Issues with Google Slides automation (Images not loading, Slides not appearing)

[Michal_Splho]

Hello everyone,

I’m working on a scenario to generate a presentation in Google Slides from Airtable data, but I’m running into some persistent issues that I can’t seem to solve. I’m hoping someone can provide some guidance.

Scenario Overview:

My workflow is as follows:

I have Airtable database with infromation for the slides, and image is stored there too. There is a check option for a fixed pages to be included or not included in the presentation.

1. Watch Records in Airtable

2. Get a Record from Airtable

3. Create a Presentation from a Template and then Create a Slide from Template to create a title page.

4. Then, based on a Router I have one line of Create a Slide from Template with conditional filters, where fixed slides are or are not generated (where nothing will change and they will be used as they are in the template file), then I have a row with multiple Create a Slide from a Template modules to add different sections of the proposal. One slide there is supposed to upload an image from the Airtable. The third row with modules to delete the template slides from the final presentation file.

5. After the slides are created, I have a Google Drive - Download a file module to get the final presentation etc.

Problem 1: Images from Airtable are not loading

I have an image stored in an Airtable attachment field that I want to place on a slide. The Airtable output provides a URL for this image. The final slide appears in the presentation, but instead of the image there is its URL address.

• I am using the Upload an Image to a Presentation module.

• I have mapped the Presentation ID from the output of my Create a Presentation from a Template module.

• I have mapped the URL from the Airtable attachment (2. Attachments[1]: URL) to the Image URL field in the Google Slides module.

• I tried many combinations, I am unsure how to correctly tell the module to use the Airtable URL.

Problem 2: Slides not appearing in the final presentation

When I download the final presentation, the slides from teh first line - the fixed slides - I added using the Create a Slide from a Template modules are not included. Only the slides from the second line of Create a Slide from a Template , where the information is changed based on text placeholders, are present. So the only difference between the row with fixed slides and the row with new content slides is, that in the fixed slides nothing is changed nor updated.

• I am correctly mapping the Presentation ID from the initial Create a Presentation from a Template module to all subsequent modules, so they should be acting on the new file.

• The Create a Slide from a Template Slide modules run without error.

• I have confirmed that the Template Slide ID I am using is correct and comes from the URL of the original template slide.

Any help or insights you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

PS: I am attaching the blueprint too.

011 Sales Proposal Automation.blueprint.json (143.9 KB)

[Michal_Splho]

Hello guys,

I suppose there is no one who can give the answer. Surprisingly I found a way to get answers and correct my scenario. I will share my experience with this frustrating problem I had while building a Make scenario. While the specific issues aren’t the most important part, the method I used to solve them was a revelation to me, and I hope it can help others in the Make community.

To find a solution I tried as well with standard ChatGPT queries, but I got no relevant answers nor solution. I was starting to lose hope.

Then, I got an idea: I exported the Make scenario’s blueprint as a JSON file. I then uploaded this file to ChatGPT and asked my questions again. Suddenly, everything changed. ChatGPT was able to analyze the scenario’s structure directly from the blueprint and immediately provided the exact answers I needed. Within minutes, I was able to correct my scenario, and it now runs perfectly.

If you’re ever stuck on a complex scenario, I highly recommend this approach. Giving a large language model the raw blueprint of your automation can be a game-changer for finding solutions.

For those interested, specific solutions to my problems follow:

1. Images from Airtable not loaded to the slide:

Change the mapping in Module 27 with get() function so it passes a single file URL, not an array:
{{get(2.Attachments.url; )}}

2. Slides not appearing in the final presentation:

I added placeholder text {{FIXED_FLAG}} on the template fixed page.

In modules for fixed pages 7 and 8 in Values → Tag: FIXED_FLAG; Replaced value: `` (empty space).