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Mapulus Zapier integrationAutomate Mapulus with Zapier.

The Mapulus Zapier integration gives you 2 triggers, 3 actions and 2 searches to follow new maps and locations, and to create, update or delete locations on your Mapulus maps from other apps. Here is what each one does, what it costs and where it trips.

See the 7 operations

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Overview

What the Mapulus Zapier integration actually does

The Mapulus Zapier integration connects Mapulus, a map visualization tool for location-based insight, to Zapier, a tool that runs automations between apps. Zapier can notice new maps and new locations in Mapulus, and it can add, change or remove locations on a map layer, so your map stays in step with the rest of your tools.

Three results you can build with the 7 operations. First, a new map that gets its first point: New Map picks up the map, Find Map brings back its layer details, and Create Location places a location on that layer. Second, a team that hears about each new point: New Location starts a Zap that posts it in a chat. Third, locations that follow their source: Update Location and Delete Location change or remove a point once you hold its ID, which Find Location can supply.

What Zapier does not do for Mapulus: neither trigger is instant, so both wait for Zapier's next check, every 15 minutes on the free plan. There is no visible search for layers, so the Layer ID that Create Location requires has to come from a map's layer details or from your own records. There is no find-or-create shortcut either. And a Zap ignores everything that was on your maps before you switched it on.

If you are still weighing tools, open our Make vs Zapier comparison before you build.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight words come back on every line of this page. Here they are in plain English, once.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for that event and nothing else.
Action
What the Zap does once started: the step that writes, sends or moves something for you, such as a location on a map.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One action your Zap completes successfully counts as one task, and your plan is a number of those.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer for anything new. An instant trigger is reported by the app the moment it happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when what arrived meets the condition you set, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in an app, so the steps after it can use what it found, such as a map's layer details.
Multi-step Zap
Any Zap beyond one trigger and one action. A second action, a filter or a search makes it one, and it then needs a paid plan.
Cost

What a Mapulus Zap really costs

Mapulus is not a premium app on Zapier, so it works on the free plan. The bill is counted in tasks, and only finished actions count.

  • Premium appNo, Mapulus runs on the free plan
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, unlimited two-step Zaps
  • Trigger checksFree, never counted as tasks
  • Failed actionNot counted

The trigger never costs a task, and neither does Zapier checking Mapulus for new maps or locations, however often it looks. Each action that succeeds is one task; one that fails is not counted. A Zap with three actions uses three times what a one-action Zap uses. The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each one stops at two steps: one trigger, one action. A filter, a search or a second action makes the Zap multi-step, which needs a paid plan. The interval grid below applies to both Mapulus triggers, since they both poll.

Connect

Connect your Mapulus account to Zapier

  1. 01

    Open your connections

    In Zapier, go to the Apps page of your account and click + Add connection. A connection is your Mapulus account linked once, then reused by every step that touches Mapulus.

  2. 02

    Pick Mapulus

    Type Mapulus in the search box of the dialog that opens, select it in the results, then click Add connection. A new browser tab opens on the Mapulus side.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Sign in to Mapulus in that tab and allow Zapier to reach the account. You need a Mapulus account of your own, plus read or write access to anything you do not own and want the Zap to touch.

First Zap

Your first Mapulus Zap, step by step

GoalGive every new Mapulus map a first location, placed on the layer that Find Map returns.

  1. 01

    Build: start with the trigger

    Create a Zap, choose Mapulus as the app that starts it and New Map as the event, then select your Mapulus connection and set the required Expand Layer option.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent maps of your account, so you map the next steps on a real one rather than an empty sample.

  3. 03

    Add Find Map

    Add the search Find Map and set Expand Layer so the result carries the map's layer details. Check at test which value holds the layer's ID.

  4. 04

    Add Create Location

    Add Create Location, map the layer's ID into Layer ID and choose Create Missing Custom Attributes: true adds unknown attributes to the layer, false drops them.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test the action and look at the map in Mapulus. Then publish the Zap to switch it on. With a search in the middle, this Zap is multi-step and needs a paid plan.

Triggers

Mapulus triggers on Zapier

2 events start a Zap when something happens in Mapulus. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Location

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new Location is added to a Map.”

Starts the Zap each time a location is added to one of your Mapulus maps, and hands that point to the steps that follow.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
a new point on the map should be announced to a team, logged in a sheet or passed to another tool without anyone watching the map.
Watch out
a Zap that also runs Create Location can feed this same trigger, so check that your chain cannot start itself again.
2

New Map

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new Map is created.”

Fires on every new map created in your Mapulus account, the container your layers and locations live in.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
each new map needs a setup step, such as a first location, or should be listed somewhere your team looks.
Watch out
Expand Layer is a required setting; it adds detailed layer information to each map, which is what you need if a later step wants a layer's ID.
Actions

Mapulus actions on Zapier

Mapulus gives you 3 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Location

Action

In Zapier“Creates a Location on a Layer.”

Places a new location on a given layer of a map, with the attributes you map in.

When to use it
points from another source, such as rows or form answers, should appear on a Mapulus map without manual entry.
Watch out
Layer ID and Create Missing Custom Attributes are required. Set the second to true to create attributes the layer lacks, or false to ignore them; Travel Boundary is optional.
2

Delete Location

Action

In Zapier“Deletes a Location in the system”

Removes a location from Mapulus, chosen by its ID.

