I recommend only looking at this if you like a challenge!
I’ve now got a workflow running that takes handwritten pdf files from an e-ink tablet and converts to text entries in Notion. Because I was new to Make and low-code in general I suspect there are smarter, more efficient ways to do this with less operations. So consider this a challenge if you know what you’re doing with Make, how could this be made more efficient? Creative ideas very welcome, I’m here to learn ![]()
Blue print
Handwriting to Notion blueprint.json (590.9 KB)
Visual
Workflow Overview
- Webhook Trigger:
- The workflow starts when a file is uploaded or changed in Dropbox, triggering the webhook.
- Fetch Metadata:
- It retrieves metadata (like the file path and cursor) from Dropbox to identify new or modified files.
- Filter Files:
- Only specific files are processed, filtering by file type and excluding certain folders.
- Generate Temporary Links:
- Temporary download links are created for files in Dropbox to access their content.
- PDF Conversion:
- If the file is a PDF, it is converted into images using an external API (e.g., PDF.co).
- OCR with OpenAI:
- The images are sent to OpenAI for OCR (Optical Character Recognition), extracting text from the handwritten or printed content.
- Process and Format:
- The extracted text is structured into Markdown for better organization and usability.
- Search or Create Notion Entries:
- The workflow checks if a corresponding entry already exists in the Notion database using the file’s metadata.
- If no entry exists, a new page is created with the processed data.
- Update Notion Database:
- The workflow updates the database fields, including tags, extracted text, and any relevant metadata from Dropbox.
