This article outlines how to use Make, a workflow automation tool, to automate file transfers to Gelato and receive status updates on those orders. The process involves configuring Make to monitor a designated cloud storage location. Upon detecting new files, Make will transfer them to an Amazon S3 bucket for Gelato to process. You can follow the step-by-step instructions provided to set up a system that automatically updates a Google Sheet with the latest status of your Gelato orders, ensuring you have a clear picture of your order fulfillment process.
Setting up Automated File Transfer
This setup uses Google Drive, but it's compatible with other cloud storage options supported by Make.
Begin by importing the provided Make blueprint (available at the end of this article). This blueprint will enable the seamless transfer of files and order information.
You will need to configure the Google Drive, S3, and Google Sheets modules using your credentials and designating the correct folders. For the Amazon S3 connection, use the access keys you configured in the preparation phase. The text parser and array aggregator come pre-configured to recognize the Gelato-recommended file-naming convention, so you shouldn't need to modify them.
The system will monitor your Google Drive for new files. When a new file is detected, it will be downloaded and processed as follows:
Transferred to your Amazon S3 bucket, where Gelato will access and process the orders.
Logged in a Google Sheet to track all orders sent to Gelato, providing a comprehensive record of your outgoing orders.
To ensure a clean and organized Google Sheet, an array aggregator is employed. This function consolidates multiple files belonging to the same order into a single-row entry. For instance, if order #1042 has three files (1042_1, 1042_2, 1042_3), instead of creating three separate rows, the system will aggregate them under a single "1042" entry. This aggregation is achieved using a text parser that identifies and removes everything after the "_" in the file name.
After running the scenario with the files shown in the above screenshot, the resulting Google Sheet will appear as follows:
With this setup, you've established an automated pipeline for sending files to Gelato and maintaining a record of those orders. The next step is to enable automatic status updates in your Google Sheet.
Automating Order Status Tracking
Building on the previous step, you will now configure the system to automatically update the Google Sheet with the latest status of each order as it moves through the Gelato system (processing, printing, shipping).
To begin, import the provided blueprint (find it at the end of this article). Your scenario should resemble this:
The first step is to set up the Webhook module. You can learn more about how Webhooks function in Make by referring to their help article on Webhooks. Next, configure the Webhook within your Gelato account, specifically in the Webhooks section of the Gelato dashboard. For a comprehensive understanding of Gelato's Webhooks, refer to this article.
To proceed, add a name for your Webhook in Make. Upon doing so, you will receive a unique URL for this Webhook. Copy this URL and navigate to your Gelato dashboard to create a new notification (Webhook). Paste the URL you copied from Make into the "URL" field, select "Production Status Update" as the Event Type, and choose "HTTP POST" as the Method. Finally, click "Create" to set up your Webhook.
Next, you need to send test data to Make so it can understand the structure of the incoming data. From the Notification section of your Gelato dashboard, click on "Send test notification." Choose "Order status" as the Event. You'll be presented with a sample event, which you can modify as needed. It's recommended to change "####{{MyOrderId}}" to a format resembling your order IDs, for example, "4782."
Click "Test Notification." You will receive a confirmation on the right-hand side once the test notification is successfully sent.
Returning to Make, you should see that it has recognized the data structure after receiving the sample event. Now, finalize the configuration by connecting the remaining Google Sheet modules to your Google account, ensuring they point to the correct sheet. Be sure to select the same sheet you designated for listing orders in Part 1.
For optimal functionality, the blueprint is pre-configured to update existing rows if an order ID is already present. With this, your Google Sheet will now automatically update with the latest status of each order.
It's important to note: If Gelato cannot process an order automatically, its status in the sheet will remain as "Sent to Gelato." This allows for easy identification and manual review of such orders. The most frequent reason for an order not being processed automatically is an incorrect file name that doesn't adhere to Gelato's recommended naming structure.