When to use it
a place is closed or removed at the source and should disappear from the map too.
Watch out
Location ID is the only required field, so a wrong ID removes the wrong point; get it from Find Location rather than typing it.
3

Update Location

Action

In Zapier“Updates a Location in the system”

Changes an existing location in Mapulus, picked by its ID.

When to use it
the data behind a point changes at the source and the map should show the new values.
Watch out
Location ID and Create Missing Custom Attributes are required; set to false, new attributes are dropped rather than added to the layer. Find Location can supply the ID.
Searches

Mapulus searches on Zapier

2 search steps look for data that already exists in Mapulus, so a later step can use it.

A search step finds something that already exists in Mapulus and passes it to the next steps, which is how you get the IDs that Update Location, Delete Location and Create Location ask for. In the action list, searches sit at the bottom under their own SEARCH heading. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not a clean single match.

1

Find Location

Search

In Zapier“Find Locations in the system”

Looks for locations already in your Mapulus account and returns what it finds to the next step.

When to use it
before Update Location or Delete Location, when your source knows the place but not its Mapulus ID.
Watch out
whether it wants an exact value or something close is decided by Mapulus, so check at test, and set the multiple results option on purpose.
2

Find Map

Search

In Zapier“Finds a Map in the system”

Retrieves a Mapulus map, and with Expand Layer it also returns the details of each layer on it.

When to use it
a later step needs a layer's ID, as Create Location does, and the trigger did not carry it.
Watch out
Expand Layer is required; read at test which value holds the layer ID before mapping it.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap and skips the steps that depended on it. Switch it on and the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into find-or-create on some apps. Neither Mapulus search offers it, so a missing location means a separate Create Location step.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several items match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or pass all of them on.
When it breaks

When a Mapulus Zap breaks

Zapier attaches no help article to Mapulus, and no Mapulus-specific limit is documented. What breaks first are the general Zapier rules below.

All four apply to both Mapulus triggers, since they both poll. When a run fails and you cannot see why, see our Zapier troubleshooting guide.

  • Older maps and points never come through

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you switch it on. Maps and locations that already existed are not picked up; moving that backlog is a separate job.

  • A Zap that sets itself off

    A Zap that writes where its own trigger looks, such as New Location followed by Create Location, can start again and again and burn through your tasks fast.

  • A bulk import gets held back

    When a trigger suddenly returns a huge batch, after an import of locations for instance, Zapier's flood protection can hold the runs back.

  • The same point only fires once

    On a polling trigger Zapier remembers what it has already seen, so the same location does not start the Zap twice.
Need help

Need help automating Mapulus with Zapier?

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FAQ

Mapulus Zapier integration: questions people ask

01Is the Mapulus Zapier integration free?
Yes. Mapulus is not a premium app on Zapier, so it works on the free plan. That plan gives you 100 tasks a month and as many Zaps as you like, each limited to two steps: one trigger and one action. New Location followed by a message in another app fits. Anything that needs Find Map or Find Location in the middle, such as getting a Layer ID, makes the Zap multi-step and requires a paid plan.
02How many tasks does a Mapulus Zap use?
One task per action that completes successfully. The trigger is free, and so are Zapier's checks for new maps or locations, however often they run. A Zap that finds a map and then creates a location uses one task per run for the creation. An action that fails is not counted. If you import many locations at once, each run that completes an action still counts on its own, so a large import can use a big share of the 100 free tasks.
03Do Mapulus triggers fire in real time?
No. Both Mapulus triggers, New Location and New Map, are polling triggers: Zapier asks Mapulus for new items on a timer and keeps what it has not seen yet. The interval depends on your plan, every 15 minutes on Free, 2 on Professional and 1 on Team and Enterprise. On paid plans you can change how often the check runs and run one by hand from the editor. The type of a trigger cannot be changed from the editor.
04What does connecting Mapulus to Zapier require?
A Mapulus account, plus read or write access to anything you do not own and want the Zap to touch. In Zapier, open the Apps page, click + Add connection, pick Mapulus, sign in in the tab that opens and grant access. The connection is then reused by every Mapulus step. Before testing Create Location, make sure a map with at least one layer exists, since the action asks for a Layer ID.
05Where does the Layer ID for Create Location come from?
From a map's layer details, or from your own records. Create Location requires a Layer ID, and Zapier offers no visible search for layers. The way in is Find Map, or the New Map trigger, with Expand Layer set: both return detailed layer information for each map. Run the test, find the value that holds the layer's ID and map it into Layer ID. If you always write to the same layer, you can also type its ID once.
06What if the Mapulus operation you want is not listed?
Look at the combinations first, since a search hands its result to the next step. Find Location followed by Update Location or Delete Location handles changes to existing points, and Find Map gives you the layer details Create Location needs. Among the 7 visible operations, none creates or edits a map or a layer; that part stays in Mapulus. For the current list, open the Mapulus page on Zapier, which shows every trigger, action and search available today.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Mapulus?
Decide on criteria, not on a winner. On Zapier, you get this page's facts: 7 visible operations, two polling triggers, no layer search, and a free plan capped at two-step Zaps, which any Zap needing Find Map outgrows. Before choosing another tool, check that it offers a Mapulus connector, whether it can read layers directly, how it counts each run, and whether its triggers are instant there. On Zapier, Create Location still needs a Layer ID you fetch with Find Map.
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