Track Free Udemy Courses Automatically with RapidAPI and Google Sheets

This n8n workflow automates the process of finding free Udemy courses, checking if they are already tracked in a Google Sheet, and notifying you via email about new free courses.

What it does

This workflow performs the following steps:

1. Triggers on a Schedule: The workflow runs automatically at predefined intervals (e.g., daily, hourly).
2. Fetches Free Udemy Courses: It makes an HTTP request to an external API (likely RapidAPI, given the directory name) to retrieve a list of currently free Udemy courses.
3. Processes Course Data: A Code node processes the API response, likely extracting relevant details like course title, URL, and price.
4. Checks Google Sheet for Existing Courses: For each fetched course, it queries a specified Google Sheet to see if the course has already been recorded.
5. Filters New Courses: An If node checks if a course is not found in the Google Sheet, indicating it's a new free course.
6. Adds New Courses to Google Sheet: If a course is new, its details are appended as a new row to the Google Sheet.
7. Sends Email Notification: An email is sent to a specified recipient, notifying them about the newly added free Udemy course.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• n8n Instance: A running n8n instance.
• RapidAPI Account (or similar API provider): Access to an API that provides free Udemy course listings. You will need an API key and endpoint.
• Google Account: A Google account with access to Google Sheets. You will need to create a new spreadsheet or use an existing one to store the course data.
• SMTP Server/Email Service: An SMTP server configured in n8n for sending email notifications.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the Workflow:

   • Copy the provided JSON code.
   • In your n8n instance, click "New" in the workflows section.
   • Go to "Import from JSON" and paste the copied JSON.
   • Click "Import".

2. Configure Credentials:

   • HTTP Request (RapidAPI):
     • Locate the "HTTP Request" node.
     • Configure the API endpoint and add your RapidAPI key (or equivalent) in the "Headers" or "Authentication" section as required by the API provider.
   • Google Sheets:
     • Locate the "Google Sheets" node.
     • Click on "Credential" and select or create a new "Google Sheets API" credential (OAuth2 or Service Account, depending on your preference). Follow the n8n documentation for setting up Google Sheets credentials.
     • Specify the "Spreadsheet ID" and "Sheet Name" where you want to store the course data.
   • Send Email:
     • Locate the "Send Email" node.
     • Click on "Credential" and select or create an "SMTP" credential. Enter your SMTP server details (host, port, user, password, security).
     • Configure the "To" email address for notifications.

3. Customize the Workflow (Optional):

   • Schedule Trigger: Adjust the "Schedule Trigger" node to run at your desired frequency (e.g., every 6 hours, once a day).
   • Code Node: Review the "Code" node to ensure it correctly parses the API response from your chosen Udemy course API. You might need to adjust the parsing logic based on the exact structure of the API's JSON output.
   • If Node: The "If" node is set up to check if a course exists. Ensure the condition ({{ $json.exists === false }}) correctly reflects the output of your Google Sheets lookup.
   • Email Content: Customize the subject and body of the email in the "Send Email" node to include specific course details using expressions (e.g., {{ $json.title }}, {{ $json.url }}).

4. Activate the Workflow:

   • Once all credentials and configurations are set, click the "Activate" toggle in the top right corner of the n8n workflow editor to start the automation.