Monday.com, copying an array (or data within)

[gccxc]

Issue:
Monday.com has a field called ‘Files’ that permits one to set locations to upload files from (shared drives like weblinks, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc). This is useful to us in both the parent and subtasks, to upload files from specific locations.

There’s a setting on Monday.com (Item Default Values. Files, From Link) that doesn’t save (other values do save), but it’s possible to set it in any of the Files Fields directly.

My thought was to set up a field with all the values I need for the board in the top-level record, and then use Make.com to copy those settings into subfields to use where needed for uploading files from specific directories when required.

So something similar to this would occur:

I’ve had success, with folks input, in copying other data columns using the Array Iterator, and then mapping fields.

The particular field for files, also looks like an Array (also a collection):
When I pull up the data using Make.com List Group’ Items I can see this:

So I thought that I could simply use the Iterator on the ‘files’ Array, and push values into the fields I want just like when I’m mapping other columns.

But Nay Nay, no workey. I get various errors.

Is there some trick for this special Collection/Array, to move the data from it, to other columns? I tried doing to the individual columns values and stuffing them into similarly named fields (seemed like a good map), but errors ensued.

Anyone have some thoughts on how to move the data from this weird type of Array? Specifically I want to move the data to a subtask from the Main Record.

[CarlaK]

I haven’t done anything with files myself, but there’s specific modules for working with files down at the bottom of the Monday modules list, are you using those?

As an aside, if all your subitems have the same value as the parent item for some columns (TaskName, Email, etc), there’s no need to put them in the subitems at all. The subitem is a part of the parent item, so you’re duplicating data. If you needed to change something, you don’t want to have to change it in every subitem also, and there’s a large potential for errors.

[gccxc]

Thank you!

• I am not sure which ones you are referring to, but have been through most of the integrations and widgets I can find on working with data. Still trying to find something that will take cells from one or more columns and mash em together - like taking lastname, firstname, middlename fields and putting them into a format like lastname, firstname, middlename. even possibly using logic to see if middlename is blank, and change it to NMN - I have government forms that need to be auto filled, and I think Make.com may help me here, haven’t gone through all the logic possible for that yet.

• if a column doesn’t have a value in it (like email), I see that some of the integrations, and automations won’t work when working in that subtask. Email, as an example, when clicked on while you are in the subtask, will automatically open the email client, cc the subtask (pulse) and at least keep the email info handy in the same record. For the Email&Integrations tab, having values populated enables the template to work - some values in the master record aren’t there, so moving data around can make it possible to pull in info.

There is an integration called Autoboost which does a good job of mirroring the parent info to chosen cells in the subtasks, so that helps - it doesn’t work with files though, which is annoying, since I’d like to find a way to mirror that column, probably have to find a way to do it with Make or Zapier. It’s another one of those ‘weird’ columns that doesn’t just copy easily, far as I can tell.

[CarlaK]

OK I’ve looked into the files properly now, it looks like you can only update the file column by giving it an actual file to put in there. Links to file don’t work.

If you’re just using a file URL and not uploading the file to Monday, an easy work around is to use the Link column instead of the File column, that’s as easy to copy across as any other normal field.

Combining fields is easy in Make, you can either do it in a Set Variable module, or do it directly in the Update Item module.

or

There’s a lot of more complicated things you can do with the built in functions - accessed from the same place as the mapping:

Hope that helps!

[gccxc]

Thanks. For files, I was trying to use the Upload portion for access to attachments on subtask levels, so link would only open directories.

It’s also interesting that Monday doesn’t ‘save’ the setting for links like it does for files, for that field. There must be something funny going on with ‘files’.

I wonder why a copy/paste works from within Monday, but there’s no way to emulate that using Make (or presumably Zapier). Still poking around.

[CarlaK]

Have a look at Monday API - Files. It’s a list of the things that Monday allows access to from apps and outside sites like Make. For files, it’s very limited unfortunately.

You may be able to create a work around if you can get an Automation in Monday to do what you need, and if needed you can trigger that from Make (e.g. tell Make to change a status column, which will trigger the Monday automation).

I recommend asking in the Monday forums, they can probably be more help. https://community.monday.com/c/developers/8