Google Tasks API Data Source
Google Tasks API
Create a New Data Flow
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To create a new data flow, navigate to the Integrate section, and click the New Data Flow button. Then, select the desired flow type from the list, and click the Create button.
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Select the Google Tasks API connector tile from the list of available connectors. Then, select the credential that will be used to connect to the Google Tasks API instance, and click Next; or, create a new Google Tasks API credential for use in this flow.
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In Nexla, Google Tasks API data sources can be created using pre-built endpoint templates, which expedite source setup for common Google Tasks API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Google Tasks API endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.
• To configure this source using a template, follow the instructions in Configure Using a Template.Google Tasks API sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Google Tasks API endpoints not included in the pre-built templates or apply further customizations to exactly suit your needs.
• To configure this source manually, follow the instructions in Configure Manually.
Configure Using a Template
Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure data sources to ingest data from common Google Tasks API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Google Tasks API endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.
Endpoint Settings
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Select the endpoint from which this source will fetch data from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Available endpoint templates are listed in the expandable boxes below. Click on an endpoint to see more information about it and how to configure your data source for this endpoint.
Endpoint Testing
Once the selected endpoint template has been configured, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current settings. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.
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To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched & displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.
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If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.
Configure Manually
Google Tasks API sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Google Tasks API endpoints not included in the pre-built templates or apply further customizations to exactly suit your needs.
First, select the method that will be used for calls to the Google Tasks API from the Method pulldown menu. The Google Tasks API is a RESTful API, and the most commonly used method for data ingestion is:
- GET: For retrieving tasks, task lists, and related data from the API.
Additional methods are available for triggering create, update, or delete operations as part of a data workflow:
- POST: For creating new tasks or task lists.
- PATCH: For partially updating existing tasks or task lists.
- PUT: For replacing existing tasks or task lists.
- DELETE: For removing tasks or task lists.
API Endpoint URL
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Enter the URL of the Google Tasks API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. This should be the complete URL including the protocol (
https://) and any required path parameters.The base URL for the Google Tasks API is
https://tasks.googleapis.com/tasks/v1/. Common endpoint patterns include:- List all task lists:
https://tasks.googleapis.com/tasks/v1/users/@me/lists - List tasks in a task list:
https://tasks.googleapis.com/tasks/v1/lists/{'{tasklist}'}/tasks - Get a specific task:
https://tasks.googleapis.com/tasks/v1/lists/{'{tasklist}'}/tasks/{'{task}'}
Replace
{'{tasklist}'}with the ID of the target task list, and{'{task}'}with the ID of the specific task to retrieve. - List all task lists:
Task list IDs and task IDs can be obtained by first calling the https://tasks.googleapis.com/tasks/v1/users/@me/lists endpoint to retrieve all task lists and their IDs. For additional details about available endpoints and parameters, refer to the Google Tasks API REST reference documentation.
Date/Time Macros (API URL)
Optionally, the API URL can be customized using macros—all macros added to the API URL will be converted into values when Nexla executes the API call. Macros are dynamic placeholders that allow you to create flexible API endpoints that can adapt to different time periods or data requirements.
Date/time macros are particularly useful for Google Tasks API endpoints that support filtering by due date or completion date. For example, the tasks.list endpoint supports dueMin and dueMax query parameters that accept RFC 3339 timestamps, making macros valuable for incremental data ingestion runs.
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To add a macro, type
{at the appropriate position in the API URL (within the Set API URL field), and select the desired macro from the dropdown list.{now}– The current datetime{now-1}– The datetime one time unit before the current datetime{now+1}– The datetime one time unit after the current datetimecustom– Datetime macros can reference any number of time units before or after the current datetime—for example, enter(now-4)to indicate the datetime four time units before the current datetime
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Select the format that will be applied to datetime macros from the Date Format for Date/Time Macro pulldown menu. This format will be applied to the base datetime value of the macro—i.e., the value of
{now}in{now-1}. -
Select the datetime unit that will be used to perform mathematical operations in the included macro(s) from the Time Unit for Operations pulldown menu—for example, for the macro
{now-1}, whenDayis selected,{now-1}will be converted to the datetime one day before the current datetime.
