Automating Daily Reports
In this episode of Build It With Tim, we're diving into the process of sending daily PDF reports for open projects using scheduled tasks and PDF pages. The goal here is to automate the process of generating a PDF report for each project that currently has open tasks and then emailing it to the respective project manager. Let's break down the steps to achieve this.
Firstly, within the Tadabase Database Builder, you need to create the PDF report you want to send. Under the Automation tab, navigate to PDF Pages and create a new PDF page. Choose the Detail view type to display one record from the projects data table along with connected tasks, expenses, and notes. Customize this page by adding components displaying relevant project information, open tasks, expenses, and notes.
Next, you'll configure scheduled tasks to automate the process. In the Data Builder, add an attachments field to store the generated PDF reports. Then, create two scheduled tasks. The first task, named "Create PDF," runs daily at 9 a.m. and creates the PDF report for projects with open tasks. Set a condition to create the PDF only if the number of open tasks is greater than zero. Save the generated PDF to the attachments field.
The second task, "Send Daily Report," runs at 9:30 a.m. daily. It checks projects with open tasks and sends an email to the project manager. Set the same condition as before and configure the email details such as recipient, sender, subject, and message content. Attach the PDF from the attachments field to the email.
To summarize, the workflow involves checking projects for open tasks, generating a PDF report using PDF Pages, saving it to a record through scheduled tasks, and then emailing it to the respective project manager. By automating this process, you ensure that project managers receive daily updates on their open projects without manual intervention.
That's it for today's episode of Build It With Tim. We hope this guide helps you automate your PDF reporting process effectively. If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out. Happy automating!