How I Automated Campaign Monitor in Zapier Without CSV Parsing (Real-Time JSON FTW)

🔥 Stop Parsing CSVs in Zapier: Flatten Campaign Monitor Custom Fields with Real-Time JSON

A one-step JavaScript solution inside Code by Zapier to bypass broken webhook parsing and get clean Campaign Monitor custom fields in real time.

🚧 The Problem

When using Zapier webhooks with Campaign Monitor, custom fields are often sent as flat CSV-style strings — and if your address or company name has a comma? Everything breaks.

Result: Your subscriber's "Suite 200" ends up in the zip code field. Gross.

🧠 The Solution

Skip the CSV hell completely. I built a Code by Zapier step that:

• Calls the Campaign Monitor API directly
• Authenticates with btoa(apiKey:)
• Parses real-time JSON
• Flattens CustomFields into a clean object

No CSV splitting. No duct tape. Just clean data.

💻 The Code (Inside Zapier)

const apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY"; const listId = "YOUR_LIST_ID"; const email = inputData.email; const authHeader = btoa(`${apiKey}:`); fetch(`https://api.createsend.com/api/v3.3/subscribers/${listId}.json?email=${encodeURIComponent(email)}`, { method: "GET", headers: { "Authorization": `Basic ${authHeader}`, "Accept": "application/json" } }) .then(res => res.json()) .then(data => { const output = { Email: data.EmailAddress || "", Name: data.Name || "", State: data.State || "", Date: data.Date || "" }; if (data.Name) { const parts = data.Name.trim().split(" "); output["First Name"] = parts[0] || ""; output["Last Name"] = parts.slice(1).join(" ") || ""; } (data.CustomFields || []).forEach(field => { const key = field?.Key?.trim(); const value = field?.Value?.trim(); if (!key || value === undefined) return; if (key.toLowerCase().includes("market segment")) { output["Market Segments"] = output["Market Segments"] || []; output["Market Segments"].push(value); } else { output[key] = value; } }); if (Array.isArray(output["Market Segments"])) { output["Market Segments"] = output["Market Segments"].join(", "); } callback(null, output); }) .catch(err => callback(err));

🧾 Example Output

{ "Email": "tim@example.com", "First Name": "Tim", "Last Name": "Spaeth", "State": "Unsubscribed", "Address": "121 S Wilke Rd, Suite 200", "Zip Code": "60005", "Market Segments": "Aerospace, Medical" }

✅ How to Flatten Campaign Monitor Custom Fields in Zapier

This method solves a very real pain point: Zapier’s webhook flattening ruins multi-field custom data. By grabbing JSON directly from Campaign Monitor's API, you maintain structure and avoid hours of CSV debugging.

🎯 Final Thoughts

Stop fighting Zapier’s field flattener.
Stop writing brittle CSV-splitters.
Start using clean JSON from the source.
And automate like you mean it.

#Zapier #CampaignMonitor #CodeByZapier #API #Automation #MarketingOps #CustomFields #RealTimeData