WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.919 All right. Welcome to the deep dive. This one, 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:04.919 this is really built just for you. You know, 00:00:04.940 --> 00:00:07.940 someone who wants to get smarter with this stuff 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:10.419 faster without getting totally swamped. Yeah, 00:00:10.460 --> 00:00:12.460 exactly. We're like cutting through the noise. 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:15.859 We are. And today we're diving deep into NEN 00:00:15.859 --> 00:00:19.980 automation workflows. But we're going way past 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:21.519 the usual stuff. We're talking about finding 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:24.559 those like hidden tricks, the ones most people 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:26.579 don't even know are there. Right. The kind of 00:00:26.579 --> 00:00:29.320 things that can. genuinely level up how you build 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:31.719 automations make a real difference. Oh, for sure. 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:33.700 And we're using this great article as our guide. 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.899 It's called 28 NEN Tricks for Automation Workflow 00:00:36.899 --> 00:00:41.600 Mastery, Part 1. And yeah, it's pretty dense. 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:44.539 It promises those aha moments. Yeah. I think 00:00:44.539 --> 00:00:47.179 it delivers. It really does. So our goal today, 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:50.299 pull out the absolute best, most actionable stuff 00:00:50.299 --> 00:00:52.320 from this first part. We want to help you go 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:55.179 from just, you know, using NEN to, well... The 00:00:55.179 --> 00:00:56.920 article calls it an automation wizard, which 00:00:56.920 --> 00:00:59.280 sounds kind of cool. Yeah, yeah, it does sound 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:01.640 cool. But practically speaking, it's about boosting 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:03.759 your productivity. The article even mentions 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:06.340 maybe being like 10 times more productive. Which 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:08.239 would be amazing. And also building stuff that's, 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:12.340 you know, more solid, more resilient, less likely 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:15.810 to just fall over. Or robust, yeah. exactly handling 00:01:15.810 --> 00:01:18.989 things better so this part one covers 28 tricks 00:01:18.989 --> 00:01:21.790 kind of breaks down into keyboard shortcuts which 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:25.549 sound basic but trust me they aren't then data 00:01:25.549 --> 00:01:28.250 handling organizing your workflows and some uh 00:01:28.250 --> 00:01:31.230 more advanced data stuff too it's a really solid 00:01:31.230 --> 00:01:33.489 foundation they lay out okay let's jump in then 00:01:33.489 --> 00:01:37.060 first section Becoming a keyboard ninja. Ah, 00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:39.120 yes. Getting away from the mouse. It seems small, 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:41.420 but honestly, the speed difference is huge. The 00:01:41.420 --> 00:01:43.200 source basically says your mouse is in a bottleneck, 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:46.060 like full stop. Totally. And just keeping your 00:01:46.060 --> 00:01:48.219 hands on the keyboard. It helps you stay in the 00:01:48.219 --> 00:01:50.920 zone, you know. Less context switching. Right. 00:01:51.019 --> 00:01:53.120 So the first few are maybe things you know, but 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:55.260 they're essential. Plus and minus for Zoom. You 00:01:55.260 --> 00:01:58.079 need that control. Yeah. Basic, but you use it 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:00.219 all the time to either focus in or see the big 00:02:00.219 --> 00:02:02.359 picture. But here's where navigation gets really 00:02:02.359 --> 00:02:05.140 neat. The instant view adjustments. Like pressing 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:07.400 one, boom, your whole workflow fits on the screen 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:10.400 instantly. Oh that is so handy like just for 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:12.879 like getting your bearings or finding that one 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:15.460 node you lost track of. I use one constantly 00:02:15.460 --> 00:02:17.460 and zero is your centers whatever you've got 00:02:17.460 --> 00:02:20.039 selected perfectly no more fiddly dragging. Yeah 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:22.360 saves a lot of frustration especially on complex 00:02:22.360 --> 00:02:26.199 canvases a real sanity saver. And then node hopping 00:02:26.199 --> 00:02:28.819 select a node then just use the arrow keys zip 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:31.699 between connected nodes super fast. Way way quicker 00:02:31.699 --> 00:02:33.300 than clicking especially when things are kind 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:35.039 of clustered together and if you hit the rest 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:38.419 Enter on a selected node. Instantly opens the 00:02:38.419 --> 00:02:40.780 parameters panel. Love that one. Yep. Quick editing 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:44.360 access. And, you know, the classic Kuti ILE CMD 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:47.960 plus A, select everything for moving big chunks 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:50.360 or copying. Standard shortcut. But yeah, essential 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:52.439 in Andan for managing those larger workflows. 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:55.560 Okay, now for the real speed stuff. The instant 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:58.280 node menu, the tab trick. Man, this might be 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:00.340 my favorite simple one. Forget clicking the big 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:03.449 plus sign. Just hit tab. anywhere yeah and that 00:03:03.449 --> 00:03:05.849 node search menu just pops right up cursor blanking 00:03:05.849 --> 00:03:09.110 ready to go start typing hit enter bam note added 00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:11.750 it shaves off these tiny moments that just add 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:14.150 up like crazy it's one of those things that feels 00:03:14.150 --> 00:03:15.909 minor until you start doing it that it feels 00:03:15.909 --> 00:03:18.770 massive and the next one builds on it smart connections 00:03:18.770 --> 00:03:22.150 select node then hit tab type your next node 00:03:22.150 --> 00:03:24.449 hit enter and it automatically connects it just 00:03:24.449 --> 00:03:27.349 chains them together that right there is like 00:03:27.349 --> 00:03:29.909 the core of building workflows super fast. It 00:03:29.909 --> 00:03:31.629 feels really intuitive, you know, like you're 00:03:31.629 --> 00:03:33.669 just thinking the workflow into existence. And 00:03:33.669 --> 00:03:37.330 for running it, CDRL CMD plus enter, quick workflow 00:03:37.330 --> 00:03:39.490 execution. Yep, faster than clicking the button. 00:03:39.770 --> 00:03:41.530 Keeps the hands on the keyboard. Speaking of 00:03:41.530 --> 00:03:46.370 hands on the keyboard, CTRL CMD plus S save all 00:03:46.370 --> 00:03:49.139 the time. It's muscle memory. Yes. The source 00:03:49.139 --> 00:03:52.319 really emphasizes this. NEN does autosave, but 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:55.759 hitting save manually creates more fine -grained 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.740 recovery points in the history. Yeah. Super important 00:03:57.740 --> 00:03:59.639 if, you know, your browser decides to crash. 00:03:59.740 --> 00:04:03.159 Okay. Or you just make a mistake, which happens. 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:05.360 Oh, yeah. Been there. That history feature is 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:07.740 a lifesaver. Definitely. Okay. Moving on to pro 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:11.300 selection. directional node selection use shift 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:14.379 plus arrow keys select a node shift plus right 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:17.420 arrow and it grabs that node plus everything 00:04:17.420 --> 00:04:20.199 downstream connected to it in that specific path 00:04:20.199 --> 00:04:24.000 shift plus left goes upstream it's way more precise 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.100 than just dragging a selection box especially 00:04:26.100 --> 00:04:28.500 when your workflow gets tangled oh yeah for sure 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:31.519 okay another quick one instant sticky notes shift 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:34.990 plus s then click bam Little note right where 00:04:34.990 --> 00:04:37.709 you need it. Super fast. Yeah, just for jotting 00:04:37.709 --> 00:04:39.769 down a quick thought or reminder. We'll come 00:04:39.769 --> 00:04:41.230 back to making those notes even better later. 00:04:41.610 --> 00:04:45.670 Ooh, foreshadowing. Nice. And the last keyboard 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:48.709 one here, deactivate. Activate nodes. The D key. 00:04:49.069 --> 00:04:52.149 Select a node. Hit D. And it just grays out. 00:04:52.370 --> 00:04:55.129 Gets skipped when the workflow runs. This is 00:04:55.129 --> 00:04:57.430 so useful for testing, right? Totally. Test just 00:04:57.430 --> 00:05:00.920 one part. Or disable something temporarily. Or 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:02.759 maybe turn off a branch that's giving you trouble 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:04.639 while you figure it out. Just toggle it on and 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:07.220 off super quick. So why fuss over all these keyboard 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:09.519 tricks? The source makes a pretty strong argument. 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:11.920 It's that cumulative time saving, right? On a 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:15.319 workflow with like 20, 30, maybe 50 nodes, the 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:17.959 article suggests it could turn, say, three hours 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:20.519 of clicking into maybe just 30 focused minutes. 