The One Hit Wonder Zap

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One of my favorite quotes from Ed Kless goes “Today’s problems are yesterday’s solutions.”

I really like this quote for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it’s funny and a laugh is always good. But I also like the quote because it keeps me humble; I know that one day, hopefully in a far future, a perfectly good solution of mine may become a problem.

Which leads me to my file folder organization system. Our firm is expanding, we are hiring, I am moving and reorganizing more files than I want to count from our server to Sharefile. I want more standardization within each client folder and an easy way to assign access to specific team members. My original file folder organization system has become a problem. The future is here.

So I created a zap that I only needed to use one time. The full workflow created all my new client folders in a main folder with all the standard subfolders I want for each client.

The resulting first level view of the new client folders is shown below. I am using the Sharefile Windows Explorer app to access the files directly from my desktop. 

This zap took no more than ten minutes to create and it saved me hours. Here’s how I did it.

You will need:

  • Sharefile - an cloud-based file collaboration system
  • Google Sheets
  • Zapier - an app that allows you to create synchronizations between thousands of other apps by creating a zap; we like to refer to Zapier as the One App That Rules Them All

Workflow:

Sharefile (set up) ->  Google Sheets (set up) -> Create and test Zap -> 2nd Google Sheet (set up) -> Run One Hit Wonder -> Apply Sharefile Dynamic Folder Template 

Steps:

1. Sharefile (set up). Create the new folder template in Sharefile. 

For Business Plan subscription users and above, Sharefile has a feature called Dynamic Folder Templates. You find it in Settings, Admin Settings, Advanced Preferences, Folder Templates. You can create folders within subfolders within subfolders as part of a template. I didn’t test all the limits of this, but I did go three folders deep.

You can create multiple different templates if you want, but only one template can be applied to a folder. Remember that you can always create additional subfolders in a folder that has a Dynamic Folder Template associated with it by adding a folder as you normally would, so keep the folder template basic. Warning: if you’ve never used Dynamic Folder Templates in Sharefile, take some time to understand what happens when you delete a folder from the template. Spoiler: all the files in it also get deleted.

Once you’ve created the folder template, create a master folder in Sharefile called Clients.  This will be the root (main) folder for all the new client folders. The new folder template will be applied to all folders within Clients as a final step.

Below is an example of a basic folder template. 

2. Google Sheets (set up). 

Create a simple Google Sheet with one column labeled Client Name. This is the sheet that will trigger the zap. Put only one client name in it for testing.

3. Create and test the zap.

This zap is as simple as it gets.  It has one trigger (the creation of a new row in the Google sheet) and one action (the creation of a folder in Sharefile). Follow the instructions in Zapier and test the zap using the one client name you entered in Step 2. Troubleshoot as needed. Activate the zap.

4. 2nd Google sheet (set up).

Create a list of the remaining client names.

Create a second Google Sheet and enter the full list of client names as you want them to appear in Sharefile (omitting the name already in the first Sheet).

5. Run the One Hit Wonder Zap.

Copy and paste the Client Name column from the second sheet into the first sheet below the original name. This triggers the Batch Create Sharefile Folders zap and Sharefile will create  folders for all the new client names in the list.

6. Apply Sharefile Dynamic Folder Template.

Finally, log into Sharefile as the administrator to apply the Dynamic Folder Template to the Client main folder.

Select Folder Templates to view the list of all folder templates. Select the folder image in Apply Template to Folder.

Then select your main folder (Clients) and then hit the Apply button.

Done!

Normally, we think of automations as something you create when you need to do something repeatedly.  But once you have the tools and some experience, you can begin creating automations that take only a few minutes to set up but save hours of time. 

That’s a One Hit Wonder Zap. Problem solved. For now.

Author Bio: Neal Coogler is owner and senior partner of All About Business Services, a QuickBooks consulting and accounting services firm. She is an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor, Advanced Proadvisor Master Class graduate, QuickBooks Desktop Proadvisor, and Xero Partner.  She is also an ICB Certified Associate Bookkeeper specializing in 3rd party application integration.

A former QA developer and technical writer, she loves all things techie and enjoys developing accounting ecosystems for her clients.  Neal was the Accountant Judge at the 2017 Intuit Small Business Hackathon in San Jose, immediately preceding the QB Connect conference.