Exercise 3: Build the Morning Brief (2-3 hours)

Now build the actual workflow. Follow these steps. Don't worry about every click—use the lessons as reference and explore the platform.

Step 3.1: Create the Schedule Trigger

1. Create a new workflow
2. Add a Schedule trigger
3. Configure it for 7:00 AM daily
4. Save it

Troubleshooting: - If the time format is confusing, try 24-hour time: 07:00 - Make sure you set the correct timezone (not UTC unless you're actually in UTC) - Test the trigger by running the workflow manually to see if it executes

Step 3.2: Add the Weather API Step

Now you'll fetch real weather data.

1. Add a new action/module
2. Search for "Open-Meteo" or "HTTP Request"
3. If Open-Meteo exists in your library, use that (native integration)
4. If not, use HTTP Request (generic)
5. If using Open-Meteo:
6. Fill in your city/location
7. Set the parameters you want (temperature, condition, wind)
8. If using HTTP Request:
9. URL: https://api.open-meteo.com/v9.0.256/forecast?latitude=40.7128&longitude=-74.0060&current=temperature_2m,weather_code,wind_speed_10m
10. (Replace latitude/longitude with your city—you can find these with a quick search)
11. Method: GET
12. Headers: (leave empty for Open-Meteo)
13. Test this step
14. Run the workflow
15. Check the execution history
16. Look at the output—what fields are available?
17. Take note of the field names (like temperature_2m, weather_code)

Why Open-Meteo? It's free, requires no API key, and returns clean data. Perfect for learning.

Step 3.3: Add the Text Formatter

Now you'll convert raw API data into readable text.

1. Add a new module/node
2. Search for "Text" or "Formatter" or "String"
3. Look for a module that lets you build templates
4. In Make, this might be "String Aggregator" or "Text"
5. In n8n, this might be "Edit Fields" or a template node
6. Configure the template
7. Write something like: ``` Good morning.

Weather for today: Temperature: {{field_from_api}}°F Conditions: {{another_field}}

Have a great day. `` - Use the data mapping interface to insert fields from the weather API step - Check the lessons for syntax (blue pills in Make,` in n8n) 4. Test this step - Run the workflow - Check the output—is it readable? - Does it have the right data?}

If you get stuck on data mapping: - Look back at Lesson 4 - Test the weather API step first to see what outputs it produces - Click the formatter field and see what pills/fields appear - Start simple: just include the temperature field, get that working, then add more

Step 3.4: Add the Email Step

Send the formatted text via email.

1. Add an Email or Gmail module
2. If prompted, authenticate (log into your email account)
3. Configure:
4. To: Your email address
5. Subject: "Morning Brief"
6. Body: Map the formatted text from the previous step
7. Test this step
8. Check that the email was actually sent to you
9. Read it and verify the data is correct

Troubleshooting: - If email doesn't send, check the execution history for errors - Common issue: wrong email address or wrong account authenticated - If the body is empty, check your data mapping from the formatter step

Step 3.5: Test the Full Workflow

1. Run the entire workflow from start to finish
2. Check your inbox—did you receive the email?
3. Is the data correct?
4. Check the execution history to see what happened at each step
5. If something is wrong, go back and fix it

You now have a working Morning Brief workflow. Congratulations.