The only Airtable script that every Airtable user should know — especially no-coders

If you are connecting your Airtable to any external software using Zapier, Make.com or directly, you might want to use this approach to trigger instant actions based on changes to your Airtable record.

Airtable is great data store — central source of truth — for businesses large and small. It helps you to centralize business process and provide easy access to data for relevant team members. Company data and information does not live in a vacuum. You will likely need to connect your Airtable to other software to share and exchange data. To some (limited number) software product you will be able connect directly with Airtable automations. To connect to others you will need some integration software such as Zapier or Make.com (formerly Integromat).

In both Zapier and Make you can schedule actions to take place in regular intervals or at a predefined time. What to do in case you need to start some process instantly. This is where webhooks come to action.

What are webhooks?

A webhook is a mechanism that allows two software applications to communicate and trigger actions in real time. Webooks look like regular URLs. By accessing a webhook or sending data to it, you are triggering the service behind, that generate a predefined response. The effect of that can be a set of data returned in response or webhook starting another service. It is a way for one application to send a notification or data to another application whenever a specific event occurs.

In the context of Airtable triggering other software like Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat), a webhook can be used to automate workflows and integrate different systems.

In this example I will use Make.com to instantly trigger creating ad on Facebook.

Triggering action on a record

The best way to trigger instant action in Airtable is by using Single Select fields. Checkboxes tend to be to easy to click by accident. Button field opens annoying popup window. That is why I always recommend using Single Select for speed and clear visibility of the process.