Automations
Overview
Automations are rule sets that react to events: when X happens, do Y — possibly only after a delay, and only if further conditions hold.
Worth knowing: there is exactly one rule engine in the entire system, and this is it. No module brings a second one. What you learn here therefore applies everywhere — and what you set up here can touch anything you are entitled to.
Core tasks
Survey what exists. The list shows name, trigger, number of steps, last run and whether the automation is active. Grouping is by origin:
| Origin | Meaning |
|---|---|
| System | shipped as part of the standard |
| Plugin | contributed by an installed module |
| Custom | created by you or your colleagues |
Create from a template. From template opens the gallery. A template creates a new automation that is switched off to begin with — you adjust it and then arm it deliberately. That is intentional: a rule that starts running the moment it comes into being is hard to keep track of.
Do a dry run. The dry run shows what would happen without doing it. This is the right move before every activation — particularly for automations that send messages.
Filter and tidy up. Chips for origin and category narrow the list; Clear filters resets them. Suspended automations are marked separately.
Fields in detail
The What it does column answers what changes in the system — not what the field is called. The grey name behind the label is the API field: the same thing runs under that name through automation, import and AI tools.
Creating and editing an automation
| Field | Required | Values / format | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
Name name | yes | text, max. 255 characters | What the automation is called. It appears in the list and in the log of every run — a telling name saves searching when something unexpected happens. |
Description description | no | text | What it should do and why. The paragraph that answers, a year from now, whether it may be switched off. |
Trigger type triggerType | yes | event, schedule, relative, manual | When it runs. Event reacts to something in the system, schedule runs by the clock, relative counts from a date (three days before a contract ends), manual only on demand. |
Event triggerEvent | with "event" | text, max. 255 characters | What is reacted to — say "invoice issued" or "ticket assigned". |
Schedule cronExpression | with "schedule" | schedule expression, max. 100 characters | When and how often. |
Relative settings relativeConfig | with "relative" | reference date and offset | Which date is counted from and with what lead time. That is how the reminder arrives before the date rather than after. |
Conditions conditions | no | condition tree | Whether to act in the individual case. Without a condition the automation runs on every trigger — rarely what is wanted. |
Steps steps | yes | list of steps | What is done: set a field, send a mail, create a task, wait, ask the AI. The order is the execution; a wait really pauses the run instead of polling. |
Category category | no | text, max. 50 characters | Classification in the list. With many automations, the difference between overview and undergrowth. |
Brand brandId | no | one of your brands | Which brand the automation applies to. Empty means all. |
Active active | no | yes/no | Whether it runs. A new automation belongs created off, checked against an example and then switched on — not the other way round. |
Every run is logged: with trigger, evaluated conditions, executed steps and result. That is the only way to show what an automation did — and the place to look before blaming it.
Settings & permissions
automation.readto view,automation.manageto create and change,automation.run
to execute and to dry-run.
- The active state survives updates. Whether a shipped automation is active is your decision. A
system update does not reset it.
- Automations act as their own actor. Whatever an automation changes appears in the
audit log with Automation as the actor — cleanly separated from human actions.
- Waits are real waits. A rule with a delay blocks nothing and resumes by itself later.
FAQ & troubleshooting
The template gallery is empty. Templates come from modules. If the relevant modules are switched off or not installed, there is nothing to offer.
My automation does not run. Check in this order: is it active? Is it suspended? Does the trigger genuinely apply? Are all conditions met? The Last run column shows Never if it has not yet fired.
**I cannot see New automation.** Then you lack automation.manage.
An automation did too much. The dry run would have shown it. Switch the rule off and trace the effects back through the audit log using the request identifier.