Array Aggregator & Text Aggregator not Combining my items (HTTP Post)

[jaspercreates]

Hi All,

I am trying to upload instagram carousels from images in an airtable database - I do not want to use the inbuilt IG connector as I want other users to be able to user their own access token. I have read the Instagram and Facebook documentation.

The overall flow should be:
Airtable - Get Record (done)
Iterator - Outputs 4 bundles which are my 4 images from airtable (done)
HTTP Post to create a IG container - (done and returns 4 id’s (these will be child id’s used by Instagram in a further HTTP Post down the flow)

However, when I use an array aggregator to combine these id’s into one it just seems to run 4 times and gives me 4 separate outputs. I have also tried JSON parsing the id outputs from HTTP post and using a text aggregator and the same thing happens, any help would be appreciated, i have been doing this for 5 days and no further haha!

Some example pics below:

Parse JSON Step as for some reason I cant select id from the HTTP output it just shows data as a whole.

Our Parse JSON output: - changing those id’s to readable text formats.

Text aggregator settings:

Output from text aggregator:

[Stoyan_Vatov]

Hey there,

set the source of the aggregator module to the iterator, not the HTTP module.

[jaspercreates]

Stoyan, you have just saved me a further 5 days! I am so grateful, thank you! so in future an aggregator should always be linked to the iterator?

[samliew]

Welcome to the Make community!

@jaspercreates

so in future an aggregator should always be linked to the iterator?

Not just Iterators.

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!

Combining Bundles Using Aggregators

Every result (item/record) from trigger/iterator/list/search/match modules will output a bundle. This can result in multiple bundles, which then trigger multiple operations in future modules (one operation per bundle). To “combine” multiple bundles into a single variable, you’ll need to use an aggregator of some sort.

Aggregators are modules that accumulate multiple bundles into one single bundle. An example of a commonly-used aggregator module is the Array aggregator module. The next popular aggregator is the Text Aggregator which is very flexible and can apply to many use-cases like building of JSON, CSV, HTML.

You can find out more about the other types of aggregator modules here:

• Array aggregator
• Text aggregator
• Numeric aggregator
• Table aggregator
• JSON aggregator
• CSV aggregator
• Archive (ZIP) aggregator
• other app-specific aggregators

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

Mapping a Specific Structure Into a Complex Field

If you have an array of collections, in programming terms, this is called an array of objects, or an array with non-primitive data types (“complex”).

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 field to map multiple items (collections) to it. Such fields initially would allow you to manually add items, but you can toggle the “Map” switch to the “on” state and map a whole array into a single field.

This is done by selecting the “Target structure type” in an Array Aggregator module.

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). Other combinations of modules may also allow you to generate an array that matches a future 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 final solution may or may not look like this depending on your requirements and actual data.

For more information, see “Mapping with arrays” in the Help Centre. You should also do 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
_{P.S.: investing some effort into the tutorials in the Make Academy will save you lots of time and frustration using Make!}

[jaspercreates]

Hi @samliew thank you, I will take a look at the Make Academy, in terms of the type I need I think i need to do a little more digging within the Instagram documentation, as I am trying to create a carousel post and the id’s from the HTTP modules are meant to be image containers, aggregating these still seems to stop after the first run.

Thank you for your help, do you offer consultation services?

[samliew]

Please use the Hire a Pro category to request for private 1-to-1 assistance via video call/screenshare/private messaging/etc. This may help you get your issue resolved faster especially if it is urgent or contain sensitive information.

It is important to post your request in the Hire a Pro category, as forum members are not allowed to advertise their services in other categories like here (even if it’s free/unpaid). Posting in the Hire a Pro category will allow other members to assist you over other forms of communication.

Alternatively, you can use the private messaging feature to directly reach out to other forum members. To do this, go to your profile, and click on the “New Message” button:

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

— @samliew