Using Zapier to Connect to Asana


Zapier enables users to send Ideas created in Brightidea into your Asana system as new tasks or projects. Zapier also opens up the ability to send Asana tasks into Brightidea to generate new Ideas. This article will showcase both creating a task or project in Asana from Brightidea, and creating a new idea in a Brightidea pipeline from Asana through Zapier and Webhooks.

Passing Brightidea Submissions into Asana (Outgoing Webhooks)

Setting up the Webhook

In Zapier

Begin configuring a Zap with 'Webhooks by Zapier' and follow the prompts to get a URL:
Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_2.47.11_PM.png

In Brightidea

Open Brightidea and create a rule:

  • Method: Post (to match Zapier configuration)
  • URL: Copy and paste from configuration above
  • Content type: JSON
  • Header: HDR1:hdr1
  • Body: start with the sample code below to send all of the dynamic fields to Zapier

Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_2.49.37_PM.png

{"Activity":{"AffiliateName":"[AFFILIATE_NAME]","AffiliateID":"[AFFILIATE_ID]","InitiativeName":"[INITIATIVE_NAME]","InitiativeID":"[INITIATIVE_ID]","ContactEmail":"[CONTACT_EMAIL]"},"Idea":{"SubmitterEmail":"[EMAIL]","IdeaCode":"[IDEA_CODE]","IdeaTitle":"[IDEA_TITLE]","IdeaID":"[IDEA_URL]","IdeaDescription":"[IDEA_DESCRIPTION]","IdeaURL":"[IDEA_ID]"}}

 

Return to Zapier

Continue to follow the prompts to configure the action with test data:

  • Send a test request by triggering the rule. It should come across nicely like this:
    Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_2.54.22_PM.png
  • Select the action to perform. For us, we will create a new Asana task or project using the fields from above.
  • Choose Asana as the app, and "Create Project" or “Create Task”  as the Action Event.
    Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_2.55.29_PM.png
  • Next, Zapier will ask you to select the workspace and/or project you want to pass the Brightidea ideas into, and customize/map the fields using the Brightidea data fields you've configured above.
    Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_2.56.42_PM.png
  • Confirm via the test prompts that everything is coming through and matching up correctly

Once the zap is correctly set up, anytime your newly created rule triggers (i.e. when an idea hits a certain step), the Idea will be passed into the selected Asana workspace as a new project/task.

 

Example Workflow

 

Let's say we have an Idea Box set up for enhancement requests, and we want to push the requests into Asana at a certain step. 

Create the rule using the steps listed above, and make the event the triggers the rule "Added to Step":

Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.05.03_PM.png

 

Once the rule is created, move one of your ideas into the Step you've connected to the trigger.

Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.06.15_PM.png

In the background, the configured rule will fire, and the HTTP Request (Webhook) will push the idea into Asana as a new task or project.

 

In Asana:

Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.08.19_PM.png

 

Incoming Webhooks (Passing Asana Tasks into Brightidea)

Setting up the Webhook

In Terminal or Postman

  • Locate the pipeline ID for the initiative you want to connect to Asana. Easiest method is to get it from the end of the URL in Steps or List view:

Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.12.51_PM.png 

  • You'll now need to add a webhook through an API call to that specific pipeline that will catch an incoming requests. Here's how it will look in Postman:
    1. Grab an access token by making a request into /_oauth2/token (see: Authentication - Password Credentials Flow for details)
      Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.16.14_PM.png
    2. Once you have a token, you will need to POST into /_webhook/add using the token in the header and the pipeline ID in the form data.
      Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.17.19_PM.png
    3. If successful, you will receive a hash_id that you will be able to use in your requests from Zapier/Asana:
      Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.18.14_PM.png

In Zapier

Now that we have a hash ID connected to the specific pipeline, we can set up a Zap that will use the static hash rather than an access token (the latter would need to be refreshed every hour). 

  • Begin configuring a Zap with 'New Task (or Project) in Asana
    Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.20.08_PM.png
  • Choose the workspace and/or project you want Zapier to watch and pull new objects from Asana to send into Brightidea.
  • Test your trigger to make sure it's pulling objects from the Asana workspace/project successfully.
  • Next, configure the webhook with 'Webhooks by Zapier'  and choose "POST" as the event:
    Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.21.03_PM.png
  • Configure the webhook to match the fields needed to create an Idea within Brightidea. 
    •  Required Fields:
      • hash_id: Use the hash you received in the steps listed above.
      • action: create_idea
      • title: This will be the title of your newly created idea (map it to a dynamic column header in the Asana table)
      • description: This will be the description of your newly created idea (map it to a dynamic column header in the Asana table)
    • Optional Fields:

Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.22.42_PM.png

  • Confirm via the test prompts that everything is coming through and matching up correctly.

Once the zap is correctly set up, anytime a task/project is added to a specific workspace in Asana, the object will be passed into your selected Brightidea initiative as a new idea.

 

Example Workflow

 

Let's say we have a project built on the backend in Asana to capture new ideas coming inbound from customers. We want to manage those ideas alongside all the ideas within Brightidea and keep everything under one roof. 

Once the Zap is built and turned on, add a new task into the Asana table.
Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.24.13_PM.png

After the Asana task is added, the Zap will read the action, and fire off a POST request based on the Webhook. The idea will then be created within Brightidea:

Screen_Shot_2021-10-27_at_3.25.13_PM.png

 



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