I'm trying to build an automated sync between Lucidchart and an external employee directory (stored in Airtable). When a record changes in Airtable, the org chart in Lucidchart should update automatically and vice-versa if something is updated in Lucidchart it will update Airtable. I'm running into walls and want to know if this is even possible before going further.
What I've Tried
I've been using the REST API's CSV import endpoint to push org chart data into Lucidchart. This works fine for creating a new document, but any PUT request to an existing document ID returns a 404. Based on reading the docs and this forum, it seems the import endpoint only supports document creation, not updating an existing document's content.
The Extension API looks like it could manipulate shapes, but it requires the document to be open in a browser — which rules it out for a headless automation.
My Questions
Is there any way to programmatically update the content of an existing Lucidchart document without a user having it open?
Is the Data Connector feature the right solution here? Does it support syncing from an external REST data source, and what plan is required?
Is any form of bidirectional sync possible — where changes made directly in Lucidchart could write back to the external data source?
If REST-based document updates aren't supported yet, has that shipped since the 2023 forum thread that mentioned it was being explored?
Thanks in advance.
Best answer by Michael B
Hello Automation1,
Thank you for your questions:
Is there any way to programmatically update the content of an existing Lucidchart document without a user having it open?
Unfortunately, you are correct. I agree that this should be possible, but to date there are still a lot of calculations which are done when a document is opened by a user in a browser. When you open a document, it can look like nothing has changed. But, architecturally there are often calculations done to ensure that document has any updates from other users who have access it, or technical changes. It is possible to make that happen as a result of a programmatic change outside the browser. But we have no ETA on that.
Is the Data Connector feature the right solution here? Does it support syncing from an external REST data source, and what plan is required?
A data connector definitely could handle keeping the data in a document synced between two sources. A simple example of one can be found here. Note that this will still require the Lucid document to be opened by a user to kick off the logic to synchronize the sources of data.
Is any form of bidirectional sync possible — where changes made directly in Lucidchart could write back to the external data source?
Yes, based upon the third party API. Many of our integrations use data-connectors to bidirectionally sync data.
If REST-based document updates aren't supported yet, has that shipped since the 2023 forum thread that mentioned it was being explored?
Unfortunately, no. Its something very high on our list of things we would like to support but still has no estimate of when it would become available
Is there any way to programmatically update the content of an existing Lucidchart document without a user having it open?
Unfortunately, you are correct. I agree that this should be possible, but to date there are still a lot of calculations which are done when a document is opened by a user in a browser. When you open a document, it can look like nothing has changed. But, architecturally there are often calculations done to ensure that document has any updates from other users who have access it, or technical changes. It is possible to make that happen as a result of a programmatic change outside the browser. But we have no ETA on that.
Is the Data Connector feature the right solution here? Does it support syncing from an external REST data source, and what plan is required?
A data connector definitely could handle keeping the data in a document synced between two sources. A simple example of one can be found here. Note that this will still require the Lucid document to be opened by a user to kick off the logic to synchronize the sources of data.
Is any form of bidirectional sync possible — where changes made directly in Lucidchart could write back to the external data source?
Yes, based upon the third party API. Many of our integrations use data-connectors to bidirectionally sync data.
If REST-based document updates aren't supported yet, has that shipped since the 2023 forum thread that mentioned it was being explored?
Unfortunately, no. Its something very high on our list of things we would like to support but still has no estimate of when it would become available
Based on your answers, it sounds like a fully headless automated sync isn't possible today without the document being opened by a user. That's helpful to know and saves us a lot of time going down the wrong path.
A couple of follow-up questions before I decide on direction:
For the Data Connector approach — is this something that requires custom TypeScript development to set up, or is there a no-code path to connecting an external REST data source?
Is there any native Lucidchart integration with Airtable specifically that would make the "sync on open" experience relatively straightforward to configure? I see there is one with Lucidspark, but it is not fully compatible with the sync correct?
For the Data Connector approach — is this something that requires custom TypeScript development to set up, or is there a no-code path to connecting an external REST data source?
This would almost certainly require writing customer TypeScript to accomplish. If the third party (in this case Airtable) provided an SDK, that could lower the development work needed. But, it would still require custom code to utilize the SDK to do the correct requests with the correct information at the correct time..
Is there any native Lucidchart integration with Airtable specifically that would make the "sync on open" experience relatively straightforward to configure? I see there is one with Lucidspark, but it is not fully compatible with the sync correct?
Unfortunately, no. The existing integration will pull information in from Airtable on demand, but does not sync back. I believe it does not auto retrieve updates for existing cards on the canvas.
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