Definition

The Find Task List action allows you to search for and retrieve the details of a specific task list within your Google Tasks account. By providing the name or identifier of a list, this action fetches its associated properties, making them available for use in your automation workflow.

Key capabilities:

• Locate a specific Google Task list by its name.
• Retrieve core details such as the list’s unique ID, URL, and title.

This action is fundamental for any workflow that needs to interact with a pre-existing task list, enabling you to dynamically find the correct list before adding or modifying tasks.

Inputs

1. Connection

• Purpose: This field authenticates your Google account, granting Zenphi secure access to your Google Tasks data.
• Practical Guidance: Select a pre-configured Google Task connection or create a new one.
• Use Case Context: Authorizes the search query against your account’s data.

2. Task List

• Purpose: The identifier of the task list you want to retrieve.
• Practical Guidance: This field is “smart”—it accepts two types of input:
  • By Name: You can type the human-readable name (e.g., “Project Alpha”). Zenphi will search for a list with this title.
  • By ID: You can paste a specific List ID if you have it from a previous step.
  • By Selection: You can simply pick an existing list from the dropdown menu if you are building a static flow.
• Use Case Context: You can map a dynamic “Project Name” from a Google Form directly into this field, and Zenphi will automatically find the corresponding list.

Outputs

1. Id
   • Data Description: This output provides the unique, system-generated identifier for the found task list.
   • Workflow Utility: This ID is essential for interacting with the list in subsequent steps. For example, you must pass this token to the ‘Create a Task’ action’s ‘Task List’ field to ensure the new task is added to this specific list.
2. URL
   • Data Description: This is the direct URL that points to the task list within the Google Tasks interface.
   • Workflow Utility: This URL is useful for creating notifications or reports. You could include it in an email or a chat message to provide a user with a direct link to view the task list.
3. Title
   • Data Description: This output contains the human-readable name of the task list (e.g., “Weekly Team Sync”).
   • Workflow Utility: The title can be used in follow-up actions to provide context. For instance, you could use it in a confirmation email, such as “A new task has been successfully added to your list: [Title].”
4. Updated Time
   • Data Description: This provides the exact date and time that the task list was last modified.
   • Workflow Utility: This timestamp is valuable for auditing and tracking purposes. You could log this information in a spreadsheet to monitor changes or use it in a conditional branch to perform an action only if the list has been recently updated.

Example Use Cases

1. Automate Task Creation Dynamically find a project-specific task list by name before adding a new task to it from a form or spreadsheet.
2. Generate Task List Reports Retrieve the URL and last updated time for a specific task list to include in automated status reports or notifications.
3. Centralize Task Management Create a single workflow that finds different task lists based on dynamic input, allowing you to manage tasks across multiple projects efficiently.
4. Audit Task List Activity Find a task list to check its “Updated Time” and trigger a notification or logging action if it hasn’t been modified recently.

Example: The “Smart” Project Router

Scenario: A project manager uses a Google Form to assign tasks. The form asks for the “Project Name” (e.g., “Marketing”, “IT”, “HR”). The manager has existing Google Task lists named exactly “Marketing”, “IT”, and “HR”.

Steps to Implement:

1. Trigger: Start with Google Form - New Response.
2. Find the List: Add the Find Task List action.
   • Connection: Select your account.
   • Task List: Use the token picker to insert the Project Name answer from the Form trigger.
   • Note: Because this field accepts Names, you don’t need to look up an ID manually. Zenphi will take the text “Marketing” and find the “Marketing” list.
3. Create the Task: Add the Create Task action.
   • Task List: Use the Id output from the Find Task List step.
   • Why? While the “Find” action is smart enough to take a Name, the “Create” action is stricter and always works best with an ID. Using the ID here ensures 100% reliability.
   • Title: Map the task description from the form.

Outcome: The flow dynamically routes tasks to the correct list based purely on the text name typed in the form, without complex lookup tables.

Best Practices

1. Handle Not-Found Lists Always add a conditional branch after this action to check if the Id was returned. If the Id is empty, it means the list was not found, and you can configure the flow to send an alert or create the list instead of failing.
2. Use Consistent Naming Conventions Maintain unique and predictable names for your Google Task lists. This prevents ambiguity and ensures the action reliably finds the exact list you intend it to.
3. Prefer Dynamic Inputs For scalable workflows, use dynamic tokens from triggers or previous actions in the “Task List” input field. Hardcoding the list name is best reserved for flows that will only ever interact with a single, unchanging list.
4. Use the ID for Reliability When referencing the found list in subsequent actions (like creating or updating a task), always use the Id output token. While the Title is human-readable, the Id is a unique identifier that guarantees you are acting on the correct list.