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:23.160 That's huge. Yeah. And it keeps you in that flow 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:25.220 state. You're not constantly breaking your concentration, 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:28.019 switching back and forth. It's like learning 00:05:28.019 --> 00:05:30.339 to touch type versus hunting and pecking for 00:05:30.339 --> 00:05:32.560 your automation building. That's a perfect analogy, 00:05:32.740 --> 00:05:35.139 actually. So we've sped up the how, but what 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:39.680 about the what? The data itself. Exactly. Let's 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:41.420 shift gears. Time for some data manipulation 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:45.300 magic. Tricks to understand and shape that data 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:47.759 flow effectively. Taming the data before it tames 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:49.680 you. as the source puts it. I like that. Yeah, 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:52.759 too. First up, the schema preview superpower. 00:05:53.220 --> 00:05:55.639 This is seeing the expected data structure before 00:05:55.639 --> 00:05:58.699 you run anything. Yeah. For nodes that talk to 00:05:58.699 --> 00:06:02.100 known services, think Airtable, OpenAI, Notion, 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:04.759 whatever NA may, can often show you this kind 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:07.839 of grayed out phantom preview in the output panel. 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:10.079 It's what it thinks the data will look like. 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:12.079 And the really cool part, you can actually drag 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.420 fields from that phantom preview directly into 00:06:14.420 --> 00:06:16.920 your expression editors downstream. This is massive. 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:19.160 You can start building your logic, mapping things 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:21.319 out, before you even make the first real API 00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:23.939 call. It saves time, prevents typos because you're 00:06:23.939 --> 00:06:27.180 dragging, not typing field names. And saves API 00:06:27.180 --> 00:06:29.860 credits. Because you're not running it over and 00:06:29.860 --> 00:06:32.379 over just to see the structure. No more guesswork. 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:34.759 It's like having the data blueprint before the 00:06:34.759 --> 00:06:39.779 data even arrives. So good. Okay, next. Pin and 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:43.019 edit strategy. Stop wasting those API calls during 00:06:43.019 --> 00:06:45.939 testing. This is critical, especially with paid 00:06:45.939 --> 00:06:49.019 services like LLMs. Run the node that gets the 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:52.339 data once. Get your output. Then hit P or click 00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:55.240 the little pin icon. And that locks in that exact 00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:57.360 data for that node. It won't run again when you 00:06:57.360 --> 00:06:59.639 test the workflow. It just uses the pin data. 00:06:59.959 --> 00:07:01.819 But the real power, like the article says, is 00:07:01.819 --> 00:07:04.339 you can click into that pin data and edit the 00:07:04.339 --> 00:07:07.579 JSON directly. Yes. simulate anything. What if 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:09.360 a field is missing? What if a value is different? 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:10.959 What if you get an error message? Just type it 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.139 into the pin JSON. And then you can test all 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:15.519 your downstream logic, your IF nodes, your error 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:18.279 handling with controlled static data without 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:21.720 making another real ATI call. It's huge for saving 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:24.009 time and money. And it works for trigger nodes, 00:07:24.149 --> 00:07:26.269 too. You can run a trigger manually, pin the 00:07:26.269 --> 00:07:28.370 output, and then even paste in totally different 00:07:28.370 --> 00:07:31.170 JSON to simulate various incoming webhooks or 00:07:31.170 --> 00:07:33.769 events. Total simulation power. Yeah. Yeah, this 00:07:33.769 --> 00:07:35.689 is such an underrated feature for building robust 00:07:35.689 --> 00:07:37.990 workflows. For sure. Okay, one more quick one 00:07:37.990 --> 00:07:40.949 in this Davis section. The instant expression 00:07:40.949 --> 00:07:44.350 mode shortcut. Just typing. Oh, man, this saves 00:07:44.350 --> 00:07:47.189 so many clicks. Seriously. Right. Instead of 00:07:47.189 --> 00:07:49.889 click the field, click add expression, then type. 00:07:50.269 --> 00:07:52.750 Just type as the very first