Send a message to Google Chat when a record is added

Language: English

In this tutorial we set up an automation that posts a message to a Google Chat space each time a new record is added to a form — directly from ActivityInfo, with no intermediary workflow tool.

We assume the role of a coordinator whose team works in a Google Chat space. The team tracks projects in a Projects form, and wants each newly submitted project announced in the space as it arrives.

What you need

  • A form to watch. Ours is a Projects form with a text field Project Name with the code NAME and a reference field Partner with the code PARTNER, but any form will do — adjust the field references to yours.
  • Permission to design the database in ActivityInfo.
  • A Google Chat space in which you can add webhooks. Incoming webhooks are a Google Workspace feature; a space administrator may need to allow them.

Step 1: Create an incoming webhook in Google Chat

  1. In Google Chat, open the space that should receive the messages.
  2. Click the space name, then Apps & integrations.
  3. Under Webhooks, select Add webhooks.
  4. Name the webhook, for example "ActivityInfo", and save.
  5. Copy the webhook URL — it begins with https://chat.googleapis.com/v1/spaces/....
Screenshot of webhook settings in Google Chat Space
Screenshot of webhook settings in Google Chat Space

Step 2: Add the automation

  1. In ActivityInfo, open the database, select the Projects form, and select Automations in the form's detail pane.
  2. Select Add automation and name it "Announce new projects in Chat".
  3. Select Click here to get started and choose the On record added trigger.
  4. Label the trigger, select Select form, choose the Projects form, confirm, and select Done.

Step 3: Add the webhook step

  1. Select Add a new step, then Action, then Fire webhook.
  2. Give the step a label, for example "Post to Chat space".
  3. Paste the Google Chat webhook URL into the Webhook URL field.
  4. Set the Payload format to Custom: Google Chat expects a message in its own JSON shape, and the custom format lets us write it exactly.
Screenshot of Custom Webhook step
Screenshot of Custom Webhook step

Step 4: Write the message

  1. Select Edit payload.

  2. Enter the message body Google Chat expects — a JSON object with a single text property. The ${...} references are filled in from the record that fired the automation; the field list on the right inserts them for you:

    {"text": "📋 New project submitted: *${NAME}* by ${PARTNER.NAME}, added by ${_user.name}"}

    Google Chat renders *asterisks* as bold. Values are automatically escaped for JSON, so project names containing quotes or line breaks cannot break the message.

  3. Select Done to close the payload editor, and Done again to close the step.

  4. Select Save. The automation is now active.

Step 5: Test

  1. Add a test record to the Projects form.
  2. Within moments, the message appears in the Google Chat space with the project's details filled in.

Going further

  • Announce only some projects: add a filter step between the trigger and the webhook — for example CONTAINS(SECTORS, "Health") to announce only health-sector projects.
  • Announce status changes instead: use the On record edited trigger with the filter STATUS != _previous.STATUS, and include both values in the message: ${_previous.STATUS} → ${STATUS}.
  • Any formula works inside ${...}: ${IF(BUDGET >= 100000, '🔴 large', 'standard')}.
Next item
Send a message to Microsoft Teams when a record is added