Lookup-Based Macros (API URL)
Column values from existing lookups can also be included as macros in the API URL. Lookup-based macros allow you to reference data from previously configured data sources or lookups, enabling dynamic API endpoints that can adapt based on existing data.
Lookup-based macros are particularly useful when ingesting tasks from multiple task lists, where task list IDs are stored in another Nexla data source. By referencing the task list IDs as lookup macros, Nexla can dynamically iterate over multiple task lists in a single data flow.
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To include a lookup column value macro, select the relevant lookup from the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.
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Type
{at the appropriate position in the API URL, and select the lookup column-based macro from the dropdown list. Lookup-based macros are automatically populated into the macro list when a lookup is selected in the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.
Path to Data
If only a subset of the data returned by the API endpoint is needed, you can designate the part of the response that should be included in the Nexset(s) produced from this source by specifying the path to the relevant data within the response. This is particularly useful when API responses contain metadata, pagination information, or other data that you don't need for your analysis.
For example, the Google Tasks API tasks.list endpoint returns a response with an items array containing the individual task records, along with metadata fields such as kind and nextPageToken. By specifying the path to the items array, Nexla will treat each element as a separate record rather than the entire response object.
Path to Data is essential when working with the Google Tasks API, as most list endpoints nest the actual data records within an items array. Without specifying the correct path, Nexla may not be able to properly parse and organize your data into usable records.
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To specify which data should be treated as relevant in responses from this source, enter the path to the relevant data in the Set Path to Data in Response field.
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For responses in JSON format, enter the JSON path that points to the object or array that should be treated as relevant data. JSON paths use dot notation (e.g.,
$.items[*]to access the items array returned by Google Tasks list endpoints). -
For responses in XML format, enter the XPath that points to the object/array containing relevant data. XPath uses slash notation (e.g.,
/response/data/itemto access item elements within a data element).
Path to Data Example:For the Google Tasks API
tasks.listendpoint (https://tasks.googleapis.com/tasks/v1/lists/{'{tasklist}'}/tasks), the response includes a top-levelitemsarray containing the individual task objects. Enter$.items[*]in the Set Path to Data in Response field to configure Nexla to treat each task as a separate record. -
Autogenerate Path Suggestions
Nexla can also autogenerate data path suggestions based on the response from the API endpoint. These suggested paths can be used as-is or modified to exactly suit your needs.
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To use this feature, click the Test button next to the Set API URL field to fetch a sample response from the API endpoint. Suggested data paths generated based on the content & format of the response will be displayed in the Suggestions box below the Set Path to Data in Response field.
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Click on a suggestion to automatically populate the Set Path to Data in Response field with the corresponding path. The populated path can be modified directly within the field if further customization is needed.
Metadata
If metadata is included in the response but is located outside of the defined path to relevant data, you can configure Nexla to include this data as common metadata in each record. This is useful when you want to preserve important contextual information that applies to all records but isn't part of the main data array.
For example, when using the Google Tasks API to retrieve tasks from a task list, the response may include a nextPageToken field and a kind field alongside the items array. If you have specified $.items[*] as the path to the relevant data but want to preserve the kind field with each record, you can specify a path to this metadata.
Metadata paths are particularly useful for preserving API response context like pagination tokens or response type indicators that apply to all records returned in a Google Tasks API response.
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To specify the location of metadata that should be included with each record, enter the path to the relevant metadata in the Path to Metadata in Response field.
- For responses in JSON format, enter the JSON path to the object or array that contains the metadata, and for responses in XML format, enter the XPath.
Request Headers
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If Nexla should include any additional request headers in API calls to this source, enter the headers & corresponding values as comma-separated pairs in the Request Headers field (e.g.,
header1:value1,header2:value2). Additional headers are often required for API versioning, content type specifications, or custom authentication requirements.You do not need to include any headers already present in the credentials. Authorization headers are handled automatically by Nexla based on your Google Tasks API credential configuration.
Endpoint Testing
After configuring all settings for the selected endpoint, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current configuration. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.
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To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched & displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.
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If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.
Save & Activate the Source
- Once all of the relevant steps in the above sections have been completed, click the Create button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the new Google Tasks API data source. Nexla will now begin ingesting data from the configured endpoint and will organize any data that it finds into one or more Nexsets.