character in any 00:07:52.750 --> 00:07:55.949 field that takes expressions. And boom, you're 00:07:55.949 --> 00:07:57.470 instantly in expression mode, ready for your 00:07:57.470 --> 00:07:59.250 stuff. Yeah, you can just type hellojson .name 00:07:59.250 --> 00:08:00.949 straight away. Keeps you on the keyboard. Saves 00:08:00.949 --> 00:08:03.709 countless tiny clicks. So these data tricks, 00:08:03.870 --> 00:08:06.410 the schema preview, pin and edit, these shortcut, 00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:09.670 they really give you way more flexibility and 00:08:09.670 --> 00:08:12.269 confidence when you're building. Totally. You're 00:08:12.269 --> 00:08:14.670 working with data in a much more controlled, 00:08:14.769 --> 00:08:17.910 predictable, and... Yeah, cost -effective way. 00:08:18.009 --> 00:08:19.670 Builds better workflows. Okay, so we're building 00:08:19.670 --> 00:08:22.610 faster. We're handling data smarter. What's next? 00:08:22.850 --> 00:08:25.230 Keeping it all organized. Avoiding that, you 00:08:25.230 --> 00:08:27.410 know, spaghetti monster on the canvas. Workflow 00:08:27.410 --> 00:08:30.209 organization is key. Oh, gosh, yes. Trying to 00:08:30.209 --> 00:08:33.309 debug a messy workflow. Or hand it off. It's 00:08:33.309 --> 00:08:35.750 a nightmare. Good organization makes them maintainable, 00:08:35.789 --> 00:08:38.909 scalable, professional, really. First trick here 00:08:38.909 --> 00:08:41.389 builds on something earlier, smart sticky notes. 00:08:41.590 --> 00:08:44.750 Remember, shift plus S to create one, while the 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:47.970 power up is markdown. Yes. You can use full markdown 00:08:47.970 --> 00:08:50.889 formatting inside sticky notes. Headings, bold, 00:08:51.210 --> 00:08:54.129 italics, bullet points, numbered lists, even 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:56.929 links. It turns them from simple reminders into 00:08:56.929 --> 00:08:59.590 actual little documentation blocks right on the 00:08:59.590 --> 00:09:01.909 canvas. You can structure explanations. And the 00:09:01.909 --> 00:09:04.519 source even mentions embedding images. If you 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:07.240 host an image somewhere with a direct link, you 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:09.279 can use the .alt .rel markdown to show it right 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:11.639 there. Kind of cool for diagrams or quick visual 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:14.840 references. Definitely. Next up, purposeful color 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:17.259 coding. Apply colors to nodes and sticky notes. 00:09:17.460 --> 00:09:19.279 Makes the whole workflow instantly easier to 00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:21.799 scan and understand, but... Consistency is key. 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:24.039 You need a system. The article suggests one, 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:26.700 like white for standard stuff, red for critical 00:09:26.700 --> 00:09:29.100 actions, yellow for important notes, green for 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.899 success points, blue for maybe AI or communication 00:09:31.899 --> 00:09:35.179 notes, purple for utilities. But whatever system 00:09:35.179 --> 00:09:38.500 you choose, document it. Put a sticky note right 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:40.940 there explaining your color code. Make it functional, 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:44.080 not just pretty. Absolutely. And then note naming. 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:47.919 Seriously, stop leaving nodes as set node 3 or 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:51.740 HTTP request 2. Please, this sounds so basic, 00:09:51.779 --> 00:09:54.159 but in a complex flow, it's impossible to know 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:56.980 what's going on otherwise. Set node 3 means nothing. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.779 Get new leads from Facebook ads tells you exactly 00:09:59.779 --> 00:10:02.519 what it does. Action plus object is a good formula. 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:05.740 What does it do and what's it doing it to? Your 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:08.000 future self will thank you. Anyone else looking 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:09.700 at it will thank you. And there's a shortcut, 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:13.879 F2. Or function, plus F2. Rename the node right 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:15.899 on the canvas. No need to open the panel, just 00:10:15.899 --> 00:10:17.799 make it a habit. Rename it as soon as you know 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:21.360 its purpose. Yes. Okay, next. Workflow history. 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:24.720 The built -in N8 time machine. That little clock 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:27.220 icon, top right. Saved my bacon more than once. 