One of the keystones of the Fulcrum platform is extensibility. Rather than locking users into a monolithic ecosystem of proprietary formats and fixed workflows, we’ve built Fulcrum to be easily accessible and customizable. From cross-platform support to open data formats, our goal is to make Fulcrum the go-to field data collection platform for professional organizations as well as individual projects.
One notable feature you’re not likely to find offered by similar products is our robust set of Developer Tools. The Fulcrum API provides access to key components of the system, allowing you to design highly customized integrations, tailored to your particular workflow.
Keeping It Simple
In an effort to demystify some of the API concepts, we’ve found simple, easy to use examples to be extremely helpful. We’ve recently started exploring the use of the Google Apps Script platform for scripting interactions with Fulcrum. While most seasoned developers already have their preferred development stack, GAS is definitely worth checking out. For newbies, this JavaScript-based cloud scripting platform is a godsend.
With Apps Script, you can create add-ons for Google Sheets, Docs, or Forms, automate workflow, integrate with external APIs, and more. There’s nothing to install or configure and creating a new script is as easy as creating a new Google Doc. Scripts are saved in Google Drive and can be shared like any other document. Scripts are authored in the browser-based code editor, saved in the cloud, and leverage Google’s infrastructure. This means you can write a script to intercept a Fulcrum webhook payload, write your data to a Google Sheet, and send an email notification without ever having to invest in or bother with managing a development environment, such as Heroku, or AWS.
Building A Simple Email Notification System
After scripting some internal tasks, we decided put together a simple email webhooks guide walking through the steps required to build a simple Fulcrum email notification system using the Apps Script platform in conjunction with Fulcrum webhooks. The resulting system will send out customized email notifications any time a record is created, updated, or deleted in our designated Fulcrum app.
Example Email Notification
Hopefully this guide on email webhooks will demonstrate the power of simple scripting to extend the capabilities of Fulcrum and provide a truly customized experience. Be on the lookout for additional developer resources, script samples, and guides in the coming weeks and feel free to share your story with us like the folks at Accela.