Create a database automatically

[marissamarym]

_{Discuss in #issue-29--create-a-database-automatically}

• What is the current functionality?
  We ask the user to create a database

• What problems are you facing with the current feature?
  It's an extra set-up step

• What is your idea?
  Create a database automatically with the Notion API, now that it's available

[juliarosenson]

The Notion API only lets you create a database as a child of a page whereas the example template Database is a child of the workspace. Do we want to use the API to create a page for users and then add a database to that page?

[juliarosenson]

The Notion API only lets you create a database as a child of a page whereas the example template Database is a child of the workspace. Do we want to use the API to create a page for users and then add a database to that page?

See how the parent param has to be a page parent, not a workspace

[marissamarym]

The Notion API only lets you create a database as a child of a page whereas the example template Database is a child of the workspace. Do we want to use the API to create a page for users and then add a database to that page?

oh I see, yeah I think creating a page first works well then

[juliarosenson]

The github docs on manually triggering a workflow docs say "Write access is required to perform these steps"

[juliarosenson]

Assuming we can't give all users write access to the repo, I'm going to work on just providing curl commands for creating the DB

[juliarosenson]

The github docs on manually triggering a workflow docs say "Write access is required to perform these steps"

[marissamarym]

sounds good, and that's probably more an expected way of doing it since few people know about manually triggering actions, and the button can be hard to find

[juliarosenson]

Ok so digging deeper into the Notion API...

[juliarosenson]

In order to create a DB we need a parent page, but in order to create a page via API we need a parent page or parent DB. So we'd have to ask user to create a blank page and then we could use the API to create a DB, or create a blank DB and we could use the API to update it

[juliarosenson]

At this point though it seems more efficient to keep what we already have, instructing users to duplicate this DB into their own workspace. It's only a couple clicks to duplicate

[juliarosenson]

In order to create a DB we need a parent page, but in order to create a page via API we need a parent page or parent DB. So we'd have to ask user to create a blank page and then we could use the API to create a DB, or create a blank DB and we could use the API to update it

Create a Page API reference
Create a DB API reference

[marissamarym]

hm with the new API updates, would we even have to specify the properties on the database ahead of time? would it be possible for us to create properties dynamically on a blank database?

[juliarosenson]

Yeah we would be able to update a database using one of their endpoints

[juliarosenson]

Notion has their own repo that syncs github issues to a Notion DB https://github.com/makenotion/notion-sdk-js/tree/main/examples/notion-github-sync

[juliarosenson]

Their Readme instructs people to first duplicate a simple DB and then their code creates pages from github issues and updates the DB

[marissamarym]

awesome, so maybe the task here to reduce the amount of onboarding steps is to make it so users can start with a blank database instead of duplicating a template. we could change this issue to reflect that, or close this and make a new issue

[marissamarym]

Notion has their own repo that syncs github issues to a Notion DB https://github.com/makenotion/notion-sdk-js/tree/main/examples/notion-github-sync

this project is great, but I believe you have to run the command every time you want to sync. the github action lets users install once, and have issues sync on all new changes

[juliarosenson]

Will the amount of onboarding steps here really be reduced though? We're -1 step to duplicate a template DB but + 1 step to create a blank one, +1 step to obtain the databse id, +1 step to make the database ID and notion access token available for use

[juliarosenson]

Notion has their own repo that syncs github issues to a Notion DB https://github.com/makenotion/notion-sdk-js/tree/main/examples/notion-github-sync

Right I was just sharing it as an example for how organized their onboarding steps

[marissamarym]

yeah good point, so maybe we're not down on steps, but I think it'll be a reduced complexity to remove the duplicating step. I actually think to duplicate a DB you have to first duplicate the page, and then copy and paste the DB over- you can't duplicate directly

[juliarosenson]

I was able to duplicate directly (2 clicks) into a test Notion Workspace I create
• press the duplicate button in the top right corner
• choose the workspace

[marissamarym]

hm weird, I only see Share there, not Search or Duplicate

[juliarosenson]

I think it might be cause you're already inside the Fabric Workspace?

[juliarosenson]

If you click on the ... on the side bar next to a DB do you see an option to duplicate?

[marissamarym]

yep, just duplicated. it won't let me copy the table to paste it somewhere, maybe because it has no entries yet

[maneeshapanja]

decision de-prioritizing in favor of #issue-25--make-it-easy-to-sync-all-past-issues-not-just-newly-created-or-edited-

[OJFord]

#25

[OJFord]

Will the amount of onboarding steps here really be reduced though? We're -1 step to duplicate a template DB but + 1 step to create a blank one, +1 step to obtain the databse id, +1 step to make the database ID and notion access token available for use

I can 'Add Page', '...', 'Copy link' in three (very close together) clicks - not sure what I'm missing, why does the database have to be created? If I provide a top-level page then the API allows creating a database in it?

For what it's worth, my 'duplicate the template' flow was:

• follow link from readme
• opens in browser not app (which was already open where I was using Notion)
• figure out login (usually use the app)
• I'm now logged in to one of my pages, not the linked one
• duplicate tab to retain logged in state
• back back back back quickly to stop being redirected while I try to get back to readme
• follow link again
• '...'
• 'duplicate'

And to be honest I think even if it were more clicks, just creating a new page (or even providing an existing one you want the db added to!) is an easier, more obvious instruction than the current 'note the database must be created from the template above'.

---

Also, it's not really related I don't think, but the discussion seems lumped in here - I think needing write access to the repo (for workflow_dispatch) should be avoided. I'm more inclined to use Notion's manual sync example and then this action going forward than that. Though I suppose you can change the token to remove that scope after running it once initially.. still not ideal.