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:29.259 You know, you make some improvements and suddenly 00:10:29.259 --> 00:10:31.100 everything's broken. Happens to the best of us. 00:10:31.460 --> 00:10:34.259 History shows you a list of saved versions, timestamps 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:36.779 and all. You can restore an old version. Or, 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:39.440 and this is great, you can clone an old version 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:41.759 as a new workflow, perfect for trying stuff out 00:10:41.759 --> 00:10:44.100 without risking your working version, like branching. 00:10:44.179 --> 00:10:46.139 Yeah, great for experiments. You can also download 00:10:46.139 --> 00:10:48.120 the JSON for backup or if you want to compare 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:50.720 versions. The source has this funny bit about 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:53.220 how this feature saves developers from their 00:10:53.220 --> 00:10:56.679 own late -night brilliant ideas. Hey, yeah, sounds 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:59.720 about right. Relatable. And remember, CTRL -CMD 00:10:59.720 --> 00:11:03.019 plus S saves frequently create more recovery 00:11:03.019 --> 00:11:06.110 points in that history. Good reminder. Okay, 00:11:06.169 --> 00:11:09.570 last one for organization. Environment variables. 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:12.799 Using UNV. This is about putting configuration 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:17.340 stuff like API URLs, maybe dev versus prod settings, 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:20.279 non -secret tokens outside your workflow in a 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:22.899 central manageable place. It's a huge step up 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:25.179 for maintainability. No more hard coding that 00:11:25.179 --> 00:11:27.259 stuff directly in your nodes. Makes workflows 00:11:27.259 --> 00:11:29.159 cleaner and easier to move between different 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:30.799 environments. Right. You set these variables 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:33.759 outside on EDA, maybe in Docker or the .env file 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:35.899 or your cloud platform settings, and then you 00:11:35.899 --> 00:11:38.580 access them in expressions using... Your variable, 00:11:38.740 --> 00:11:42.620 like to one dot APM point plus users. Or sometimes 00:11:42.620 --> 00:11:44.740 is variable to weird chars. It just separates 00:11:44.740 --> 00:11:46.620 your configuration from your actual automation 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:49.519 logic. Much cleaner. So yeah, organization isn't 00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:51.580 just tidying up. It's building professional scalable 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:53.759 blueprints. It really is the foundation for anything 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:56.120 complex or long lasting. Okay, that brings us 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:58.600 to the final section for this part one deep dive. 00:11:59.070 --> 00:12:02.149 Advanced data wizardry. Handling the really tricky 00:12:02.149 --> 00:12:04.889 stuff. Yeah, complex structures, time -sensitive 00:12:04.889 --> 00:12:07.090 data, making sure things don't break, handling 00:12:07.090 --> 00:12:10.909 lots of items. First up, J .M. Shah. The article 00:12:10.909 --> 00:12:14.590 calls it, like, SQL, but for JSON. Basically, 00:12:14.629 --> 00:12:17.269 yeah. If you're wrestling with supernested JSON... 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:20.159 writing those crazy long game. We had json .data 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:23.500 .item .zero .user .profile .contact .things. 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:25.740 JamesPath might be your new best friend. It's 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:27.820 a query language just for JSON, much cleaner 00:12:27.820 --> 00:12:29.960 syntax. Yeah. And Mesnaz supports it directly 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:32.700 with JamesPath object expression. The source 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:34.960 gives great examples, like grabbing all emails 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:37.519 from a nested list, leads .interactions .type, 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:40.600 email .email, or filtering and reshaping data, 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:44.779 customers .age26, fullname .name, emailaddress 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:47.659 .email. Wow, okay. That looks way simpler than 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:49.700 trying to code that or use multiple set nodes. 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:52.580 They recommend checking out jamiespath .org to 00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:54.399 learn it. Definitely worth it if you deal with 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:58.500 complex JSON a lot. Okay, next, the datetime 00:12:58.500 --> 00:13:01.929 context trick. Using no dollar. Giving your workflows 00:13:01.929 --> 00:13:05.210 awareness of time, the now object is just there 00:13:05.210 --> 00:13:08.509 in expressions, ready to use. It's a lux indeed 00:13:08.509 --> 00:13:10.909 time object, which is powerful. So you can easily 00:13:10.909 --> 00:13:12.870 get the current timestamp, format dates, get 00:13:12.870 --> 00:13:14.509 the day of the week, even do math like adding 00:13:14.509 --> 00:13:16.470 seven days. But here's a critical tip from the 00:13:16.470 --> 00:13:19.929 source. Check your NAN instances time zone setting. 