ifttt

Use ifttt to create "recipes" of automation?no code or scripting required?and kiss your worries goodbye. Ifttt stands for "if this, then that." It's a free website and service that lets you automate simple tasks in your digital life, such as "if there is an upcoming event on my Google Calendar, then send me a text message reminder with the event name, time, and address," or "If someone tags a photo of me on Facebook, then save a copy of that photo to Dropbox."

The most amazing thing about ifttt is how simple it is to use. You might assume that these commands, or "recipes" as they're called on ifttt.com, would require some programming know-how?but they don't. The site shows you how to build a command using icons, and then customize them by clicking a button or two, or typing what you want. They couldn't be easier to write and implement, and once they're in place, you can kick back and relax because ifttt follows through on what it promises to do.

Anyone can sign up for a free account on ifttt. To write commands, you have to enable the apps and services that you want ifttt to be able to reach, such as your Facebook, Google, Twitter, Instagram, email, SMS, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Instapaper, Flickr, Foursquare, Vimeo, and even Philips Hue (smart, app-controlled lighting in your home). It can also pull data from weather apps, stock tickers, and dozens of other services.

How to Create a Recipe in Ifttt
Here's an example of a recipe I created and the steps to do it:

"If I share a link on Facebook, then save it to a spreadsheet on Google Drive."

1. Click "Create."

2. A large line of text appears reading "if this then that" and "this" is underlined and in blue. Clicking "this" brings up a list of available sites and services, called "trigger channels," which are shown as icons with their names underneath. I choose "Facebook."

3. Next, I can "choose a trigger" from five available options. I chose "new link post by you," and clicked "create trigger."

4. Then I saw "if [Facebook icon], then that," which "that" underlined and in blue.

5. I clicked "that" and choose the Google Drive icon. Then I could select again from a list of actions, such as "upload file from URL," "create a document," "append to a document," and so forth. I chose "add row to a spreadsheet."

6. Finally, ifttt showed me a few text fields where I could enter additional details about the recipe, such as the name of the spreadsheet (which it said it would create if it did not yet exist) and the folder path. It also had an item for what to put in the row, pre-filled in with the basics (date and time created, title of post, link, description), and here were more options, this time from a drop-down menu, so that I could customize these fine details. I then hit "create action" to save all my changes to initialize the recipe.

Note that if your automations don't seem to work straightaway, you may have to check the "channel" you have enabled to make sure they are active and validated. Ifttt doesn't have a warning flag that tells you if, for example, you have temporarily deactivated your connection to an account.

Other Users' Recipes
While you can create your own commands from scratch, ifttt also lets you browse recipes that other users have created and made public. A section for browsing recipes lets you see what's new, or what's hot or popular. Whenever I look through ifttt's suggested recipes, I always find automations that would make my digital life so much easier and richer, but that I never would have thought to create on my own. It's a marvelous place to explore.

Ifttt gives the user control over the recipes once they're created as well, so you can turn them on or off any time without deleting the recipe from your file. An activity log shows you not only the recipes you've created and when you toggled them on and off, but also other factors that might affect ifttt's ability to perform the function, such as failed API calls.

When you enable a phone number in ifttt for either text messaging or phone calls, you have to enter a code sent to that number, which helps ensure no one uses ifttt for nefarious purposes.

The site's design puts huge lettering and icons on a white background. It drives home the point that this site is meant to be simple. Point at what you need, click it, and let ifttt handle the rest. And from a readability standpoint, it's not often I can read everything on a page without having to zoom.

Does ifttt Work?
All the recipes I've created and tried, including those that use SMS messages, have worked, although some took longer than others to take effect. Most initiated immediately, however. Delays, when they do occur, could be caused by some site's servers or possibly the complexity of the recipe?it's hard to pinpoint the problem. But that's the only issue I've had with this otherwise phenomenal site.

Ifttt is a PCMag Editors' Choice website and service, and is one of my favorite sites for making my life simple and better organized.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/2HIwSSazWF0/0,2817,2399266,00.asp

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