We will explore the process of integrating Google Drive with Bitly and Google Sheets, allowing you to automatically shorten the link of any new files uploaded to your Google Drive and store them in a new row of your Google Sheets spreadsheet.
The best part is that this automation only requires a one-time setup, which we can achieve using Pabbly Connect.
To begin, we will establish a connection between Google Drive and Pabbly Connect to detect newly uploaded files. Then, we will link Pabbly Connect with Bitly to shorten the file’s link, and finally, connect Pabbly Connect with Google Sheets to save the shortened link in a new row of your spreadsheet.
Steps to Automatically Shorten Google Drive File Link Using Bitly
1. Sign In / Sign Up to Pabbly Connect and Create a Workflow
2. Setup Google Drive as the Trigger App to Fetch Files
3. Setup Bitly as the Action App to Shorten Link
4. Setup Google Sheets as the Action App to Save Shortened Links
Step 1:- Sign In / Sign Up to Pabbly Connect and Create a Workflow
A. Sign In / Sign Up
To begin this process, visit Pabbly Connect and create your account by clicking on the ‘Sign Up Free’ button. You can also click on Sign In if you already have an account.
Click on the Pabbly Connect ‘Access Now’ button
B. Create Workflow
To create a new workflow, click the ‘Create Workflow’ button.
Name your workflow, and click on ‘Create’.
Step 2:- Setup Google Drive as the Trigger App to Fetch Files
Next, we will outline the process to connect Google Drive with Pabbly Connect, which will allow us to access files from a specific folder in your Google Drive.
A. Trigger App
Trigger allows us to choose the application that will retrieve the data for Pabbly Connect. In this instance, it would be Google Drive.
Choose ‘Google Drive’ as the Trigger App, select ‘New File in Specific Folder’ as an Action Event, and click on ‘Connect’.
B. Connect Google Drive Account
To connect with your Google Drive account, select ‘Add New Connection’ and click on ‘Sign in with Google’. Additionally, you will have to provide authorization.
Choose the Folder where the desired files you want to capture are stored, and then click ‘Save & Send Test Request’.
Once you click on Save & Send Test Request, Pabbly Connect will automatically capture the latest file that has been uploaded to the designated folder in your Google Drive.
Step 3:- Setup Bitly as the Action App to Shorten Link
Action allows us to choose the application that will get executed by the workflow trigger.
Our goal is to shorten the link of the uploaded file using Bitly. Therefore, we will be using Bitly as our Action App.
A. Action App
Choose ‘Bitly’ as the Action App, select ‘Shorten Link’ as an Action Event, and click on ‘Connect’.
B. Connect Bitly Account
To connect with your Bitly account, select ‘Add New Connection’ and click on ‘Connect With Bitly’. Also, grant the necessary authorization.
Select the Group, map the Long URL from the step above, and click on ‘Save & Send Test Request’.
As you click on Save & Send Test Request, the link will be shortened automatically.
Step 4:- Setup Google Sheets as the Action App to Save Shortened Links
Our objective is to save the shortened URL we capture into your Google Sheets spreadsheet. As a result, Google Sheets will serve as our Action App.
A. Action App
Choose ‘Google Sheets’ as the Action App, select ‘Add New Row’ as an Action Event, and click on ‘Connect’.
B. Connect Google Sheets Account
To connect with your Google Sheets account, select ‘Add New Connection’, and click on ‘Sign in with Google’. Additionally, grant the authorization.
Choose the particular Spreadsheet and Sheet that you wish to utilize for storing the links.
Once you select your sheet, the columns in that sheet will be displayed as fields in your Action Step.
C. Map Necessary Fields
Once your Google Sheets account is connected, you simply need to map the links from the previous steps. Mapping helps ensure that our data stays dynamic and updates automatically based on the received responses.
Map the Long URL from the trigger step.
Likewise, map the other fields, and click on ‘Save & Send Test Request’.
When you click on Save & Send Test Request, the links will automatically be saved in your Google Sheets spreadsheet.
Congratulations! Our automation is now complete. We have successfully integrated Google Drive with Bitly and Google Sheets. Going forward, whenever you upload a new file to your Google Drive, its URL will be automatically shortened using Bitly, and the shortened URL will also be saved in your Google Sheets spreadsheet.
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