If This Then That (IFTTT) and WordPress – WPQuickies

In this lunchtime #WPQuickies, I’ll take a look at what you can do with the If This Then That (IFTTT) service and WordPress.

IFTTT has been around since 2011 and is one of the very first web-based automation tools to connect triggers to events without having to write any code. How well does it automate WordPress?

What is IFTTT?

IFTTT’s name is derived from the common programming conditional statement If This Then That.

IFTTT is pronounced like “gift,” without the “g”.

IFTTT connects devices, apps and services together in a workflow to run actions upon certain trigger conditions met without having to write any code, these workflows are called “applets”.

The service has 18 million users running more than a billion applets every month as of 2020.

It’s not a small service by any means.

IFTTT vs Zapier

Zapier was also launched in 2011 and offers the same basic concept of automation without any code, however, there are a few key differences between the services.

In general, IFTTT targets the personal automation audience and Zapier targets the business automation market.

Of course, you can use both for services for personal and business, however, IFTTT’s marketing seems to focus on the personal market.

You can see this clearly from their homepage which highlights home automation devices, voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, fitness devices and social media.

The main difference in the automation process between IFTTT and Zapier is that IFTTT offers only one trigger and one action (or multiple actions with the Pro plan).  

Zapier offers a lot more conditionals and filtering on triggers and actions for more complicated workflows.

Supported Services

There are over 650 service partners available to choose from, too many to mention, but with a heavy lean towards personal devices and home automation.

The services are bundled together in helpful categories like social media, appliances and yes even smart blinds!

So you can close your blinds automatically just as the sun sets in your suburb and open them up at sunrise.

Getting Started

The IFTTT UI is very simple and big. The interface is literally as big as you are seeing it on your screen right now!.

The free plan allows you to create up to 5 applets.

This is the starting point to create a new applet.  You must first specify a trigger “If this”, before you can specify the action “Then That”.

WordPress Triggers

As far as triggers go, there are only two triggers specific to WordPress websites.

I was pretty disappointed by the lack of WordPress triggers, considering how popular the WordPress CMS is in today’s marketplace.

A trigger can be fired when any new post is published or when a post with a specific tag or category is published.

The fact that the service continues to mention a WordPress “blog” reinforces the fact that this is focused on the personal market.

However, if you are starting out, this may be all you need.

Connect up your WordPress website with the Applet. Note: You will need the XML-RPC service enabled – it is by default but many people run plugins like Deactivate XML-RPC Service https://en-au.wordpress.org/plugins/deactivate-xml-rpc-service/ to disable the service for security reasons.

Once your WordPress website is connected, you can complete the trigger, in this case choosing a WordPress account to run against and the tag or category to trigger the action from.

Adding The Action “Then That”

Once you have created your trigger you can add your action which is the “Then That” part.

Here’s a list of Twitter actions you could link to this applet.  

Just like all triggers, you will have to set up and authenticate all the services you want to use by providing login or API credentials before the applet will be set to live.

WordPress Actions

If you are looking to create a WordPress action from another trigger, again there are only two WordPress actions to choose from.

You can create a post or create a “photo post” whatever that means. 

Perhaps this relates to the largely abandoned WordPress 3.1 post formats – does anyone use these now?

Summary

IFTTT is a simple automation service clearly targeting a personal audience rather than a business.

If you are into home automation and have voice assistants or fitness trackers, IFTTT is a good beginner’s choice for dabbling with automation.

If you want to link your WordPress website up with automation IFTTT is clearly stuck over a decade back in time, with very rudimentary triggers and actions for a WordPress “blog”, supporting some features that have long since been abandoned (post formats).

My recommendation is that you stick with Zapier to automate your WordPress website processes.

Do you still have questions about IFTTT?

Ask in the comments below.

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