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OpenAsset Zapier integrationAutomate OpenAsset with Zapier.

The OpenAsset Zapier integration gives you 4 triggers, 4 actions and 4 searches. New projects, files, albums and employees can start a Zap, and Zapier can create projects and people, upload files or update a project inside OpenAsset.

See the 12 operations

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Overview

What the OpenAsset Zapier integration actually does

OpenAsset is a cloud library for the images and documents of architecture, engineering, construction and real estate firms. The integration links it to Zapier, the tool that chains apps together, in both directions: OpenAsset can start an automation, and other apps can write projects, people and files into it.

A project register that fills itself. New Project sends each project created in OpenAsset to a sheet or a planning tool, so the list the office reads is never a week behind.

Projects opened from the sales side. Create Project builds the project in OpenAsset when a deal is won elsewhere, with its name and a unique code, before anyone uploads the first photo. Sales and production then talk about the same project code.

Files that arrive from outside. Upload File drops a document coming from another app straight into the right category, and Find Category hands it the category to use. Nobody downloads and re-uploads by hand.

What Zapier does not do here. It cannot delete anything in OpenAsset, it cannot change an employee once created, and none of the four triggers is instant: each one waits for Zapier's next check. Albums can start a Zap, but no action creates or fills one.

Weighing other tools first? See n8n vs Zapier or Make vs Zapier.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight words come back on every Zapier screen. Here is what each one means once OpenAsset is plugged in.

Zap
The automation you build in Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event that starts the Zap, such as a new project in OpenAsset. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does once started: it writes, sends or moves something for you, like uploading a file to OpenAsset.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action your Zap completes successfully. The monthly count on your plan is a count of those.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer. An instant one is reported by the app the moment it happens. OpenAsset's are all polling.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when what arrived meets the condition you set, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in OpenAsset, a project or a file, so the steps that follow can use what it found.
Connection
Your OpenAsset account, linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step that reads from or writes to it.
Cost

What it really costs in tasks

OpenAsset is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan. The bill depends on how many actions succeed, not on how often Zapier looks.

  • Trigger0 tasks
  • Free plan100 tasks a month
  • Free plan Zap size2 steps
  • Instant triggers0 of 4

The trigger never costs a task, and neither do Zapier's checks for new projects or files, however frequent. Each action that goes through counts once; one that fails is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, each stopped at two steps: one trigger, one action. A search step, a filter or a second action makes it a multi-step Zap (anything beyond a trigger plus one action), which needs a paid plan. All four OpenAsset triggers are polling, so the interval of your plan below decides how soon a new item is seen.

Connect

Connect OpenAsset to Zapier in three steps

  1. 01

    Open Apps and add a connection

    In your Zapier account, open the Apps page and click + Add connection. You need an OpenAsset account, plus read or write access to the projects and categories you do not own yourself but want the Zap to touch.

  2. 02

    Pick OpenAsset

    Type OpenAsset in the search box of the dialog, select it, then click Add connection. A new tab opens on the OpenAsset side for the sign-in, next to your Zapier tab.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Sign in to OpenAsset in that tab and grant Zapier access to the account. The connection is saved, then reused by every trigger, action and search in your Zaps.

First Zap

Your first Zap: every new project in a register and a channel

GoalAdd each new OpenAsset project to a shared spreadsheet and announce it in the team channel.

  1. 01

    Set the trigger

    Start a new Zap, pick OpenAsset as the app and New Project as the event, then choose the OpenAsset connection you saved in the previous section.

  2. 02

    Test on a real project

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent projects of the account, and you pick one as the sample the next steps will read from.

  3. 03

    Add the register row

    Add Google Sheets as the action and map the project's name and code into your columns. Test the step and check the row it wrote in the sheet.

  4. 04

    Add the channel message

    Add Slack as a second action and write the announcement from the same project details. The second action makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan.

  5. 05

    Publish

    Publish the Zap to switch it on. On Free, a new project shows up within 15 minutes; projects created before publishing are never sent.

