Workflow and automation
Automation websites¶
Automation websites are websites that provide tools and services to automate various tasks and processes.
These tasks can range from simple, repetitive tasks like data entry, to more complex tasks such as web scraping, email management, and social media management.
The goal of automation websites is to make these tasks more efficient, reduce the amount of manual effort required, and save time for the user.
These tools allow users to automate workflows and tasks, connecting different web applications and services to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting.
They typically provide a visual interface for building workflows, and offer a range of built-in actions (or "nodes") to perform various tasks. Some of these tools may offer more advanced features, such as the ability to write custom scripts or access APIs, while others are designed for more beginner-friendly, low-code automation.
IFTTT (If This Then That)¶
A web-based automation platform that allows users to create custom "recipes" that connect different web services and automate tasks between them.
Zapier¶
A web-based automation platform that allows users to connect different web applications and automate tasks between them.
Hootsuite¶
A social media management platform that allows users to schedule and publish social media posts, track analytics, and engage with followers, among other features.
n8n¶
n8n (pronounced "node") is an open-source, low-code automation tool that enables users to automate workflows and tasks. It is designed to be a flexible and user-friendly platform for creating and running automations, and does not require prior coding experience.
With n8n, users can connect different web applications and services to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting. The platform provides a visual interface for building workflows and a wide range of built-in nodes (or "actions") to perform tasks like sending emails, reading data from spreadsheets, and posting to social media.
In addition to its low-code approach, n8n also offers advanced features for experienced users, such as the ability to write custom JavaScript functions and access APIs. n8n is designed to be scalable and can be used for small, individual automations or large, complex workflows for teams.
n8n was created to provide a free, open-source alternative to commercial automation tools, and is maintained by a community of developers and users from around the world.
Microsoft Power Automate¶
Microsoft Power Automate: Microsoft Power Automate (previously known as Microsoft Flow) is a cloud-based workflow automation tool that allows users to automate tasks and workflows between different web applications and services. It provides a visual interface for building workflows and a large library of pre-built connectors and actions to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting. Power Automate is part of the Microsoft Power Platform and integrates with other Microsoft products such as SharePoint, OneDrive, and Dynamics 365.
Make (Integromat)¶
Make is a cloud-based automation platform that enables users to automate workflows and tasks between different web applications and services. It provides a visual interface for building workflows and a large library of pre-built connectors and actions to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting. Make offers advanced features for experienced users, such as the ability to write custom scripts and access APIs.
Workato¶
Workato is a cloud-based automation platform that enables users to automate workflows and tasks between different web applications and services. It provides a visual interface for building workflows and a large library of pre-built connectors and actions to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting. Workato is designed for enterprise use and offers advanced features for experienced users, such as the ability to write custom scripts and access APIs.
Tray.io¶
Tray.io is a cloud-based automation platform that enables users to automate workflows and tasks between different web applications and services. It provides a visual interface for building workflows and a large library of pre-built connectors and actions to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting. Tray.io offers advanced features for experienced users, such as the ability to write custom scripts and access APIs.
Huginn¶
Huginn is an open-source platform for building and running workflows and automations. It allows users to connect different web applications and services to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting. Huginn provides a visual interface for building workflows and a wide range of built-in nodes to perform various tasks. It is designed for experienced users and requires some technical skills to set up and use.
UiPath¶
UiPath is a cloud-based, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform that enables users to automate manual, repetitive tasks. It provides a visual interface for building automations and a large library of pre-built activities to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and process management. UiPath is designed for enterprise use and offers advanced features for experienced users, such as the ability to write custom scripts and access APIs.
Blue Prism¶
Blue Prism is a cloud-based, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform that enables users to automate manual, repetitive tasks. It provides a visual interface for building automations and a large library of pre-built activities to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and process management. Blue Prism is designed for enterprise use and offers advanced features for experienced users, such as the ability to write custom scripts and access APIs.
Pipedream¶
Pipedream is a cloud-based workflow automation tool that enables users to automate tasks and workflows between different web applications and services. It provides a visual interface for building workflows and a large library of pre-built connectors and actions to automate tasks such as data entry, email management, and social media posting. Pipedream is designed for developers and experienced users and offers advanced features such as the ability to write custom scripts, access APIs, and run workflows on a serverless infrastructure. It allows developers to build and run their own workflows and automations using a serverless, event-driven architecture, and provides a flexible, scalable platform for building and running workflows and automations in the cloud.
Examples¶
Zapier: Send Issue to Tinyletter and auto publish¶
I made one of my repositories into the OpenRSS, so I am using RSS for the short briefs or content delivery instead of the traditional newsletter.
But some people like newsletters and for them, I left my TinyLetter active.
I don't want to write twice the same, so I connected both things - GitHub Issue and TinyLetter email with Zapier. I do not plan to send numerous newsletters, so Zapier is just fine.
Otherwise, if you want to use Zapier more frequently, you will need something more profound or a premium account. I am sure there is a better thing to do this, but this is by far the easiest way.
TinyLetter gives the ability to send a post with a secret email from your mail account, and after that it sends an additional email asking you whether you want to publish.
I created two "zaps" in Zapier, one sends the content of a GitHub Issue to TinyLetter through email, and another one sends a confirmation reply.
The important thing is that GitHub issues and Tinyletter posts use different formating, so keep that in mind. Unlike Issue a published newsletter can't be edited once it is send.
After an initial send, TinyLetter will send a reply asking you for confirmation ( reply to this message without changing a subject line). Automatic reply by mail didn't work as intended so I completed action in Zapier.
A canned response didn't do the trick, as TinyLetter has unique reply emails and set filtered template only messed things up.
Important thing in Zapier is to set the resulting action to REPLY email, not SEND email, as it keeps a subject line.
Second, each reply-to email address for TinyLetter post confirmation is different, so that reply-to shortcode should be set in a template to make a zap work as it should, and not their mail mail account.
In this way, I do not need to waste additional effort to publish the same thing in two different places, nor I need to touch anything additionally. Mail will do all the things on auto.
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