00:13:20.090 --> 00:13:22.789 Yes. in setting general mass time zone. If that's 00:13:22.789 --> 00:13:26.110 wrong, now might be UTC or your server's default, 00:13:26.269 --> 00:13:28.269 which can totally screw up scheduling or any 00:13:28.269 --> 00:13:30.509 logic based on local time. Good catch. Okay, 00:13:30.570 --> 00:13:33.809 quick one. Array string transformation using 00:13:33.809 --> 00:13:37.940 join and split. Simple but essential. Join separator 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:40.799 turns an array like AB into a string like AB. 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:42.820 Then split separator does the reverse, turns 00:13:42.820 --> 00:13:47.580 AB back into AB. Using .join or join in is super 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:50.139 handy for formatting lists nicely, maybe for 00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:53.139 feeding into an AI prompt or just creating readable 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:57.000 text output. Very useful. Next, JSON error prevention. 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.840 This is about cleaning up user input before you 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:02.080 stick it inside other JSON. Yeah, people type 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:05.190 weird stuff, right? Quotes, new lines, backslashes. 00:14:05.190 --> 00:14:08.690 If you just blindly put JSON. dot user input 00:14:08.690 --> 00:14:11.610 and the input has a quote your whole json breaks 00:14:11.610 --> 00:14:14.929 the fix is using dot replace with regular expressions 00:14:14.929 --> 00:14:17.909 to escape those special characters like replacing 00:14:17.909 --> 00:14:20.330 hen and you might need to chain them the source 00:14:20.330 --> 00:14:23.090 suggests maybe escaping backslashes first then 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:25.509 quotes then replacing literal new lines with 00:14:25.509 --> 00:14:27.289 the end character sequence you got to be careful 00:14:27.289 --> 00:14:29.570 before embedding raw input into json strings 00:14:29.570 --> 00:14:32.090 yeah the example was like input from a webhook 00:14:32.090 --> 00:14:34.450 you absolutely have to sanitize that before putting 00:14:34.450 --> 00:14:37.070 it in say an http request body that needs to 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:39.149 be valid JSON. It prevents a lot of weird, hard 00:14:39.149 --> 00:14:42.070 -to -debug errors. OK, next, binary data handling, 00:14:42.269 --> 00:14:44.509 working with files, PDFs, images, et cetera, 00:14:44.610 --> 00:14:47.250 the stuff under the binary property. Right. And 00:14:47.250 --> 00:14:49.669 the problem is nodes like set might accidentally 00:14:49.669 --> 00:14:52.090 drop that binary data if you're not careful how 00:14:52.090 --> 00:14:54.149 you connect things. Yeah, the next node might 00:14:54.149 --> 00:14:56.970 get the file name, JSON part, but the actual 00:14:56.970 --> 00:15:00.330 file content, binary part, disappears. Solution 00:15:00.330 --> 00:15:02.830 one, the recommended one, use the merge node. 00:15:03.009 --> 00:15:05.870 Exactly. You feed the node with the binary data. 00:15:06.269 --> 00:15:08.970 like from a download node, into one input of 00:15:08.970 --> 00:15:11.529 the merge node and maybe a set node with metadata 00:15:11.529 --> 00:15:14.710 into the other input. The merge node intelligently 00:15:14.710 --> 00:15:17.250 combines them, making sure both JSON and binary 00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:19.710 properties survive in the output item. Solution 00:15:19.710 --> 00:15:22.269 two is the code node, but the source says it's 00:15:22.269 --> 00:15:24.289 more advanced and can be tricky. You have to 00:15:24.289 --> 00:15:26.809 manually return an object containing both properties. 00:15:27.169 --> 00:15:29.269 Merge is usually the way to go. The main idea 00:15:29.269 --> 00:15:31.889 is just be aware that intermediate nodes might 00:15:31.889 --> 00:15:34.629 drop the binary data unless you explicitly preserve 00:15:34.629 --> 00:15:37.820 it. Usually with merge. Gotcha. Okay. Trick 27 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:41.580 marked as new. Item index. This pops up inside 00:15:41.580 --> 00:15:43.460 nodes that loop through lists. Right. It just 00:15:43.460 --> 00:15:45.639 gives you the number, the zero -based index of 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:47.600 the item currently being processed in the loop. 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:49.580 Which gives you really useful context inside 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:52.539 that loop. Yeah. Think about naming files sequentially. 