How to manage overflown airtable records?

[hossain-khan]

To delete multiple records using Airtable's API, you can send a DELETE request to the appropriate table's endpoint. The request allows you to delete multiple records at once by specifying their recordId values in a query string.

Here's the format for the API call:

API Endpoint:

DELETE https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}

Query Parameters:

• records[]: Array of record IDs you want to delete.

Example Request:

curl -X DELETE "https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}?records[]=rec12345&records[]=rec67890" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

In this example, replace the following:

• {baseId} with your Airtable base ID.
• {tableName} with the name of the table where the records are located.
• rec12345 and rec67890 with the actual record IDs you want to delete.
• YOUR_API_KEY with your Airtable API key.

JSON Response Example:

If the operation is successful, you will receive a response like this:

{
  "records": [
    {
      "id": "rec12345",
      "deleted": true
    },
    {
      "id": "rec67890",
      "deleted": true
    }
  ]
}

This request will delete the specified records from the Airtable base.

[hossain-khan]

Airtable allows you to delete up to 10 records in a single API request. If you need to delete more than 10 records, you'll have to batch your requests, sending multiple DELETE requests with up to 10 record IDs each.

[hossain-khan]

To find the oldest records in an Airtable table using the API, you can use the GET request with sorting on a date field (e.g., "Created Time"). Airtable allows you to sort records based on any field, including date fields, using the sort query parameter.

Here's how you can retrieve the oldest records:

API Endpoint:

GET https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}

Query Parameters:

• sort[0][field]: The field to sort by (e.g., "Created Time" or another date field).
• sort[0][direction]: Set to "asc" for ascending order to get the oldest records.
• maxRecords: Limit the number of records returned.

Example Request:

curl -X GET "https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}?sort[0][field]=Created%20Time&sort[0][direction]=asc&maxRecords=10" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

In this example:

• Replace {baseId} with your Airtable base ID.
• Replace {tableName} with the name of your table.
• The "Created Time" field is typically automatically added by Airtable, but you can replace it with any other date field that exists in your table.

Example JSON Response:

This request will return the 10 oldest records based on the Created Time field, with the oldest ones listed first:

{
  "records": [
    {
      "id": "rec12345",
      "fields": {
        "Name": "Oldest Record",
        "Created Time": "2023-01-01T12:34:56.000Z"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "rec67890",
      "fields": {
        "Name": "Second Oldest Record",
        "Created Time": "2023-02-01T12:34:56.000Z"
      }
    }
  ]
}

This way, you can retrieve the oldest records from your Airtable base via the API by sorting on a date field.

[hossain-khan]

The maximum number of records you can retrieve in one API call from Airtable is 100 records.

If you have more than 100 records in your table, Airtable provides a pagination mechanism. You can use the offset parameter returned in the response to retrieve additional records by making subsequent requests.

Example of Handling Pagination:

• In the response, you will receive an offset field if there are more records to fetch.
• Use this offset value in the next API request to get the next batch of records.

Example of an API Request (with Pagination):

curl -X GET "https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}?maxRecords=100" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

If the response includes an offset, your next request should look like this:

curl -X GET "https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}?maxRecords=100&offset=recXXXXXXXXX" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Repeat this process until there is no offset field in the response, meaning you have retrieved all records.

[hossain-khan]

To get the total number of records in an Airtable table using the API, you will need to paginate through the records and count them manually. Airtable’s API does not provide a direct way to get the total count of records in a single call. However, you can keep track of the number of records retrieved in each API call and sum them up until there are no more records (i.e., when the offset is no longer returned in the response).

Here’s how you can do it:

Step-by-Step Approach:

1. Make the first API call to get up to 100 records.
2. Check for the offset in the response. If it exists, it means there are more records to retrieve.
3. Keep making API calls using the offset value until there is no offset in the response.
4. Count the records in each batch and sum them to get the total number of records.

Example of Initial API Call:

curl -X GET "https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}?maxRecords=100" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Example of Response:

{
  "records": [
    { "id": "rec12345", "fields": { "Name": "Record 1" } },
    { "id": "rec67890", "fields": { "Name": "Record 2" } }
  ],
  "offset": "recXXXXXXXXX"  // Include this in your next request if present
}

Subsequent Requests:

If an offset is returned, continue making requests using the offset value:

curl -X GET "https://api.airtable.com/v0/{baseId}/{tableName}?maxRecords=100&offset=recXXXXXXXXX" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Count Records in Each Batch:

• The number of records in each batch can be counted by the length of the records array in the response.
• Keep a running total of the records you receive until no offset is provided, indicating that all records have been fetched.

Alternative Approach Using Third-Party Integrations:

If you want a direct count without manually counting via pagination, you can use third-party integrations or tools like Airtable Scripting or Airtable Apps (formerly Blocks), which provide easier ways to get the total record count from within the Airtable UI.