as the application. Set the action event to ‘Send Email’. You will need to connect your Gmail account to enable email sending.

Configure the email settings by mapping the recipient’s email address (which you can pull from the Airtable record), the subject line, and the body of the email. For instance, the email subject could be ‘Approval Request for {{ProjectName}}’, and the body could say, ‘Hello {{RecipientName}}, please review the attached document.’ Attach the document you created earlier as a PDF.

Map the recipient’s email address from Airtable. Set the email subject and body with dynamic content. Attach the generated document as a PDF.

After filling in all required fields, click ‘Save and Send Test Request’ to send the email. This will ensure that the document is shared automatically with the intended recipient.

5. Finalizing the Automation Process

With the integration complete, every time a new record is added to Airtable, Pabbly Connect will automatically create a document in Google Docs and share it via Gmail. This automation eliminates the need for manual document creation and sharing, saving you time and effort.

Remember, the trigger checks for new data every 10 minutes, so any records added during that time will be processed in the next cycle. This means you can continuously add records without worrying about missing any approvals.

To finalize, ensure all settings are saved in Pabbly Connect and test the entire workflow by adding a new record in Airtable. Check your Gmail to confirm that the document was created and shared successfully. This seamless integration enhances your workflow efficiency significantly.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we demonstrated how to automate document creation and sharing from Airtable records using Pabbly Connect. By following these steps, you can streamline your document management process, ensuring timely approvals and efficient communication.