Triggers

The 4 OpenAsset triggers

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

1

New Album

Polling trigger

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

When someone creates an album in OpenAsset, Zapier spots it on its next check and runs the Zap once for that album. It is the only place albums appear in this integration: no action builds or fills one.

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
the marketing coordinator wants a channel message whenever an album is put together for a bid.
Watch out
albums that existed before you published the Zap are never sent, only the ones created afterwards.
2

New Employee

Polling trigger

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

A new employee record in OpenAsset starts the Zap, which can then carry that person to your HR sheet, your intranet or a welcome message. Each new employee runs the Zap once.

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
keep the staff list of another tool aligned with the people profiles kept in OpenAsset.
Watch out
pairing this trigger with Create Employee on the same account lets the Zap set itself off again and again.
3

New File

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new file is uploaded.”

Every file uploaded to OpenAsset becomes a fresh item for Zapier. The Zap then runs once per file, which suits alerts, logs and copies to another storage tool.

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
tell the project lead that new site photos are in, without anyone sending an email by hand.
Watch out
a bulk upload after a migration can be held back by Zapier's flood protection instead of running once per file.
4

New Project

Polling trigger

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

This one reports each project created in OpenAsset. It is the natural starting point for anything that should exist alongside the project elsewhere: a register row, a folder, an announcement.

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
open a matching line in the project register your office keeps in a spreadsheet.
Watch out
ending this Zap with Create Project in the same account starts it again on the project it just made.
Actions

The 4 OpenAsset actions

OpenAsset gives you 4 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Employee

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new employee.”

Registers a person in OpenAsset from a first name, a last name and a unique employee code, all three required.

When to use it
each hire recorded in your HR tool appears in OpenAsset without anyone retyping it.
Watch out
if the person may already be there, use Find or Create Employee from the searches instead, so no duplicate is attempted.
2

Create Project

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new project.”

Adds a project to OpenAsset with the two things it cannot do without: a name and a code no other project uses.

When to use it
a deal marked won in your CRM gets its project in OpenAsset before the first photo is taken.
Watch out
the code must be unique, so map a value that never repeats, such as the deal number.
3

Update Project Fields

Action

In Zapier“Updates the fields for a project.”

Changes the fields of a project that already exists. You point it at the project, which is required, and fill in only what should change.

When to use it
a phase change in your project management tool is mirrored on the OpenAsset project.
Watch out
the Zap must already know which project to touch; a Find Project step just before is the usual way to get it.
4

Upload File

Action

In Zapier“Upload a new file.”

Sends a file from another app into OpenAsset and files it under a category. The file, its filename and the category are required.

When to use it
signed drawings arriving as email attachments end up in the library under the right category.
Watch out
the same file cannot be uploaded twice, and the filename has to end in a supported extension such as .jpg or .pdf.
Searches

The 4 OpenAsset searches

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

A search step finds something that already exists in OpenAsset and hands it to the next steps. In the editor, the searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Some required fields also offer + Add search step, which inserts the search just before and wires its result in for you. Three settings decide what happens when the result is not the one you expected.

1

Find Category

Search

In Zapier“Find a category by id or code.”

Looks up a category by its id or its code and passes it on. It exists mostly to feed Upload File, whose category field is required.

When to use it
files coming from a form should land in a category named by a code in that form.
Watch out
with the default setting, an unknown code stops the Zap before the upload.
2

Find Employee

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Find an employee by id or code.”

Finds a person in OpenAsset by id or employee code. The editor also shows Find or Create Employee: it is this same search with the create box ticked, which then asks for the code and the names needed to create the person.

When to use it
sync hires from HR without creating the same employee twice.
3

Find File

Search

In Zapier“Find a file by id or filename.”

Retrieves a file by its id or its filename, so a later step can share or log it. Whether the filename must match exactly is decided by OpenAsset, not Zapier.

When to use it
check whether a drawing is already in the library before an upload is attempted.
Watch out
several files can match a name; the third setting decides which one moves on.
4

Find Project

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a project by id or code.”

Locates a project by id or project code and hands it to Update Project Fields. Find or Create Project, also listed in the editor, is this search with the create box ticked: it then asks for the name and code a new project needs.

