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Update Task

Definition

The Update Task action in Google Tasks allows you to modify the details of an existing task within a specific task list.

This action is essential for keeping your task management system synchronized with other workflows. It enables you to automatically mark items as complete, reschedule deadlines, or append new context to a task’s notes without opening the Google Tasks app.

Key capabilities include:

  • Status Management: Automatically marking tasks as completed based on external triggers (e.g., a form submission).
  • Content Updates: Renaming tasks or appending new information (like document links) to the notes section.
  • Rescheduling: Changing the due date of a task dynamically if a project timeline slips.

Inputs

  1. Connection
    • Purpose: Connects Zenphi to your Google Tasks account to authorize the update.
    • Practical Guidance: Select an existing Google connection. If you haven’t connected yet, click the + icon to authenticate.
  2. Task List
    • Purpose: Identifies the specific list (folder) where the target task resides.
    • Practical Guidance: Select the list from the dropdown (e.g., “My Tasks” or “Project Alpha”).
    • Important: You must specify the correct list; Zenphi cannot find or update a task using only its ID if it looks in the wrong list.
  3. Task Id
    • Purpose: The unique string of characters that identifies the exact task to be updated.
    • Practical Guidance: This is the most critical field. You rarely type this manually. Instead, you almost always map this field using a dynamic token from a previous step, such as a “List Tasks” action.
    • Note: You cannot update a task by its “Title”; you must have its ID.
  4. Title
    • Purpose: Sets a new name for the task.
    • Practical Guidance: Leave this empty if you do not want to change the title. If you enter text here, it will overwrite the existing title.
  5. Due Date
    • Purpose: Updates the deadline for the task.
    • Format: Expects a Date/Time value (ISO 8601).
    • Use Case: Map a “Contract Expiry Date” token here to automatically reschedule a renewal task.
  6. Status
    • Purpose: Changes the completion state of the task.
    • Options:
    • needsAction (Active/Incomplete)
    • completed (Done)
  7. Notes
    • Purpose: Updates the description or body text of the task.
    • Warning (Overwrite vs. Append): This field replaces the existing notes entirely. If you want to add text to existing notes, you must map the original Notes token first, followed by your new text (e.g., `` + New Info).

Outputs

  1. Id
    • The unique identifier of the task (useful for logging).
  2. Status
    • The new status of the task (e.g., completed).
  3. Title
    • The updated name of the task.
  4. Updated Time
    • The timestamp of when this modification occurred.
  5. Notes
    • The full text content of the task’s description field after the update.
  6. Due Time
    • The new due date applied to the task.
  7. WebView Link
    • A direct URL to open the specific task in the Google Tasks web interface.
    • Use Case: Send this link in a Slack notification: “Task Updated. Click here to view.”

Example Use Cases

  1. Auto-Complete Checklists: Automatically mark a task as “completed” in your onboarding checklist when a new employee submits their documents via a Google Form.
  2. Dynamic Rescheduling: Update the due date of a task to a later time if a dependent project milestone in a spreadsheet is changed.
  3. Enrich Task Context: Append a direct link to a generated contract PDF into the “Notes” section of a “Review Contract” task so the manager has the file right there.
  4. Sync Status: If a ticket is closed in Jira or Zendesk, automatically find the corresponding Google Task and mark it as completed.

Example Scenario: The Automated Onboarding Checklist

Goal: You use a Google Task list called “Onboarding” to track new hires. One standard task is “Collect Signed Offer.” You want to automatically mark this specific task as Completed and add a link to the file in the notes as soon as the employee submits their offer letter via a form.

Steps to Implement:

  1. Trigger: Google Form - On Form Submit (Form: “Offer Letter Submission”).
  2. Action: List Tasks (Google Tasks).
    • List: “Onboarding”.
    • Purpose: We need to find the ID of the task named “Collect Signed Offer”.
  3. Action: Query Collection (Zenphi Data Actions).
    • Input Collection: Map the Tasks list from the previous step.
    • Filter: Title Contains “Collect Signed Offer”.
    • Result: This isolates the single task object we need.
  4. Action: Update Task (Google Tasks).
    • Task List: “Onboarding”.
    • Task Id: Map the Id from the Query Collection result.
    • Status: Set to completed.
    • Notes: “Offer received. Link: “ + [Form Response URL].

Outcome: The moment the form is submitted, Zenphi finds the correct task, checks it off as done, and pastes the link to the document directly into the task notes.

Best Practices

  1. The “Find -> Update” Pattern: You almost never have the Task ID handy at the start of a flow. The standard pattern is to use List Tasks first to find the task based on its Title, and then pass that ID to the Update Task action.
  2. Appending Notes: Be careful with the Notes field. It acts as a “Replace,” not an “Append.” To add text without deleting the old notes, you must fetch the current notes first and map them into the field: [Existing Notes Token] + [New Text].
  3. Handle Missing Tasks: If you try to update a task that a user has manually deleted, the flow will fail. It is good practice to put this action inside a Try/Catch block or check if the “List Tasks” action actually found a result before attempting the update.