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Matching downloaded files with respondent

  • 20 June 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 21 views

Hola!

I have created a form in which one of the steps is “upload file”.

I’ve set up automations to save all responses to Notion and Google Sheets, but it only shows a URL linked back to typeform, which will break in case I delete the original response (or just the file) in typeform to free up some space to receive more responses above the 4Gb limit.

To try to solve that, I’ve set up another automation to download all files directly to Google Drive, but the problem is I can’t match the files in this folder with the responses. Typeform rename the files with a long string of characters that has nothing to do with any field synced to Notion/Google sheet.

How can I match those two pieces? If I can’t match them is almost useless to have a folder with several files (hundreds probably) that I don’t know who sent.

I’m sure there must be a way to solve but this is my first form, sorry.

Thanks for your help!

2 replies

T

Solution Overview:

  1. Include an Identifier in Your Form:

    • Add a unique identifier to your Typeform, such as a unique ID or email field, which will help you match the response with the uploaded file.

  2. Automate the Process with Zapier:

    • Set up a Zapier automation to rename the uploaded files in Google Drive with a unique identifier from the Typeform responses.

Detailed Steps:

Step 1: Add a Unique Identifier to Your Typeform

  • Add a Question: Include a question in your Typeform that collects a unique identifier (e.g., email address, or a unique ID generated by Typeform).
  • Ensure Consistency: Ensure this identifier is included in both the Notion and Google Sheets integrations.

Step 2: Set Up Zapier Automation

  • Trigger: Set the trigger to be a new response in Typeform.

    • App: Typeform
    • Trigger Event: New Entry

  • Action 1: Retrieve Uploaded File from Typeform

    • App: Typeform
    • Action Event: Retrieve file URL

  • Action 2: Upload File to Google Drive

    • App: Google Drive
    • Action Event: Upload File
    • File Name: Set the file name to include the unique identifier (e.g., email or unique ID from Typeform response).

  • Action 3: Update Google Sheets with File URL

    • App: Google Sheets
    • Action Event: Update Row
    • File URL Column: Add the file URL to the corresponding response row in Google Sheets.

Step 3: Match Files in Google Drive with Responses

  • File Naming Convention: Ensure the uploaded files in Google Drive include the unique identifier in their file names. This way, you can easily match them with the corresponding responses in Notion and Google Sheets.

Example Zapier Workflow:

  1. Trigger: New Entry in Typeform
  2. Action 1: Retrieve File URL from Typeform
  3. Action 2: Upload File to Google Drive with a unique identifier in the file name
  4. Action 3: Update Google Sheets with the File URL in the corresponding row

Summary:

By adding a unique identifier to your Typeform responses and using Zapier to rename files in Google Drive with this identifier, you can easily match the files with the corresponding responses in Notion and Google Sheets. This approach will ensure you maintain a clear connection between uploaded files and form responses, even if you delete the original responses in Typeform.

CalvoConBarba

Found an “easier” way!

Let’s say one of the respondents upload the file NOMBRE.jpg using the form.
Typeform will upload the file to Google Drive as c3784e36517b-NOMBRE.jpg
In Google Sheets, typeform will add a link to the file, something like https://api.typeform.com/responses/files/129b15228291b7de6fe01016fa3a8e465f24b609720e432ed2b369d317f30d83/NOMBRE.jpg
If I then apply, in Google sheets, the formula =REGEXEXTRACT(A1;".*/(.*)”)  [where A1 is the cell where the link is], it will extract everything AFTER the last “/”, which in this example will be NOMBRE.jpg

And with that, I can search for the file in Google Drive and match it with its author.

If I want to take it one step further, I can probably (using Zapier or Make.com) create a recipe that search for it, download it un re-upload it to Google Sheets/Notion, so I can have everything in one place, but I’m happy with this solution as is by now.


Thanks for the inspiration @Tom Pieterson !!

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