Writing a Personal Automation API: Part 1 - Getting Started
In my previous post, I outlined how every dev should write a personal automation API. I specifically mentioned that the easiest/cheapest way to do this is probably to write your API in Google Apps Script. Here I’m going to walk through how to start building the API framework in Google Apps Script.
Every developer should write a personal automation API
A few years ago I fell in love with If This Then That (IFTTT). It’s a remarkable, free service that lets you build simple rules for hundreds of apps, web services, IOT devices, and more. It’s a great concept, and so amazing that I could not do it justice in this post. If you’re not familiar with IFTTT (or the new Microsoft-hosted competitor, Flow), drop what you are doing and go check them out right now. Seriously, I can wait.
IFTTT filled a gap in my digital life I hadn’t thought to fill before. But after using it for a while, I found myself itching for an even higher level of customization. I wanted to transform outputs, to chain rules together, and to add condition statements. Basically, I wanted IFTTT to be a free, hosted cron job executor with a nice UI, mobile apps, and hundreds of libraries I could use. I loved the simplicity of the rudimentary rules engined they offered, but I wanted more. I suspect many developers felt the same way.