When to use it
update a project from your CRM even if nobody created it yet.

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 there, and the steps that needed it are skipped. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking it turns the search into a find-or-create: the setting above disappears and the step asks for the fields needed to create the missing item.
  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 hand all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When it breaks

Zapier attaches no help article to OpenAsset, and no rate limit for the app is documented. What goes wrong comes from the required fields and from how Zapier works in general.

Six cases cover most surprises on this integration. If a Zap still misbehaves after that, go to Zapier troubleshooting.

  • The Zap that sets itself off

    New Project followed by Create Project, or New File followed by Upload File, on the same account: each run creates the very item the trigger watches, and the task count drains fast.

  • Existing items never come through

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Projects, files and people already in OpenAsset are not picked up; moving them is a separate job.

  • The same file, twice

    Upload File refuses a file that was already uploaded. A Zap that resends the same attachment stops at that step instead of making a copy.

  • A filename without a known extension

    The filename must end in an extension OpenAsset supports, such as .jpg or .pdf. A name mapped without its extension blocks the upload.

  • A bulk import held back

    When a migration drops a huge batch of files or projects at once, Zapier's flood protection can hold the batch back instead of running the Zap for each item.

  • No duplicates from polling

    Zapier remembers what it has already seen on a polling trigger, so the same project does not start the Zap twice, even if it is checked again.
Need help

Need help automating OpenAsset with Zapier?

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FAQ

Questions people ask before connecting OpenAsset

01Is the OpenAsset Zapier integration free?
Yes, on the free plan. OpenAsset is not a premium app, so the free plan can use it, with 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps. Each free Zap stops at two steps: one trigger and one action. Adding a search step, such as Find Project before Update Project Fields, or a filter, or a second action, makes it a multi-step Zap that needs a paid plan. No price is listed here, because Zapier's plan grids change too often to publish.
02How many tasks does an OpenAsset Zap use?
One per action that succeeds. The four triggers never cost a task, and Zapier's checks for new projects, files, albums or employees cost nothing either. A Zap that uploads one file spends one task per file. A Zap that creates a project and then uploads a file to it spends two. An action that fails is not counted against the plan. A few apps take more than one task per action, so check the other apps in the Zap too.
03Does OpenAsset trigger Zaps in real time?
No. All four OpenAsset triggers are polling: Zapier goes to look for new items on a timer set by your plan, every 15 minutes on Free, 2 on Professional and 1 on Team and Enterprise. A new file can therefore wait up to that interval before the Zap runs. On the paid plans, the check frequency can be changed, and a check can also be run by hand from the editor when you are testing.
04What does it take to connect OpenAsset to Zapier?
An OpenAsset account, plus read or write access to anything you do not own yourself and want the Zap to touch, such as other people's projects. The connection takes three moves: open Apps in Zapier and click + Add connection, pick OpenAsset in the dialog, then sign in and grant Zapier access. Once saved, the same connection serves the four triggers, the four actions and the four searches, so you set it up only once per account.
05Why does Upload File refuse a file in OpenAsset?
Usually for one of three reasons the step itself spells out. The same file cannot be uploaded more than once, so a resent attachment stops the step. The filename must end in a supported extension such as .jpg or .pdf, so a name mapped without it fails. And a category is required, so the Zap needs one, typed in or brought by a Find Category step placed just before the upload.
06What if the OpenAsset operation you need is not there?
Then Zapier cannot do it for this app today. The OpenAsset page on Zapier lists every available operation: four triggers, four actions and four searches, plus two find-or-create variants. There is no delete action, no way to edit an employee and no action on albums. Check that list before planning around a missing step. Whatever falls outside it stays a manual job inside OpenAsset itself, or waits for the app to add the operation.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for OpenAsset?
Decide on criteria, not on a ranking. On Zapier, three facts settle most cases: the app is not premium, all four triggers are polling so speed depends on your plan, and any search or filter takes you to a paid plan. A one-trigger, one-action flow fits the free plan. A flow that finds a project before updating it needs a paid plan. On the Make or n8n side, the first check is whether OpenAsset appears in their app list at all.
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