Basic concepts of integrations and automation

Now that you can connect your Apizeal account with thousands of applications through Zapier, it is important to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts of integrations and terminology.

The first thing you need to know is that Zapier is an online automation tool, independent of Apizeal, that can connect your applications and services with Apizeal. You can connect as many applications as you need to automate repetitive tasks without the need for programming or relying on developers to create the integration.

In this guide, we will guide you through key concepts to help you get started in the world of Apizeal integrations.

Automation:

Automation involves setting up something to run automatically. Take your smartphone, for example. You receive alerts every time you receive a text message, voicemail, or email.

The heart of any automation comes down to a simple command: "WHEN" and "DO". For example, when this happens, do that. Even the most complex automation can be broken down into this simple command.

Trigger:

A trigger is the event that initiates an integration. For example, if you want to send a text message every time you receive an email, the trigger would be "new email in inbox".

Action:

An action is the event that an integration performs after it is triggered. For example, if you want to send a text message every time you receive an email, the action is "send a text message".

Integration (Zap):

An integration (or as they call it in Zapier: zap) is an automated workflow that tells your applications to follow this simple command: "When this happens, do that".

Each Zap or integration consists of a trigger and one or more actions. When you activate your zap, the action steps will be executed whenever the trigger event occurs.

App (Application):

An application is a web service, such as Apizeal, Google Docs, Slack, or Calendly. Zapier offers integrations for more than 5,000 applications, allowing you to move data between them or automate repetitive tasks.

Beta:

An application, feature, or product labeled as "beta" is available for use but is still in active development and may change or be updated.

Filter:

Filters can be added to any integration or zap to restrict its execution only when certain conditions are met. For example, if you want to send a text message every time you receive an email, you can add a filter so that the zap only runs when emails are received from a specific email address.

Multi-step Zap:

A single-step zap has one trigger and one action. If the zap has more than one action or includes filters or searches, it is considered a multi-step integration.

Path:

Paths allow you to build advanced workflows to perform different actions based on different conditions. Flows use conditional logic, if/then: if A occurs in your trigger application, perform this action, if B occurs, perform this other action, and so on.

Polling Interval:

The polling interval or update time is how often Zapier will check your trigger applications for new data. The polling interval varies between 1 and 15 minutes depending on the different pricing plans directly on the Zapier platform (completely unrelated to Apizeal).

✏️ Note: triggers labeled as "Instant" will always trigger zaps immediately (regardless of the pricing plan). That is, the trigger application will send the data to Zapier when the event occurs.

Premium Apps on Zapier:

According to Zapier's information on their website, premium apps are available to users with paid plans on Zapier. Starter plans can use up to 3 Premium apps, while Professional and higher plans can use unlimited Premium apps. Premium apps are available for use in free trials but require a paid plan after the trial ends.

Premium apps are also marked with a "Premium" label in the zap editor.

Task:

A task is an action that your integration or zap successfully completes. For example, if your zap has an action to create new Google contacts, each contact created counts as a task.

Test Data:

When you first set up the trigger for your integration or zap, Zapier will try to find some existing data from your trigger application to use in the zap. For example, if your trigger pulls data from a new row in a Google Sheets spreadsheet, Zapier will extract an existing row. The sample row can then be used as test data in a later action step in the zap.

Transfer:

Transfer is a feature you can use to send existing data from one application to another. Transfer allows you to select which data to send, so you only send the data you want.

Zap Editor:

The zap editor allows you to create an integration or zap from scratch. In the zap editor, you can set up a trigger and one or more actions.

Zap History:

Your zap history shows a record of all activity in your zaps, including all data that enters and leaves each step of your zap.

In Apizeal, the integration feature is available with the Marketing Bundle subscription service.

Apizeal and Zapier are two different software platforms with different functionalities and features that connect to each other to allow you to integrate thousands of applications. To enjoy the benefits of each, it is necessary to have an active user account in both Apizeal and Zapier.