Crafting an Innovative Webflow Blog Automation System
–
Building an Automated Blogging System for Webflow
Constructing an automated blogging system for Webflow at Scale by Tech, we faced unique challenges compared to our usual WordPress projects. WordPress shines with its API-friendly CMS, but Webflow, while fantastic, demands a bit more finesse for content input.
Steps in System Creation
We kicked off our system creation focusing on SEO essentials. Gathering SEO data is the groundwork before diving into the specifics of article structure tailored to the client’s site.
The real game-changer was integrating an automated Midjourney image generator. With no official API from Midjourney, we leveraged third-party API systems to breathe visuals into the articles, matching the content’s context.
The image generation was article-type dependent. Each article’s main H2 titles dictated the creation of a Featured Image and additional visuals—up to 10. If an article boasted more than 10 H2s, we capped the image count at 10 to prevent overload.
Overcoming Webflow’s Image Upload Challenge
Webflow’s API makes image uploading a tricky task. You can’t directly upload images as you would in WordPress; Webflow requires a public URL complete with a file extension. Here’s where we got creative.
Uploading Images to Webflow: A Workaround
After discovering Webflow’s restrictions—we can’t upload images without a file extension from Airtables to Webflow’s rich text—we devised a workaround. We initially considered uploading images directly to the CMS records, but that would quickly exceed Webflow’s database limits.
Utilizing Discord as an Image Upload Solution
We turned to Discord. Surprisingly, Discord handles image uploads without file extensions with ease. After uploading, we fetched new URLs with the needed file extensions and slotted them into the article’s HTML body on Webflow.
Discord and Webflow: A Symbiotic Relationship
Discord became our intermediary, hosting images only long enough to transfer them to Webflow. Post-upload, we cleared the Discord server of the images to avoid clutter. It was a clever pivot that got the job done.
The Final Lap: Webflow Automated Blogging System Creation
Our journey to automate blogging from Airtables to Webflow was filled with inventive solutions, like using Discord for image uploads. The key was ensuring images had publicly accessible URLs with extensions for smooth integration.
From Airtables to Webflow: A Formatting Challenge
Transitioning from Airtables’ markdown to Webflow’s HTML format was another hurdle. We cracked it by stripping new lines from the markdown and replacing them with empty strings right before uploading to Webflow. With this, the automated system was complete, allowing for seamless article transfers.
Integration of Midjourney Image Generator
In my experience, visual content is as crucial as the written word, which is why at Scale by Tech, we innovated with an automated Midjourney image generator. Now, Midjourney’s lack of an official API could’ve been a showstopper, but we didn’t let that stop us. We tapped into third-party API systems, allowing us to harness Mid-Journey’s capabilities via API.
This integration meant that the type of article directly influenced both the article and image generation process. With our system, when an article was generated, the outline determined the subsequent visuals. We produced a Featured Image and additional images to correspond with each H2 title, up to 10. Why 10, you ask? Simple: efficiency and system constraints. If an article had more than 10 H2 titles, we drew a line at the 10th image.
What we do at Scale by Tech is never about just getting the job done; it’s about finding solutions that are elegant yet practical. For instance, when dealing with Midjourney’s image generation, we were conscious of not overloading the article with visuals. We aimed for a balance, ensuring each subheading was accompanied by an image that complemented the text without overwhelming it.
Something I’ve learned from experience is that each feature of an article is a chance to engage the reader, and images are a powerful tool for that. It’s why we were meticulous about the image generation process, making sure each visual was not only relevant but also enriching to the content.
And let me tell you, the result was a set of visually cohesive, engaging articles where every image felt like a natural extension of the written content. This integration is one of the many ways we push the envelope at Scale by Tech, consistently finding new ways to optimize and enhance our systems.
Overcoming Webflow’s Image Upload Challenge
Webflow’s image upload process? Not as straightforward as one might hope. When we at Scale by Tech tackled this, we discovered that images needed to have a public URL with a file extension to be accepted by Webflow’s API. This was a curveball, considering our reliance on Airtables for database management, which doesn’t append file extensions to public addresses for image attachments—likely a security measure.
So, in my opinion, this is where problem-solving gets interesting. We couldn’t use the standard approach of direct image file uploads like we did with WordPress. Webflow, you see, caps the number of CMS records you can have. Uploading images directly to CMS records was out of the question; we’d hit the limit in no time, given we use up to 10 images per article.
Uploading Images to Webflow: A Workaround
The workaround? Find a free software to host our images and provide us with a URL that has the much-needed file extension. After scouring the internet and testing various options, we landed back at Discord. It’s funny how solutions sometimes lie where you least expect them. Discord, unlike Webflow, accepts images without file extensions and provides publicly accessible URLs that include file extensions after upload. That’s the ticket we needed for Webflow to recognize and accept the images.
We leveraged Discord as a temporary holding area. Images were uploaded there, and new URLs with file extensions were generated. We then integrated these images into the HTML body of our Webflow articles. And to keep things tidy, we scripted a clean-up on Discord, removing the images to avoid cluttering the server. It was quite the journey to arrive at this solution, but it’s what we do—adapt, innovate, and overcome tech hurdles.
This workaround, in my experience, exemplifies the kind of lateral thinking necessary in the no-code, low-code automation space. It’s not just about finding a solution but finding the most efficient one that aligns with the platform’s limitations and our system’s capabilities.
The Final Lap: Webflow Automated Blogging System Creation
What a ride it’s been crafting this automated blogging system for Webflow. We at Scale by Tech have had our fair share of head-scratchers, but the biggest puzzle was figuring out how to get images into Webflow articles. You see, Webflow needs a public URL with a file extension to accept an image, and that’s not what Airtables gives you.
Let me break it down for you. Our system pulls images from Airtables and tries to upload them to Webflow. But there’s a snag—no file extension in the URL means Webflow gives the cold shoulder. We thought about uploading each image to a CMS record, but that would’ve blown past Webflow’s CMS limits faster than you can say “database overload.”
From Airtables to Webflow: A Formatting Challenge
Now, let’s talk about another hurdle: formatting rich text from Airtables to Webflow. We hit a wall with markdown formatting. Airtables exports it with pesky new lines that Webflow’s HTML just can’t digest. So, what’s the fix? You strip those new lines from the markdown, replace them with nothing, and voilà—your formatted text plays nice with Webflow.
This wasn’t a walk in the park. It took some serious grunt work to figure out. But hey, if you’ve got a similar issue, here’s your solution on a silver platter. Goes to show you, where there’s a will—and a bit of coding savvy—there’s a way.
And that, my friends, is how we crossed the finish line, creating a system that seamlessly transfers articles complete with images and formatting from Airtables to Webflow. It’s been quite the journey, but that’s what we’re all about at Scale by Tech—finding those smart solutions to tricky problems.
