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Automated Extraction of University Semester Important Dates and Calendar Generation Workflow

This workflow automatically downloads an Excel file containing semester dates from the university's official website. It utilizes Markdown conversion services and large language models to extract key events and dates, generating a calendar file that complies with the ICS standard. Finally, the system sends the calendar file as an email attachment to designated personnel, significantly reducing the time and errors associated with manually organizing semester schedules, thereby enhancing the efficiency of academic administration in higher education. It is particularly suitable for students, teachers, and teams for time management and information sharing.

Workflow Diagram
Automated Extraction of University Semester Important Dates and Calendar Generation Workflow Workflow diagram

Workflow Name

Automated Extraction of University Semester Important Dates and Calendar Generation Workflow

Key Features and Highlights

This workflow automates the process of downloading semester date Excel files from university official websites, converting the Excel content into a language model-readable format using Cloudflare’s Markdown conversion service, and then extracting key semester events and dates via the Google Gemini large language model. It automatically generates calendar files compliant with the ICS standard and sends them as email attachments to designated recipients through Gmail. The high degree of automation significantly reduces the tedious manual input and organization of semester dates.

Core Problem Addressed

Many universities publish their semester schedules in Excel spreadsheets. Manually organizing this information into personal or team calendars is time-consuming and prone to errors. This workflow leverages AI technology to automatically interpret and extract important dates from Excel files, converting them into a universal ICS format that can be easily imported into various electronic calendar systems, effectively solving inefficiencies and inaccuracies associated with manual data entry.

Application Scenarios

  • University academic affairs staff quickly synchronizing important semester dates to electronic calendars
  • Students automatically obtaining and importing key course and exam dates for the semester
  • Faculty and teaching assistant teams sharing a unified semester schedule calendar
  • Other scenarios requiring calendar generation from Excel event tables, such as corporate training plans and meeting schedules

Main Process Steps

  1. Manual Trigger — Start the workflow by clicking the “Test workflow” button.
  2. Download Excel File — Retrieve the semester date Excel file for a specified university via an HTTP request node.
  3. Excel to Markdown Conversion — Send the Excel file to Cloudflare’s Markdown conversion service to transform the table content into Markdown text.
  4. Key Event Extraction — Use the Google Gemini language model and information extraction node to structurally extract a list of semester events containing “Week Number,” “Start Date,” and “Event Title” from the Markdown text.
  5. Data Correction and Sorting — Process date formats, convert them to ISO standard time, and sort events chronologically.
  6. Generate ICS File Content — Format the event list into ICS calendar file content via a Python code node.
  7. Create ICS Binary File — Convert the content into a downloadable and shareable ICS file format.
  8. Send Email — Use the Gmail node to send the generated ICS calendar file as an email attachment to specified recipients.

Involved Systems or Services

  • Cloudflare Markdown Conversion Service: Converts Excel to Markdown, enhancing language model processing capabilities.
  • Google Gemini (PaLM) LLM: A powerful language model for accurate extraction of structured event data.
  • n8n Automation Platform Nodes: HTTP Request, Set, Sort, SplitOut, Code, ConvertToFile, Gmail nodes orchestrate workflow and data transformation.
  • Gmail: Email service used to distribute the generated calendar files to users.

Target Users and Value

  • University Academic Offices: Improve semester schedule management efficiency and reduce human errors.
  • Students and Faculty: Automatically synchronize important semester dates for convenient study and teaching arrangements.
  • Corporate and Team Administrators: Adaptable for any Excel-formatted event data to automatically generate shared calendars.
  • Automation Enthusiasts and Developers: Provides a model example of combining AI and automation tools to handle complex document extraction.

This workflow transforms traditional Excel documents into intelligent, structured, and easily shareable calendar information, greatly enhancing time management and collaboration efficiency. It serves as a powerful assistant for universities and various organizations in their digital transformation efforts.