---
title: Airtable
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---
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[Airtable](https://airtable.com/) is a collaborative dataset hosting service.
[SheetJS](https://sheetjs.com) is a JavaScript library for reading and writing
data from spreadsheets.
This demo uses SheetJS to properly exchange data with spreadsheet files. We'll
explore how to use the `airtable` NodeJS library and SheetJS in two data flows:
- "Exporting data": Data in Airtable will be pulled into an array of objects and
exported to XLSB spreadsheets using SheetJS libraries.
- "Importing data": Data in an XLSX spreadsheet will be parsed using SheetJS
libraries and appended to a dataset in Airtable
## NodeJS Integration
Airtable recommends Personal Access Tokens for interacting with their API. When
fetching data from the API, the result will include an array of row objects that
can be converted to a worksheet with `XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet`. The API methods
to write data will accept row objects generated by `XLSX.utils.sheet_to_json`.
The main module is `airtable` and can be installed with `npm`:
{`\
npm i --save https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz airtable`}
To obtain a reference to a table, code needs a [PAT](#personal-access-token),
the name of the workspace (typically starting with `app`), and the name of the
desired table (the Excel import typically supports the worksheet name):
```js
const Airtable = require("airtable"), XLSX = require("xlsx");
/* query all records in a table */
const conn = new Airtable({apiKey: "PAT...", /* and other options ... */});
const table = conn.base("app...").table("tablename...");
```
### Exporting Data
When querying data, a result set will be a simple array of Record objects. The
`fields` property is a simple JS object compatible with `json_to_sheet`:
```js
/** Create SheetJS worksheet from Airtable table */
async function airtable_to_worksheet(table) {
/* get all rows */
const result = await table.select().all();
/* pull raw objects from the result */
// highlight-next-line
const aoo = result.map(r => r.fields);
/* create a worksheet */
const worksheet = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet(aoo);
return worksheet;
}
```
:::caution pass
The results are not guaranteed to be sorted. The official API includes options
for sorting by fields.
:::
### Importing Data
When inserting records, each object should be wrapped in a parent object with a
single `fields` property:
```js
/** Append records from a SheetJS worksheet to Airtable table */
async function airtable_load_worksheet(table, worksheet) {
/* suppose the field names */
const aoo = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_json(worksheet);
/* reshape to be compatible with Airtable API */
// highlight-next-line
const airtable_rows = aoo.map(fields => ({ fields }));
/* upload data */
return await table.create(airtable_rows);
}
```
## Complete Example
:::note
This demo was last tested on 2023 September 03. At the time, free accounts
included limited API access.
:::
0) Create a free Airtable account and verify the email address.
### Personal Access Token
:::note pass
In the past, Airtable offered API keys. They are slated to deprecate API keys
in January 2024. They recommend "Personal Access Tokens" for operations.
:::
API actions will require a PAT, which must be created through the developer hub:
1) Click on account icon (topright area of the page) and select "Developer Hub".
2) Click "Create Token".
3) In the form, make the following selections:
- Name: enter any name (for example, "SheetJS Test")
- Scopes: `data.records:read` and `data.records:write` (adding 2 scopes)
- Access: "All current and future bases in all current and future workspaces"
The form will look like the screenshot below:
4) Click "Create Token" and you will see a popup. Copy the token and save it.
### Workspace
For the purposes of this demo, a sample workspace should be created:
5) Download
6) Create a project in Airtable using "Quickly upload". Select "Microsoft Excel"
and select the downloaded file from step 1. Click "Upload", then "Import".
7) A workspace will be created. The name will be found in the URL. For example:
```
https://airtable.com/appblahblah/tblblahblah/blahblah
--------------------/^^^^^^^^^^^/ workspace name
```
the first part after the `.com` will be the workspace name.
### Exporting Data
8) Save the following to `SheetJSAirtableRead.js`:
```js title="SheetJSAirtableRead.js"
const Airtable = require("airtable"), XLSX = require("xlsx");
// highlight-start
/* replace the value with the personal access token */
const apiKey = "pat...";
/* replace the value with the workspace name */
const base = "app...";
// highlight-end
(async() => {
const conn = new Airtable({ apiKey });
const table = conn.base(base).table("Sheet1");
const result = await table.select().all();
const aoo = result.map(r => r.fields);
const ws = XLSX.utils.json_to_sheet(aoo);
const wb = XLSX.utils.book_new();
XLSX.utils.book_append_sheet(wb, ws, "Sheet1");
XLSX.writeFile(wb, "SheetJSAirtable.xlsb");
})();
```
9) Replace the values in the highlighted lines with the PAT and workspace name.
10) Install dependencies:
{`\
npm i --save https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz airtable`}
11) Run the script:
```bash
node SheetJSAirtableRead.js
```
The script should write `SheetJSAirtable.xlsb`. The file can be opened in Excel.
### Importing Data
12) Create a file `SheetJSAirpend.xlsx` with some new records in sheet `Sheet1`:
`npx xlsx-cli SheetJSAirpend.xlsx` should print the following data:
```csv
Sheet1
Name,Index
Someone Else,47
```
13) Save the following to `SheetJSAirtableWrite.js`:
```js title="SheetJSAirtableWrite.js"
const Airtable = require("airtable"), XLSX = require("xlsx");
// highlight-start
/* replace the value with the personal access token */
const apiKey = "pat...";
/* replace the value with the workspace name */
const base = "app...";
// highlight-end
(async() => {
const conn = new Airtable({ apiKey });
const table = conn.base(base).table("Sheet1");
const wb = XLSX.readFile("SheetJSAirpend.xlsx");
const ws = wb.Sheets["Sheet1"];
const aoo = XLSX.utils.sheet_to_json(ws);
await table.create(aoo.map(fields => ({ fields })));
})();
```
14) Replace the values in the highlighted lines with the PAT and workspace name.
15) Install dependencies:
{`\
npm i --save https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-${current}/xlsx-${current}.tgz airtable`}
16) Run the script:
```bash
node SheetJSAirtableWrite.js
```
Open Airtable and verify the new row was added:
