Airtable - Automate Recurring Tasks

This n8n workflow automates the creation of recurring tasks in Airtable and notifies a Slack channel about these new tasks. It's designed to streamline task management for operations that require regular, scheduled actions.

What it does

This workflow simplifies the process of managing recurring tasks by:

1. Triggering on a schedule: It listens for a scheduled event (e.g., daily, weekly) to check for tasks that are due to recur.
2. Fetching recurring tasks from Airtable: It queries a specified Airtable base and table to find tasks marked as recurring.
3. Processing task data: It uses a Code node to transform and prepare the data for the new task entry, potentially calculating new due dates or other relevant fields based on the recurring logic.
4. Creating new tasks in Airtable: It adds a new record to the Airtable table for each recurring task that needs to be generated.
5. Notifying Slack: It sends a message to a designated Slack channel, informing the team about the newly created recurring tasks.

Prerequisites/Requirements

To use this workflow, you will need:

• n8n instance: A running instance of n8n.
• Airtable Account: An Airtable account with a base and table set up to manage your tasks. This table should include fields relevant to recurring tasks (e.g., task name, recurrence interval, last completed date, next due date).
• Slack Account: A Slack workspace and a channel where you want to receive notifications.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the workflow:
   • Copy the provided JSON code.
   • In your n8n instance, click "New" in the workflows section.
   • Click the "Import from JSON" button and paste the copied JSON.
2. Configure Credentials:
   • Airtable: Set up your Airtable credential by providing your API Key and Base ID. Ensure the Airtable nodes are configured to use this credential and point to the correct Base ID and Table Name.
   • Slack: Set up your Slack credential by providing your Bot User OAuth Token. Configure the Slack node to use this credential and specify the Channel ID where messages should be posted.
3. Configure Airtable Trigger:
   • Open the "Airtable Trigger" node.
   • Select your Airtable credential.
   • Specify the "Base ID" and "Table Name" where your recurring tasks are stored.
   • Configure the "Trigger When" setting to match how you determine a task is due for recurrence (e.g., a specific view, a filter formula).
4. Configure Airtable (Read) Node:
   • Open the "Airtable" node (the one after the trigger).
   • Ensure it uses the correct Airtable credential, Base ID, and Table Name.
   • Adjust the "Filter By Formula" or "View" to retrieve only the tasks that are currently due to be recurred.
5. Configure Edit Fields (Set) Node:
   • Customize this node to set the appropriate fields for the new recurring task. This might involve:
     • Setting a new Next Due Date based on the recurrence interval.
     • Clearing Completed Date or other status fields.
     • Copying the Task Name or Description.
6. Configure Code Node:
   • This node is crucial for the recurrence logic. Edit the JavaScript code to implement your specific recurrence rules. For example, if a task recurs weekly, the code should calculate the Next Due Date to be one week from the current date or the previous Next Due Date.
7. Configure Airtable (Write) Node:
   • Open the second "Airtable" node (the one for creating new records).
   • Ensure it uses the correct Airtable credential, Base ID, and Table Name.
   • Map the fields from the previous nodes to create the new Airtable record correctly.
8. Configure Slack Node:
   • Open the "Slack" node.
   • Select your Slack credential.
   • Specify the "Channel" where you want the notifications to appear.
   • Customize the "Text" field to create a meaningful message about the newly created recurring tasks. You can use expressions to include task details.
9. Activate the workflow: Once all configurations are complete, activate the workflow. It will now run according to its schedule and automate your recurring tasks.