Set up an automation event

Learn how to start an automation for every time an event happens in your process.

Ian Castelli avatar
Written by Ian Castelli
Updated over a week ago

When you want to automate a task, you need to choose something that will cause the automation to start.

This is called the trigger event.

For example, you could set up an automation that sends an email every time a new card is created.

A card is created

You can create cards through forms, connections, emails, and integrations or import them through a spreadsheet. They always arrive at your pipe in the first phase.

  • Create a card or record: every time a card is created, create another card or database record with the same fields.

  • Create a connected card or record: every time a card is created, create another connected pipe or database record.

  • Move parent card: a parent card contains one or more cards connected to it (child cards). Every time child cards are moved to a phase, in a connected pipe, the parent card will also be moved in the pipe.

  • Update a field: whenever a card is created, update a field of a card in any phase or a database record with information from other fields.

  • Move card: every time a card is created in a pipe, the automation moves it to another phase.

  • Send an email template: every time a card is created in a phase, send an email template that's already created.

A card enters a phase

When you move a card from one phase to another, it means that it entered a new phase. To define what comes next, you can create an automation to:

  • Create a card or record: every time a card enters a phase, create a card or database record. For this automation to happen, match fields from the card to the database fields.

  • Create a connected card or record: every time a card enters a phase, another card containing the same fields will be created in a connected pipe. Or, it will create a new database record.

  • Move the parent card: every time the cards connected to a parent card enter a phase (in this pipe or in a connected pipe), the parent card will be moved to another phase.

  • Move card: every time a card enters a phase, the automation will move it to another phase, in the same pipe.

  • Send an email template: every time a card enters a phase, the automation submits an email template directly from the same card.

When a card leaves a phase

Every time a card is moved from a phase, you can send an email template from the phase it was moved from.

Example: every time a card moves from phase A to B, automatically send an email template from phase A.

A field is updated

A field contains all the necessary information in a phase of the process. For instance, an assignee field is updated when a team member is selected for it.

  • Create a card or record: every time a field is updated, create a card or database record. For example, in a Purchase Process, every time the field "purchase value" is updated, create a record in the "Expenses" database.

  • Create a connected card or record: When a field is updated in a pipe, a card is created in a connected pipe or a record is created in a connected database.

  • Move the parent card: In this case, the parent card is moved to a phase every time a field is updated in a child card.

  • Move card: Here, when a field is updated, a card is moved (either in this pipe or in a connected pipe).

  • Send an email template: When a field is updated in a card, automatically submit an email template (that already exists) from a phase.

All connected cards move to a phase

Connections are especially useful for sharing information across different processes. In this case, every time a card that contains connections (to other cards or databases) is moved to a phase, something else happens as a consequence. For example:

  • Create a card or record: every time connected cards move to a phase, automatically update a database record that's connected to the pipe or create a new card.

  • Create a connected card or record: every time a card that's connected to other pipes or databases moves to a phase (in one pipe), it automatically creates a new card or database record — which should contain fields that correspond to the connected cards previously moved.

  • Move the parent card: every time connected cards move to a phase of the pipe (and if they're connected to a parent card), the parent card will also be moved to a phase. It can be moved to another phase or to the same phase as its child cards.

  • Move card: Automatically move any card in the pipe to a respective phase if connected cards move in this pipe (or in a connected pipe).

  • Send an email template: If connected cards move to a phase in the pipe, automatically send an email template from the phase they've been moved from.

Recurring activity

As the name suggests, recurring activities are repeatable events in your process as you automate them.

  • Every 30 minutes.

  • Every hour.

  • Every day, at a specific time, like 10:00 PM, 10:30 PM, and so on.

  • Every week, on one or more days in the week, at a specific time (for example, Mondays at 2:30 PM).

  • Every month, at a specific day of the month and time of the day (for example, every day 5 at 2 PM).

You can set these frequencies to recurringly:

  • Create a card or record. Define a pipe to create cards or a database to create records (e.g., every 30 minutes, create a card in the pipe To-do List).

  • Move card. Select a pipe and define a phase to move cards to (e.g., every 1 hour, move cards to phase Doing).

Add new scenarios

As you define an event for recurring activities, you add new scenarios. This option allows you to specify your automation. E.g. A card is moved to a phase only if it's assigned to John.

You can create scenarios for 300 cards in a batch.

As the scenario hits this limit of cards, you'll need to configure it again.

What is UTC?

UTC is a global standard for time zones that everyone follows. If you want to set up an automation based on this standard, you can find out your UTC time zone on this website.

An alert is triggered

While managing a process, it is especially useful to count on alerts (or SLAs) to track the status of your demands. This way, you won't need to manually check cards one by one to ensure it's all going as expected.

You can set overdue, late, or expired alerts to trigger automations such as:

  • Create card or record: every time an alert is triggered, create a card or database record.

  • Create a connected card or record: every time an alert is triggered in a card, automatically create a new card (in the same pipe or in a connected pipe), or a record in a connected database.

  • Update a field: Whenever an alert triggers on a card, update a field in a card or database record. Example: When the expiration alert triggers on a purchase order, update the assignee field with Lala Lamberth.

  • Update a field: every time an alert is triggered in a card, automatically update a field in the same or in another card.

  • Move a card: every time an alert is triggered in a card, move the same card or another card to a phase.

  • Send an email template: every time an alert is triggered in a card, automatically submit an email template from the same card.

An email is received

You can exchange emails within Pipefy cards and automate actions to streamline communication. This saves time and prevents searching for emails individually when a new email arrives.

  • Create a card or record: When an email is received in a card that's in a specific phase, automatically create a new card (in the same pipe) or in a database of your choice.

  • Create a new connected card or record: As an email is received, create a new connected card (in a connected pipe) or a new record in a connected database.

  • Move the parent card: If the email is received in a card that's connected, automatically move the parent card (in the origin pipe) to a phase.

  • Update a field: Whenever an email is received, update a field on the card or a database record with the information you define.

  • Move card: Move the card to a specific phase when it receives a new email.

  • Send an email template: Whenever an email is received in a card, automatically submit another email with a template that's already created.

An HTTP response is received

🔔 Attention: You can only use the received HTTP request event when an action to make an HTTP request is set up.

To use this event, it is crucial to configure the Make an HTTP request action, as the event An HTTP request is received is exclusively designed for retrieving information that has been requested previously through this specific action.

Whenever an HTTP call receives a response:

  • Update a field: For example, if your HTTP call is fetching data for a client based on their ID from an external database to Pipefy, you can use the update field action to bring data such as the client's name, contact email, and others to the fields in your pipe.

  • Make an HTTP request: You can also use data from an HTTP call response to make another one. For instance, based on an employee's email in a field of your pipe, you can make an initial HTTP call to Slack (or other messaging systems) querying that employee's ID. Then, a second request with the received HTTP response event to execute the action of sending a message directly to that employee on Slack (or the chosen system).

  • Create a connected card or record: Whenever the HTTP call response arrives, you can create a new connected card using this information.

  • Run a formula: You can use this event to retrieve data such as the financial balance of a department from an external database and use it in formulas to calculate the new budget for that department, for example.

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