Aggregator runs loop multiple times instead of collecting all bundle and output 1

Beginner Questions
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:bullseye: What is your goal?

I want to map fields from an airtable search module through a aggregator in plumsail (start creating document)

:thinking: What is the problem?

It looks like each loop, the plumsail module gets data instead of once after all aggregator loops. How can i make the aggregator loop all the loops first en only then pass all data through to plumsail?

:test_tube: What have you tried so far?

I tried an extra aggregator, tried to connect the aggregator to the iterator before the airtable search records module. nothing seems to stop the looping through plumsail. It now results in dafferent data in the same plumsail field after each loop

3

Hey there,

most likely your aggregator source module is wrong. Can you show a screenshot of the scenario?

1 Like
4

Welcome to the Make community!

Setting the Correct Aggregator Source

You need to set the “Source Module” field of the aggregator to where the bundles are coming from. This is usually an iterator module, but can also be a search/list/repeater module, or even the trigger module!

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Combining Bundles Using Aggregators

Every result/item from some module types (like Trigger / Iterator / List / Search / Match modules) can potentially and likely output more than one bundle. These multiple bundles will individually run subsequent modules once per bundle, which is not optimal in most cases:

  • one operation per bundle per module, which could lead to…
  • use of multiple credits per bundle per module (some modules use more than one credit)
View example screenshots

Aggregator Example

The “Search Rows” module runs one time, returning 999 results (999 bundles).

  • Without Aggregator: the tools module run 999 times (999 operations)

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    (and if there are more modules, they run 999 times each)

  • With Aggregator: the tools module only runs 1 time (1 operation)

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:warning: Warning: :police_car_light:
This can easily use your entire quota of credits if you are not careful or fail to understand this concept.

To “combine” multiple bundles into a single variable, so that you can process all of the items in a single operation, you’ll need to use an aggregator. Aggregators is a type of module that accumulates bundles and outputs one bundle (unless you are using “Group By”). An example of a commonly-used aggregator module is the Array aggregator module.

You can find out more about some other aggregator modules here:

Question: Which is the best aggregator do you think you’ll need for your use-case?

Mapping a Complex (Collection) Structure Into an Array Field

The Array Aggregator module is very powerful because it allows you to build a new complex array of collections that matches a later module’s array field to map multiple items (collections) to it. Such fields initially may allow you to manually add individual items, but toggle the “Map” switch on, and you can map an array variable (from an Array Aggregator) containing multiple collections.

Simply select the respective “Target structure type” in an Array Aggregator module.

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As you can see from the above example, the “Map” toggle on complex fields are used when you have an array variable (like from an array aggregator).

:clipboard: Note: :light_bulb:
Other combinations of modules may also allow you to generate an array that matches a future module field’s array structure, like “Aggregate to JSON + Parse JSON”, or “Create JSON + Parse JSON”, but this is an advanced topic.

Question: Are you mapping your array into a field that accepts more than one item/collection?

Example

Here is an example of how your scenario could look like:

This is just an example. Your solution may or may not look like this depending on requirements and actual data.

For more information, see “Mapping with arrays” in the Help Centre. I also suggest going through the Make Academy, which also covers the use of Iterators & Aggregators.

Hope this helps! If you are still having trouble, please provide more details.

— @samliew