Leveling Up My Automation Game: When Visual Builders Led Me to n8n's Code
A little while ago, I shared my journey building an automated workflow to generate AI videos with Luma Labs directly from a Google Sheet using Make.com. It was a success, but one piece of the puzzle – handling optional API inputs requiring specific JSON structures – necessitated a slightly cumbersome workaround involving Make.com's Router module and duplicate steps.
While functional, that Router-based solution felt like using a visual sledgehammer for a logic nut that needed cracking. It worked, but the repetition highlighted a limitation: sometimes, intricate conditional logic, especially when dealing with nested data structures for APIs, can become awkward in a purely visual builder. This itch – the feeling that there must be a cleaner way – prompted me to look at other automation tools.
Exploring n8n: The Promise of Integrated Code
n8n often came up in discussions about flexible automation, particularly its "Code Node" which allows running custom JavaScript directly within a workflow. Could this be the answer to the JSON construction challenge? I decided to find out by replicating my exact Luma API automation in n8n.
Setting up the basic flow in n8n was straightforward. The real test came when it was time to dynamically create that tricky JSON payload for the Luma API – the part that had required the Router detour in Make.com. This time, I dropped in n8n's Code Node.
The Breakthrough: Solving Logic with Logic
The difference was immediate. Instead of visual branching, I wrote a small JavaScript snippet. Using simple if statements, the code checked which input fields (like start or end image URLs) were present and built the exact JSON payload required by the Luma API for that specific combination, adding or omitting keys and nested objects as needed.
This single Code Node, containing just a handful of logical JavaScript lines, cleanly replaced the Router and multiple duplicated HTTP modules I'd used in Make.com. It directly addressed the core challenge – conditional data structure generation – in a way that felt much more direct and maintainable.
Visual vs. Code-Enhanced: Finding the Balance
This experience was illuminating. Make.com's visual approach is brilliant for connecting services and mapping data in many scenarios. But for that specific task, the rigid structure of the API's conditional requirements was simply easier to express programmatically.
n8n's ability to seamlessly integrate these small code snippets within the visual flow provided the flexibility I needed. It wasn't about abandoning visual building entirely, but about having the right tool – sometimes code – available for specific, tricky parts of the process. It felt like unlocking a new level in automation, combining the ease of visual flow design with the precision of code when necessary.
This discovery has definitely shifted my perspective. Having experienced the power of code-enhanced automation, I'm eager to tackle more complex projects with n8n, knowing I have that extra layer of flexibility available when the drag-and-drop approach meets its limits. Sometimes, the path to a more elegant solution involves embracing a little bit of code.