00:15:52.840 --> 00:15:56.279 Invoice item index plus one dot PDF. Or maybe 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:57.759 doing something different for the first five 00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:01.679 items. I have index five. Or alternating actions 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.980 based on even odd index. super handy oh i can 00:16:04.980 --> 00:16:07.399 definitely see uses for that and the final trick 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:10.899 for part one number 28 also new the traffic controller 00:16:10.899 --> 00:16:13.659 split in batches node this is all about dealing 00:16:13.659 --> 00:16:17.000 with api rate limits ah yeah the classic problem 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:20.159 you have 500 things to send to an api but it 00:16:20.159 --> 00:16:23.320 only allows say 10 requests per second connect 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:26.240 an http request directly and boom errors everywhere 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:28.919 so the solution take your list of 500 items feed 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:31.649 it into the split in batches node first Tell 00:16:31.649 --> 00:16:33.490 it to break the list into smaller chunks, maybe 00:16:33.490 --> 00:16:35.769 batches of 10 in this case. Then process each 00:16:35.769 --> 00:16:38.190 batch, like with your HTTP request node, and 00:16:38.190 --> 00:16:40.370 crucially, after processing the batch, add a 00:16:40.370 --> 00:16:42.490 wait node. Exactly. Wait for maybe a second or 00:16:42.490 --> 00:16:44.330 two. This throttles your requests, keeps you 00:16:44.330 --> 00:16:46.250 under the API limit, prevents errors, makes you 00:16:46.250 --> 00:16:48.909 a good API citizen, and it even helps NAN manage 00:16:48.909 --> 00:16:52.009 memory better with large lists. That seems absolutely 00:16:52.009 --> 00:16:54.710 essential for any kind of bulk processing against 00:16:54.710 --> 00:16:57.529 external services. Totally. It makes those kinds 00:16:57.529 --> 00:17:00.450 of workflows actually reliable. Wow. Okay, that's... 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:03.559 That's a lot. That's the 28 tricks from part 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:05.440 one of the article. Yeah, we covered the keyboard 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:08.119 speed stuff, the data handling magic, keeping 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:10.380 things organized, and then some pretty powerful 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:12.539 advanced data techniques. And they really are 00:17:12.539 --> 00:17:15.059 foundational, aren't they? Like even just picking 00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:17.359 up a few of these could genuinely save hours 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:19.779 and prevent a ton of headaches. It lets you build 00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:23.359 much more capable, scalable automations. And 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:25.059 yeah, the article hints there's more in part 00:17:25.059 --> 00:17:28.890 two. Right. They mentioned things like HTTP security 00:17:28.890 --> 00:17:31.569 deep dives, error handling patterns, advanced 00:17:31.569 --> 00:17:35.269 workflow designs, even a mastery plan. But yeah. 00:17:35.630 --> 00:17:37.869 That's for another time. For sure. These 28 alone 00:17:37.869 --> 00:17:40.329 give you a massive toolkit to work with already. 00:17:40.549 --> 00:17:43.650 So, yeah, we went from navigating faster to understanding 00:17:43.650 --> 00:17:46.430 and controlling data to organizing workflows 00:17:46.430 --> 00:17:49.650 like a pro and finally into some serious data 00:17:49.650 --> 00:17:52.170 wizardry. And remember, these aren't just like 00:17:52.170 --> 00:17:54.569 tiny optimizations. They can fundamentally change 00:17:54.569 --> 00:17:57.089 how you approach building an Antidot, unlocking 00:17:57.089 --> 00:17:59.029 stuff you might not have thought possible before. 00:17:59.289 --> 00:18:02.329 Absolutely. So the challenge to you is just pick 00:18:02.329 --> 00:18:05.920 one. Or two, try the tab trick for adding nodes 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:09.000 or start naming your nodes properly every time. 00:18:09.039 --> 00:18:11.480 Just try it out in your next project. Start small, 00:18:11.700 --> 00:18:13.859 feel the difference, and then maybe layer in 00:18:13.859 --> 00:18:15.839 another trick next time. Build that muscle memory. 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.380 Exactly. So here's a final thought to leave you 00:18:18.380 --> 00:18:21.079 with. Mastering these kinds of detailed shortcuts 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:23.920 and techniques, it obviously makes you faster. 00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:26.660 But does it also change the kind of problems 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:28.910 you feel confident tackling? Think about it. 00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:32.069 What workflow felt maybe too complex, too messy, 00:18:32.230 --> 00:18:35.210 too difficult to manage before that you could 00:18:35.210 --> 00:18:38.089 potentially design and maintain now using some 00:18:38.089 --> 00:18:40.349 of these tricks? That's a really good question. 00:18:40.430 --> 00:18:42.529 It definitely expands the possibilities, doesn't 00:18:42.529 --> 00:18:44.210 it? It really does. Well, thanks for joining 00:18:44.210 --> 00:18:46.890 us on this deep dive into NAPEN tricks. Yeah. 00:18:46.930 --> 00:18:48.369 Thanks for listening. Keep automating.