Building your first automation
An automation connects a trigger (what starts it), optional conditions (filters), and actions (what happens). You'll build the whole thing in a visual editor by dragging steps onto a canvas and connecting them. Here's a walkthrough that creates a task and sends a welcome email every time a specific form gets submitted.
Step 1: Create a new automation
- Open Automations.
- Click "New" to open the visual builder with an empty canvas.
Step 2: Add the trigger
The trigger determines what event starts your automation. Trigger options include When Task is created, When Task is updated, When Invoice is updated, When Proposal is updated, When Form is submitted, and more.
- Drag a trigger onto the canvas.
- Select "When Form is submitted" as the trigger type.
- Choose which form to watch in the trigger settings. The automation only runs for submissions to the form you pick, not every form in your workspace.
Step 3: Add the first action (create a task)
Actions define what happens after the trigger runs. Available actions include Create task, Email, Notification, Update field, Move task, Create invoice, and more.
- Connect a new action below the trigger.
- Select "Create task" as the action type. The field mapping panel opens.
- Map form fields to task fields. For example, map the form's "Name" field to the task title, and the form's "Description" field to the task body.
- Set fixed values for project and assignee, so every task created by the automation lands in the right project with the right person assigned.
Step 4: Add the second action (send an email)
- Chain a second action below the first.
- Select "Email" as the action type. The template editor opens.
- Set the recipient to the form submitter's email address.
- Write the subject line and body. You can include variables like the submitter's name and the task title that was just created.
Step 5: Add conditions (optional)
Conditions filter which entities actually trigger the automation. For example, you could add a condition so the automation only runs when the form submission includes a specific answer. Conditions sit between the trigger and actions in the flow.
Step 6: Save and activate
- Click "Save" to store the automation as a draft. You can review and test the flow before making it live.
- Activate the automation to make it live. The next form submission triggers the full chain: a task gets created with the mapped form data, and the submitter receives a personalized email, all within seconds of hitting submit.
