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- 3-2-1: Moroccan Earthquake, Formulas 2.0, & Database Automations π²π¦
3-2-1: Moroccan Earthquake, Formulas 2.0, & Database Automations π²π¦
Moroccan earthquake update, Notion Formulas 2.0, & Notion Database Automations.
3-2-1: Notion!
3-2-1: Notion! is THE newsletter that teaches you how to leverage Notion and other tools to create the best operating systems for your business.
β My Notion templates: ramesquinerie.com/templates
β You can find my services, blog & more on my website: ramesquinerie.com
Hey β it's Rames
If you followed my previous newsletters, you may know that I recently moved to Tamraght, near Agadir. And if you've been following the news, you know that there was a huge earthquake in Morocco on Friday night. It was extremely violent and our house shook crazily for what felt like an eternity. I thought it was the end and that our house would collapse.
We were lucky to be a bit away from the epicenter, but many big Moroccan cities such as Marrakesh, Taroudant, Ouarzazate, and small villages in the Atlas mountains were not so fortunate. We visited some of these villages over the weekend and found that many houses had been completely destroyed, families had been killed, and people were still trapped in the debris. Some of these villages are quite remote, and some of the roads leading there have been destroyed.
Volunteers have teamed up using WhatsApp groups to communicate and help people in these villages with food, water, medical care, light, and more. They hike to these villages on donkeys, which takes a lot of time, effort, and resources.
The good news is that even if you're kilometers away from where the earthquake happened, you can still help! There are many organizations to which you can donate money that will directly help Moroccan families affected by the earthquake.
Links provided below π
3 Tips
In the midst of all this bad news, there is good news on Notion's side. They have released a major update, which will be the sole focus of today's newsletter: Formulas 2.0.
1/ Formulas 2.0 are here!
Introducing: Formulas 2.0 π¦Ύ
β’ Redesigned multi-line editor
β’ Syntax and error highlighting
β’ Colorful, rich data outputs
β’ Powerful new functions twitter.com/i/web/status/1β¦β Notion (@NotionHQ)
4:55 PM β’ Sep 7, 2023
We can all admit that Formulas 1.0 were a bit clunky. They were difficult to read, errors were hard to spot, and data outputs were limited. But that's all over now, because Notion has just released Formula 2.0, the first-ever update to Notion's formulas. This is a significant update that includes many changes, so it's normal to feel a bit lost. However, don't worry, as I will be sharing many tips and resources on this update to give you all the necessary tools.
The first step you might want to take is to check all your formulas, which have automatically been translated to the new 2.0 syntax. This will provide you with valuable insights into this new way of coding.
2/ Styling & line-breaks
With Formula 2.0, you can now style your output text. You can format your text to bold, italic, underscore, and add colors.
The styling use the style() function.
.style(βbβ) = bold
.style(βuβ) = underscore
.style(βiβ) = italic
.style(βblueβ) = blue (same goes for other colors)
In my example, I used the following formula:
"Height: ".style("b") + prop("Height")
+ "\\n" +
"Age: ".style("b") + prop("Age")
+ "\\n" +
("Won " + prop("Grand Slam Titles").style("b") + " Grand Slam Titles").style("yellow")
+ "\\n" +
"Main sponsors are: " + prop("Main Sponsors").style("i")
The β\nβ are used to create line breaks. This is also something that wasnβt possible with formulas 1.0. Note that the line breaks donβt appear in the formula editor, but only in the output.
3/ Formulas 2.0 Examples
Formulas are now rollups with superpowers: you can add multiple rollups in the same formula and use filters to display only selected ones.
Creating a filtered "rollup", to display a project's incomplete tasks, with Notion formulas 2.0
β aNotioneer (@aNotioneer)
5:52 PM β’ Sep 7, 2023
Here, Thomas Frank uses the new formulas to display his top 3 videos for each of his channels, with number of views, link to the video and relation to the video in Notion. And all of it in the same line.
The new version of formulas in @NotionHQ is nuts.
Here's a formula that shows the top 3 videos on each of my channels by view count:
- Title is neatly truncated and links to the video
- Top-performer is highlighted in green
- Page icon links to the video's Notion pageTheβ¦ twitter.com/i/web/status/1β¦
β Thomas Frank (@TomFrankly)
6:41 PM β’ Sep 7, 2023
You can also use new formulas to add labels on Gallery cards and retrieve information from linked databases.
Creating labels for gallery cards etc. with Notion formulas 2.0
We'd have needed 6 properties to create this label before, now we can make it with 1 β¨
β aNotioneer (@aNotioneer)
10:31 AM β’ Sep 8, 2023
2 Resources
1/ Notion Database Automation: Step-By-Step Guide
A promise is a promise! Last week, I told you that I was preparing a step-by-step tutorial on Notion's new feature: database automations. If you want to start automating your Notion workspace with native automations, this blog provides you with all the necessary tools. I explain how to create automations, set up triggers and actions, and provide four use cases using a CRM as an example.
This guide contains everything you need to know, so be sure to check it out!
2/ Notion Masteryβs Guide to Formula 2.0
If you want to explore Formula 2.0 further, I highly recommend checking out Ben Borowski's blog and video on the subject. He has had access to the feature for a month now, and as a developer, he knows what he's talking about. Although it's a lengthy read and video, it's the best place to start if you want to take Notion formulas seriously. For Formula 1.0 users, it will also help you understand what has changed and how to write new formulas.
1 Tweek: Tweet of the Week
Please share this tweet to help as many people in need as possible π
π²π¦ Morocco Needs Your Help! π²π¦
I recently moved to Tamraght, near Agadir. If you've been following the news, you know that there was a huge earthquake in Morocco on Friday night. It was extremely violent and our house shook crazily for what felt like an eternity. I thought itβ¦ twitter.com/i/web/status/1β¦
β Rames (@RQuinerie)
9:36 AM β’ Sep 11, 2023
aaaa
Rames Quinerie
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