{getting started} with meldapi
Welcome to MeldAPI! To help you get up and melding, we’ve compliled some helpful tips & tricks in this guide.
And don’t forgot to join our online MeldAPI Community for support!
- Only test data & files should be used in any service provided by MeldAPI
- Some features may produce undesired results
- MeldAPI is not responsible for the loss of any data or files
- Any issues or bugs experienced in MeldAPI can be reported within our Slack community
- Your feedback is encouraged and important to us!
COMMON TERMS
Connection: Syncing of data & files between a Connector & MeldAPI requires an active Connection
Connector: A Connector is a third party system that can be connected to MeldAPI
Flow: Flows are the automated syncing of two or more Melds in sequential order set by a User.
Meld: A Meld is an integration between the Source Connection & Destination Connection enabling the syncing of data & files from the Source Connector to the Destination Connector.
Preview Syncs: You have 2 options when conducting a manual sync. LIVE will sync updates to the destination records, whereas PREVIEW emulates a live sync so you can see what updates may occur without altering the destination records.
Processed Records: Processed Records are source records inspected by MeldAPI during a Meld sync to determine if the record data requires syncing to the destination records
Team: Each User account is assigned a default Team (i.e. account) and linked to a free subscription plan, unless upgraded to a paid plan. Users may be invited to join one or more Teams.
CHOOSE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
On registration, your default team is set to MeldAPI’s FREE Starter (100k) Plan. For access to more features & functionality, navigate to Team Settings and click UPDATE PLAN to choose a paid plan. MeldAPI Add-Ons are optional and designed to bring even more power & time savings to your workflows.
INVITE USERS TO YOUR TEAM
To invite a new user to your team, either click the icon on the nav menu and select Invite a New User or navigate to User Management located with the in the Profile/Team dropdown. In the New Invitation section, enter the new user's email address & name, select an Access level, then click SEND INVITE. The new user will receive an email inviting them to join the team, and register as a user.
User invites are displayed under Pending Invitations until accepted. You may revoke or resend the invite at any time before its acceptance.
JOIN THE MELDAPI COMMUNITY
For community support on all things related to MeldAPI including annoucements on new features, we recommend joining our MeldAPI Community hosted on Slack. Click on the JOIN COMMUNITY button located in your User Profile.
CREATE A CONNECTION
To create a new Connection, click the icon on the nav menu and select Create a Connection. Choose the relevant MeldAPI Connector or Add-on and follow the connection prompts and options.
CREATE A MELD
Step 1 - Connections
To create a new Meld, click the icon on the nav menu and select Create a Meld. Enter a name for the Meld, then follow the prompts to choose your Source Connection & Destination Connection and click CONTINUE.
Step 2 - Field Mapping
Map your fields by selecting a Source field, then the corresponding Desintation field (or visa versa). Choose which field is to be the Linking Field - used to uniquely identify each source & destination record.
If you have included MeldAPI Add-Ons in your subscription, compatible Add-Ons for each field mapping will be available for selection (e.g. Image Optiimzer displays for image field types)
Step 3 - Data Filters & Data Setters
Create one or more Data Filters if you wish to filter out source records that don't meet the filtering criteria. Filtered records are not processed for possible data changes.
Create one or more Data Setters if you wish to update a field in the destination records with a preset data value rather than syncing the data value from source records.
Step 4 - Settings
Melds have many optional settings to assist with management of source & destination records, and sync reporting:
Auto sync updated records: Listens for data changes in the source records, and updates the relevant destination records as changes occur
Auto publish updated Webflow CMS items: Draft & Archived items are excluded form publishing
Data Retention Period: This can be set within a Meld or under Team Settings (for all Melds)
Unlinked Destination Records: Choose whether to keep, archive or delete destination records that have no corresponding source record
Sync Schedule: Schedule the syncing of all updated source records at a specified frequency & interval
Email Notifications: Receive a sync report by email for all Meld syncs, or only Meld syncs containing errors
Outgoing Webhooks (Advanced): Create an outgoing webhook to receive Meld sync reports (e.g. Slack or Airtable webhook)
Notes: Add team notes specific to the meld by clicking on the Meld’s Tools icon, then the Notes icon
CREATE A FLOW
To create a new Flow, click the + icon on the nav menu and select Create a Flow. Enter a name for the Flow, then choose the Meld that will trigger the Flow and click CONTINUE.
Now select any Melds that you wish to sync either before or after the trigger Meld and ensure they are in the desired syncing order. Enable the Flow once you have finshed adding your Melds.
{helpful} TIPS & TRICKS
- Folders help organise your Melds, Connections & Flows
- Tags are useful to easily filter & identify Melds, Connections & Flows
- Disable eidting of mapped fields within a Meld by clicking on the padlock icon
- Data Filters enable you to filter out source records that don't meet the filtering criteria, excluding them from being processed for possible data changes
- Data Setters enable you to update destination records with a preset value rather than source the value from linked source records
There are 5 ways to trigger a Meld sync:
- Manual: Click on the SYNC button within a Meld
- Auto Sync (also known as Incoming Webhook): Enable the Auto Sync switch in the Meld Settings
- Scheduled: Sync updated source records at a specified frequency & interval
- Flow: A Flow activated by a trigger Meld, will sync all Melds in the Flow
- Meld Sync Trigger (Advanced): Trigger a Meld sync from an external system
- Sync history can be viewed for all Melds, or for a selected Meld
- Sync reports (located in sync history) provide details on the changes that occured within each updated record
- The timezone set under Team Settings applies to sync reports and sync scheduling
- Sync data is removed from MeldAPI servers in accordance with the Team’s data retention policy, and actioned at the end of each day (UTC)
- Users with Administrator or Owner access can view the Team’s audit logs for all User actions
- Save your 2-factor authentication backup codes! For security reasons, MeldAPI is unable to reset a User’s password or 2FA, or provide access by other means. If you are unable to enter a 2FA code or 2FA backup code, you will need to register a new account
- Setting a Profile avatar can be handy if you have multipe User accounts
- Manage your Team’s tags under Team Settings
- Team Owners can transfer ownership of their Team to another User
A User can only delete their account when:
- the User only has access to their default Team (as the Owner)
- the default Team has no other Users
Our dedicated team are here to assist you with all things MeldAPI!