Workflow Meets Airtable API

作者：P.W. 2017-01-07

Firstly URL schemes with x-callback-url, then the Workflow, these automation tools have expanded the scope of iOS productivity to an unprecedented level, pulling people out of the repetitiveness of their work, and allowing them to do tasks in a completely customisable and, more importantly, fun way because imagination always matters in automating the tasks.

I get a kick out of working out a workflow that could make my life a little easier each time. Whenever there is a task that would require me to repeat certain actions over and over, firstly I would think if I could make a workflow to take care of the tedious, repetitive part of the task. And I’m always amazed by workflow’s capabilities ranging from data formatting, scripting to third party app integrations, and how much more I can explore.

Months ago, workflow made itself even more powerful by embracing web APIs. With this capability, you can use myriad services out there, even without a local app installed on your device, as the workflow talks to the web directly. The neater part is that once you’ve configured your workflow successfully, you can forget about all the services behind it, and you don’t even need to unlock your iPhone or iPad to run the workflow for some tasks, which wouldn’t be possible in the “traditional” way. This is revolutionary.