How to Send new event notifications with Pipedream

Workflows > New

Create new workflow

Log into pipedream.com and click the green 'New Workflow' button in the top right. You'll see the workflow builder with an empty trigger step. This is where you'll configure the Google Calendar webhook that fires when events are created.

1. 1Click 'New Workflow' button
2. 2Name your workflow 'Calendar to Slack notifications'
3. 3Click 'Create Workflow'

Trigger > Select App > Google Calendar

Add Google Calendar trigger

Click on the trigger step and search for 'Google Calendar'. Select 'New Event (Instant)' trigger. This creates a webhook that Google Calendar will ping whenever someone adds a new event. The instant trigger is crucial for real-time notifications.

1. 1Click the trigger step
2. 2Search for 'Google Calendar'
3. 3Select 'New Event (Instant)' trigger
4. 4Click 'Save'

Trigger Configuration > Connect Account

Connect Google Calendar account

Click 'Connect Account' and sign in with Google. Grant calendar read permissions when prompted. Pipedream needs read access to detect new events and pull event details like title, time, and attendees.

1. 1Click 'Connect Account'
2. 2Sign in with your Google account
3. 3Grant calendar permissions
4. 4Click 'Allow'

Trigger Configuration > Calendar ID

Select target calendar

Choose which calendar to monitor from the dropdown. You'll see all calendars your account can access, including shared team calendars. Pick the one where new meetings should trigger Slack notifications. The webhook will only fire for events on this specific calendar.

1. 1Click the 'Calendar' dropdown
2. 2Select your target calendar
3. 3Leave other settings as default
4. 4Click 'Save and Continue'

Trigger Configuration > Generate Test Event

Test the trigger

Click 'Generate Test Event' to create sample data for building your Slack step. If you prefer real data, create a test event in your Google Calendar instead. The trigger will capture event details like summary, start time, attendees, and meeting link.

1. 1Click 'Generate Test Event'
2. 2Review the sample event data
3. 3Note the event fields available
4. 4Click 'Continue'

Steps > + > Slack

Add Slack action step

Click the '+' button below the trigger to add a new step. Search for Slack and select 'Send Message to Channel'. This action will post the event notification to your chosen Slack channel with formatted event details.

1. 1Click the '+' button under the trigger
2. 2Search for 'Slack'
3. 3Select 'Send Message to Channel'
4. 4Click 'Save'

Slack Step > Connect Account

Connect Slack workspace

Click 'Connect Account' and authorize Pipedream to access your Slack workspace. You'll need permissions to post messages in channels. Choose the workspace where you want notifications sent during the OAuth flow.

1. 1Click 'Connect Account'
2. 2Select your Slack workspace
3. 3Click 'Allow' to grant permissions
4. 4Confirm the connection

Slack Step > Channel > Text

Configure message settings

Select your target channel from the dropdown. All public channels and private channels you're in will appear. For the message text, click the data pill button to insert event fields. Use the summary field for the event title and start.dateTime for timing.

1. 1Select target channel from dropdown
2. 2Click in the 'Text' field
3. 3Click the data pill icon
4. 4Insert event summary and start time fields

Slack Step > Text Field

Format the notification message

Craft a clear message template using event data. Include the event summary, start time, and any relevant attendee info. You can add custom text around the dynamic fields to make the notification more readable for your team.

1. 1Type 'New meeting scheduled:'
2. 2Add the event summary field
3. 3Include start time with formatting
4. 4Add attendee count or organizer info

Workflow > Deploy > Test

Test the complete workflow

Click 'Deploy' then 'Test' to run the workflow with your sample data. Check your Slack channel to see if the notification appears correctly. The message should include the event details formatted as you configured. If it works, your webhook is ready for live events.

1. 1Click 'Deploy' at the top
2. 2Click 'Test' button
3. 3Check your Slack channel
4. 4Verify the message format

Google Calendar > Create Event

Verify live webhook

Create a real event in your Google Calendar to test the live webhook. Within 30 seconds, you should see a notification in Slack. The webhook endpoint is now registered with Google Calendar and will fire for all new events on your selected calendar.

1. 1Go to your Google Calendar
2. 2Create a new test event
3. 3Save the event
4. 4Check Slack for the notification

Add this Node.js code step between the trigger and Slack to format the start time in your timezone and create a cleaner notification message. Place it right after the Google Calendar trigger.

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const event = steps.trigger.event;

export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const event = steps.trigger.event;
    
    // Format start time to readable format
    const startTime = new Date(event.start.dateTime || event.start.date);
    const formattedTime = startTime.toLocaleString('en-US', {
      weekday: 'short',
      month: 'short', 
      day: 'numeric',
      hour: 'numeric',
      minute: '2-digit',
      timeZone: 'America/Los_Angeles'
    });
    
    // Count attendees (excluding organizer)
    const attendeeCount = event.attendees ? 
      event.attendees.filter(a => a.email !== event.creator.email).length : 0;
    
    // Build formatted message
    let message = `📅 **${event.summary}**\n`;
    message += `⏰ ${formattedTime}\n`;
    
    if (attendeeCount > 0) {
      message += `👥 ${attendeeCount} attendee${attendeeCount > 1 ? 's' : ''}\n`;
    }
    
    if (event.location) {
      message += `📍 ${event.location}\n`;
    }
    
    if (event.hangoutLink) {
      message += `🔗 <${event.hangoutLink}|Join Meeting>`;
    }
    
    return {
      formatted_message: message,
      attendee_count: attendeeCount,
      formatted_time: formattedTime
    };
  },
});