Zapier Actions

Actions are things you can do in Canvelete (opens in a new tab) from your Zapier workflows. These allow you to create designs, render images, manage API keys, and more as part of your automated processes.

Available Actions

Create Design

Action Key: create_design

Creates a new design in your Canvelete account with the specified properties.

Input Fields

Visibility Options

• PRIVATE: Only visible to you
• PUBLIC: Visible to everyone
• UNLISTED: Accessible via direct link only

Canvas Data Format

The canvasData field accepts a JSON string representing the design elements:

{
  "elements": [
    {
      "type": "text",
      "content": "Hello World",
      "x": 100,
      "y": 100,
      "fontSize": 24,
      "fontFamily": "Arial",
      "color": "#000000"
    },
    {
      "type": "rectangle",
      "x": 50,
      "y": 50,
      "width": 200,
      "height": 100,
      "fill": "#FF7A00"
    }
  ]
}

Output Fields

Common Use Cases

• Form to Design: Convert form submissions into design briefs
• Bulk Design Creation: Generate multiple designs from spreadsheet data
• Template Instantiation: Create designs from predefined templates
• Dynamic Content: Generate designs with data from other apps

Render Design

Action Key: render_design

Renders a design or template to an image or PDF file.

Input Fields

*Either designId or templateId is required.

Format Options

• png: PNG image (supports transparency)
• jpg / jpeg: JPEG image (smaller file size)
• pdf: PDF document (vector-based, scalable)

Dynamic Data Format

For templates with dynamic elements, provide data as JSON:

{
  "title": "Welcome to Our Store",
  "subtitle": "Special Offer Inside",
  "price": "$29.99",
  "image_url": "https://example.com/product.jpg"
}

Output Fields

Common Use Cases

• Social Media Automation: Generate posts with dynamic content
• Email Marketing: Create personalized images for campaigns
• E-commerce: Generate product images with pricing updates
• Reports: Create visual reports from data

Create API Key

Action Key: create_api_key

Creates a new API key for programmatic access to Canvelete.

Input Fields

Available Scopes

• designs:read: Read access to designs
• designs:write: Create and modify designs
• templates:read: Read access to templates
• render:write: Generate renders
• apikeys:read: View API keys
• apikeys:write: Manage API keys

Output Fields

⚠️ Important: The API key is only shown once. Store it securely immediately.

Common Use Cases

• Integration Setup: Create keys for new integrations
• Team Management: Generate keys for team members
• Temporary Access: Create time-limited keys for contractors
• Service Accounts: Generate keys for automated systems

Search Actions

Search actions help you find existing data in Canvelete to use in your workflows.

Find Design

Action Key: find_design

Searches for designs by name or ID.

Input Fields

Output Fields

Returns the same fields as the "New Design" trigger for matching designs.

Find Template

Action Key: find_template

Searches for templates by name or ID.

Input Fields

List API Keys

Action Key: list_api_keys

Retrieves a list of your API keys.

Input Fields

Action Configuration

Error Handling

All actions include built-in error handling:

• Authentication Errors: Automatically handled with token refresh
• Validation Errors: Clear error messages for invalid input
• Rate Limiting: Automatic retry with exponential backoff
• Server Errors: Detailed error information for troubleshooting

Rate Limits

Actions are subject to API rate limits:

• Free Plan: 100 requests per hour
• Starter Plan: 500 requests per hour
• Professional Plan: 2,000 requests per hour
• Team Plan: 5,000 requests per hour
• Company Plan: 10,000 requests per hour

Data Validation

Input data is validated before processing:

• Required Fields: Must be provided and non-empty
• Data Types: Must match expected types (string, number, boolean)
• Formats: JSON strings must be valid JSON
• Limits: Text fields have maximum length limits

Best Practices

Performance

1. Batch Operations: Use bulk actions when available
2. Caching: Cache frequently used template/design IDs
3. Async Processing: Use webhooks for long-running operations

Security

1. API Keys: Store API keys securely, rotate regularly
2. Scopes: Use minimal required scopes for API keys
3. Expiration: Set expiration dates for temporary keys

Data Management

1. Naming: Use descriptive names for designs and API keys
2. Organization: Use consistent naming conventions
3. Cleanup: Remove unused designs and expired API keys

Error Recovery

1. Validation: Validate input data before sending to actions
2. Retries: Implement retry logic for transient failures
3. Fallbacks: Have fallback workflows for critical processes

Advanced Usage

Dynamic Field Population

Use Zapier's dynamic field features:

// Populate design dropdown from trigger
designId: {{trigger.id}}
 
// Use previous step data
name: "Design for {{trigger.customer_name}}"
 
// Conditional logic
visibility: {{trigger.is_public ? "PUBLIC" : "PRIVATE"}}

Multi-Step Workflows

Combine actions for complex workflows:

1. Create Design → Get design ID
2. Render Design → Generate image
3. Upload to Cloud → Store permanently
4. Send Notification → Inform stakeholders

Template-Based Workflows

For dynamic content generation:

1. Find Template → Get template ID
2. Render Design → Apply dynamic data
3. Post to Social → Share generated content

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Action Fails with Authentication Error

• Check if your Canvelete connection is still active
• Reconnect your account if needed
• Verify you have necessary permissions

Invalid Canvas Data

• Ensure JSON is properly formatted
• Validate element properties match expected schema
• Test with simple elements first

Render Timeouts

• Complex designs may take longer to render
• Consider simplifying design elements
• Use appropriate image dimensions

For more help, see our troubleshooting guide.

Next Steps

• Explore Common Workflows using these actions
• Learn about webhook alternatives for real-time processing
• Check out API documentation for direct integration options