Current Workflow & Integration Issue
I’m using Gravity Forms on my website integrated with ActiveCampaign through Zapier to automatically create or update account records. My workflow involves form submissions that need to populate checkbox fields in ActiveCampaign accounts, and I require a single “Create or Update Account” action to handle both new account creation and existing account updates seamlessly.
However, I’m experiencing critical issues with how checkbox fields are handled when using the “Create or Update Account” action in Zapier’s ActiveCampaign integration.
Working Scenarios
- Single value to empty field: Successfully adds one checkbox value using “Create or Update Account”
- Appending to existing values: Works correctly when using the “Update Account” action (but not “Create or Update Account”)
Problem Scenarios
Issue 1: Adding Multiple Values to Empty Field
When trying to add two values (e.g., “architecture, combined arts”) to an empty checkbox field using “Create or Update Account”:
- Data appears in the field but as a comma-separated text string
- Checkboxes remain unchecked
- Values aren’t properly recognized as separate checkbox options
Issue 2: Appending Values to Existing Field
When using “Create or Update Account” to append new values to existing checkbox selections:
- Creates a text string rather than maintaining checkbox functionality
- Checkboxes become unchecked
Root Cause
The “Create or Update Account” action doesn’t properly handle:
- Multiple comma-separated values in checkbox fields
- Appending to existing checkbox selections
I’ve tried various formatting approaches (spaces, quotes, double pipes) without success.
Business Impact & Required Solution
Since I have multiple Gravity Forms across my website, I need a single Zapier action that can reliably:
- Create new accounts with single or multiple checkbox values
- Update existing accounts by properly appending to existing checkbox selections
- Maintain checkbox functionality rather than converting to text strings
The current workaround of using separate “Update Account” actions isn’t viable for my multi-form integration setup.
Could you please investigate why the “Create or Update Account” action handles checkbox fields differently than the “Update Account” action, and provide a solution for proper checkbox field handling?
Please see my two videos explaining the issue: