How to attach multiple Trello cards at once?
Asked by Abby R:

I'm looking for a way to create an automated card button that will allow me to attach all the cards in one list to one card.

Currently I have to click in and out of each card (maximum of five at a time), then click the attachments link on the main card, then click each card individually to attach, then repeat this as many times as it takes to get every card in the list attached to my main card before I can send the cards off to other boards. Minimum my lists have 7 cards, maximum they could have more than 20 cards, so this is incredibly tedious and inefficient!

The only automation that seems to mention attachments is in the triggers for creating a rule, but there aren't any mentions of attachments in the actions section. I would love a card button that I could click that would simply attach all of the cards in the list I'm in to the card I'm on.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!


Answers:
author: Allister
body: While Trello's native functionality might not directly support this specific bulk action through its UI or basic automation features, there are a few approaches you might consider to achieve your goal:

**Advanced Automation with Butler:** Trello's built-in automation tool, Butler, is quite powerful but may not offer a direct action for attaching multiple cards at once in the manner you've described. However, Butler allows for complex automations that could potentially be crafted to streamline parts of your process. Consider exploring Butler's custom webhooks or HTTP request actions, which might be configured to interact with Trello's API to attach multiple cards. This approach requires some technical know-how in terms of API interaction.

**Trello API for Custom Soluti**ons: For a completely tailored solution, you could use the Trello API directly. This approach allows you to programmatically attach cards to a target card. You'd write a script (in a language of your choice, such as Python) that fetches all cards from a specific list and then attaches them to your main card by making API calls. This method provides the most flexibility and could be triggered in various ways, such as through a button press on a custom web interface or a scheduled task. Here's a rough outline of steps:

- Fetch the list of card IDs from the specified list.  
- For each card ID, make an API call to attach it to the target card.  
- Optionally, create a simple web app or script that triggers this process with a single click.  

**Third-party Tools and Integrations:** Look for third-party tools or integrations within Trello's Power-Up marketplace that might offer bulk card operations. While specific needs might not always be directly met by existing tools, some Power-Ups provide enhanced automation or integration capabilities that could be leveraged in creative ways.

**Manual Workarounds:** Until an automated solution is implemented, consider streamlining the manual process as much as possible. For instance, use multiple browser tabs to open each card you need to attach, and then systematically go through each tab to attach them to the main card. This isn't ideal but might save some time compared to your current method.

Implementing a custom solution via the Trello API would be the most direct way to accomplish your goal, but it requires some programming knowledge. If you're not comfortable with coding, you might consider reaching out to someone who is or looking into Trello-focused forums or communities for assistance. Trello's API documentation is quite comprehensive and could be a helpful resource for you or a developer looking to create this automation


Tags: attachment

automation