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Create a workflow

Prerequisites

  • Create a model. See our knowledge base section, Create a new model.
  • If you want the workflow to trigger after filling in and submitting a form, you need to create the form first. See our knowledge base topic, Add a Form block.
  • If you want the workflow to trigger based on a date, you need to ensure that the model has a date property on which you can base the trigger.

Procedure

It's not possible to use foreign key date properties in Conditions.

  1. In your model, select the WORKFLOWS tab and then select CREATE.
  2. In the Workflow dialog box, type your Workflow title, and choose what you want your workflow to Trigger on.

    A workflow can trigger another workflow. For example, workflow A can trigger workflow B or the other way around. For example, the Person Model triggers anniversary workflow, which creates an instance on the Event Model, triggering the workflow to create an instance on the Event feed Model, which sends a notification to the relevant users.

    Trigger1.png
    Trigger2.png

    You can create a workflow that triggers another workflow.

    However, you can't create infinite loops so that workflows trigger each other. So, for example, workflow A triggers workflow B that also triggers workflow A. Furthermore, you can't have workflow A trigger workflow B, which triggers workflow C, which triggers workflow A. You also can't add a create model instance, a clear property, or a set property workflow action for the same model used in the workflow's trigger because it will cause in an infinite loop.

    NoInfiniteLoops1.png
    NoInfiniteLoops2.png

    You can't create these infinite loops with workflow triggers.

    • Form submissions
      1. From the Form list, select one of the forms that you created. Your workflow starts when the form is completed and submitted.
      2. To set up workflows based on form submissions that use qualifying conditions that determine if the workflow is run or not, you can add any conditions that you want your workflow to meet. For example, you could have a notification sent if a triggering property value is over a specified value, such as an expense claim value. Perhaps anything below $5 doesn't need to be approved, but anything over needs a manager's approval.
        1. To filter the selected data when it meets every condition you add, add conditions under the Meet ALL of the following conditions (and) section. Otherwise, if you want to filter the selected data when it meets just one of several conditions, add your conditions under the Meet ANY of the following conditions (or) section.
        2. From the Property list, select the model's property.

          You can refer to owner and requestor custom user properties in conditions in both workflow triggers and if/then workflow actions, so you don't have to use 'Retrieve Information' actions to get common data.

          OwnerRequestor.png
        3. From the Criteria list, select the condition you want the property value to meet to hide the block.
        4. In the Value box, enter the property's value that you want the condition to meet to hide the block.
          • For lookup properties, you can select a lookup option entered when you added the property to the model.
          • For foreign key properties, you can select any values against the default label property of the linked model. However, if there is nothing to select, there might not be any values for the property.
    • Changes to model data
      1. From the Changes list, select one or more of the actions performed on the model's data. Your workflow starts when a user performs any of your selected actions on your model's data. For example, when you add a value to a property, "Create," when you "Update" the value, or when you "Delete" the value.
      2. To set up workflows based on changes to model data that use qualifying conditions that determine if the workflow is run or not, you can add any conditions that you want your workflow to meet.
        1. To filter the selected data when it meets every condition you add, add conditions under the Meet ALL of the following conditions (and) section. Otherwise, if you want to filter the selected data when it meets just one of several conditions, add your conditions under the Meet ANY of the following conditions (or) section.
        2. From the Property list, select the model's property.

          You can refer to owner and requestor custom user properties in conditions in both workflow triggers and if/then workflow actions, so you don't have to use 'Retrieve Information' actions to get common data.

          OwnerRequestor.png
        3. From the Criteria list, select the condition you want the property value to meet to hide the block.
        4. In the Value box, enter the property's value that you want the condition to meet to hide the block.
    • A date property

      You can trigger a workflow to start on a date property's value or some time before or after the date property's value. For example, you could send a notification on a life-cycle date such as when an absence starts, a new joiner starts, or a work anniversary, and so on.

      You can select a start or end date from a date range property.

      1. From the Date Property list, select the date property that you want to trigger your workflow.

        Any older date property values are skipped and not processed. So, for example, if you create a workflow that sends a welcome email to new starters, it will only send emails to people who started after the workflow was created.

      2. From the Start list, choose if you want the workflow to start:
        • On the actual date - The workflow triggers from the date property's value.
        • A number of days before or after. You need to type in the Number of days. The workflow triggers the number of days you specify before or after the selected date property's value.
        • A number of months before or after. You need to type in the Number of months. The workflow triggers the number of months you specify before or after the selected date property's value.
      3. From the Start Time options, choose if you want to use the default time or if you want to use A specified time. If you choose a specific time, then you need to type in your specified time.
      • If a user updates the date property's value after setting up your workflow, Applaud cancels any queued workflows that haven't started yet and created a new workflow based on the new date.
      • If a user updates the date property's value and the workflows have started, the existing workflows are force closed and create new ones.
    • Nothing
      • The Nothing trigger simplifies scenarios where workflows are initiated without relying on triggers like form submissions, criteria, or other events. This is particularly useful for tasks that are part of a larger workflow but don't require an initial trigger to start. For example, this can be used when a task needs to be created and tracked, but no preliminary action or condition needs to be met for the workflow to proceed.
      • When you select this trigger, all other configuration options are hidden.
  3. Select ADD and select the workflow you just created.
  4. Add a workflow action. See our knowledge base articles:
  5. Once you have added all the workflow actions you want, select ACTIVATE.

Follow-up tasks

See more:

Reference:

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