What’s the difference between apps (like zapier and make) and web automation (TaskMagic)
What’s the difference between apps (like zapier and make) and web automation (TaskMagic)
The Evolution of Automation: Apps vs. Browser Recording
In the realm of automation, understanding the nuanced differences between utilizing apps and browser recordings is crucial. Let's dive into the fundamental disparities that define these two approaches and how they streamline tasks in distinct ways.
Browser Automation: Unveiling the Step-By-Step Journey
Browser automation involves navigating to a website and executing a series of actions in a step-by-step fashion. Picture yourself on a webpage, extracting data, clicking, typing, hovering, and pressing keys. Each action is meticulously laid out, defining the process intricately.
The Charm of App Automation: Simplifying Complex Actions
In contrast, app automation presents a more concise and efficient method. Instead of multiple steps, an app acts as a unified form where data submission triggers the desired action. Tasks like searching Google Sheets, filtering rows, and updating information can be seamlessly accomplished through app functionalities.
The Limitations and Advantages of Apps
While apps offer a streamlined approach, not all tasks lend themselves to this method. For instance, activities like following someone on Instagram may require traditional browser automation due to the unavailability of a dedicated app. It's essential to recognize when apps can enhance efficiency and when browser recordings are more suitable for the task at hand.
Integrating Browser and App Actions
The synergy between browser and app automation can revolutionize workflows. By combining browser actions such as scraping data from websites with app functionalities like updating Google Sheets, users can achieve a harmonious blend of efficiency and effectiveness. This integration optimizes processes, reducing manual steps and enhancing productivity.
Embracing the Power of Hybrid Automation
A prime example of the symbiotic relationship between browser and app automation is evident in scenarios like scraping Instagram profiles and updating Google Sheets. This hybrid approach allows users to extract data from web sources and seamlessly sync it with their preferred applications, all with minimal effort.
In conclusion, mastering the art of automation involves leveraging the strengths of both apps and browser recordings. Understanding when to utilize each method based on the task requirements is key to optimizing workflows and achieving enhanced productivity levels.
By embracing the evolution of automation and harnessing the capabilities of apps and browser recordings, users can unveil a new realm of efficiency and effectiveness in their operations.
Video
Steps
Step 1- Browser recording is going to page—Scrape text —Type step—Click Step —Hover step etc
![Notion image](https://www.notion.so/image/https%3A%2F%2Fprod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F933fd0c3-a154-47b4-90fa-73be506fc7f9%2F97b21e23-7bac-4d4c-8b96-299de21ba638%2FUntitled.png?table=block&id=d9085d94-e85c-4e65-93a3-c7a599b502aa&cache=v2)
Step 2- App recording is working on any sheet or google sheet for scraping, drown down etc
![Notion image](https://www.notion.so/image/https%3A%2F%2Fprod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F933fd0c3-a154-47b4-90fa-73be506fc7f9%2Ffe20f56b-dadc-459b-994a-2a5abf92004b%2FUntitled.png?table=block&id=3e1d9f1b-1bfb-4dfb-a482-ef5871760225&cache=v2)
Step 3- App recording is working on google sheets with different options to select and filling
![Notion image](https://www.notion.so/image/https%3A%2F%2Fprod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F933fd0c3-a154-47b4-90fa-73be506fc7f9%2F872fcde8-b5f6-4088-8686-bbbb1624ce8e%2FUntitled.png?table=block&id=089cfa16-9bff-40e3-a1f8-8adc05dc8f66&cache=v2)
Step 4- Click on Play steps to run the automation recording
![Notion image](https://www.notion.so/image/https%3A%2F%2Fprod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F933fd0c3-a154-47b4-90fa-73be506fc7f9%2F84eadf0b-3ba0-4ed7-b87f-fee15f8deeca%2FUntitled.png?table=block&id=04e3811c-e4ce-43e3-914f-d5dbbb03f0a7&cache=v2)
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
So the difference between apps and browser automation is browser automation is actually going to the website and performing these actions. So for example, I'm going to this page, then I'm scraping, then I'm scraping, then I'm scraping, et cetera. We have all of these separate steps. We're taking like clicking, typing, hovering, key press, things like this.
And app compared to these being browser recordings is something where we have, you can call it like a form that when submitted completes, whatever the action should be. So instead of us having a bunch of steps for going to Google sheets and looking up the row, scraping all of the rows and then filtering based on the row, which one we're actually looking for.
We can just use the Google sheet action to call find rows and pass it the data that we want to look what we need up and complete whatever that action is same with this one, which is updating the row. Instead of us recording all of the steps, we just have a simple app that is similar to a form that we can submit that completes those things.
Now, not everything you're looking to do on the web will have an app. For example, following someone on Instagram does not have an app available that you'll ever be able to use to complete that. You'll need to record a browser automation. So the difference between a lot of them is apps will Apps may not be supported for your use case.
However, when it is, it's a great addition as it can simplify a lot of things. So this flow, for example, is going to go over Instagram profiles, and then it is going to find that row in this worksheet and update it with the rest of their profile information. Since right now I only have the URL to that profile.
So this is this Albi user and what we're able to do now by merging the two is go and perform some browser actions like visiting this profile and scraping this information, then we can call an app action to update that in our Google Sheet instead of needing to actually go and visit this Google Sheet, we can just use the app.
So we'll see that get updated now. And then it's going to move on to the next row in this automation to complete the rest of the actions. So this is a perfect example of them working together. You have something going to do a bunch of browser things that you normally can't do. And then it's communicating with an app that you're probably more familiar with, with your Zapier style Pavley style building.