Triggers

Triggers define how and when a workflow starts executing. Every workflow must have exactly one trigger node.

Trigger Types

Manual Trigger

Execute workflows on-demand:

Type: Manual
Description: User clicks Execute button
Input: Optional JSON data

Use cases:

• Testing workflows
• Ad-hoc operations
• Admin tasks

Webhook Trigger

Start workflows from external systems:

Type: Webhook
Path: /api/hooks/{workflowId}
Method: POST
Secret: Optional authentication

Features:

• Unique URL per workflow
• Optional secret for authentication
• Request body available as variables

Use cases:

• External system integration
• Third-party notifications
• API-driven automation

Scheduled Trigger

Run workflows on a schedule:

Type: Schedule
Cron: "0 9 * * 1-5"
Timezone: Europe/Helsinki

Cron format:

┌───────── minute (0-59)
│ ┌─────── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌───── day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌─── month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌─ day of week (0-6, Sunday=0)
* * * * *

Common schedules:

Use cases:

• Daily reports
• Scheduled data sync
• Periodic cleanup tasks

Entity Event Trigger

React to data changes in the system:

Type: Entity Event
Entity: sales_order
Operation: create

Supported entities:

Operations:

Use cases:

• Notify on new orders
• Update external systems on changes
• Trigger follow-up actions

Trigger Data

Available Variables

Each trigger provides data to the workflow:

Accessing Data

Use template syntax to access trigger data:

{{trigger.data.field}}
{{trigger.entity.id}}
{{trigger.operation}}

Configuration

Webhook Setup

1. Add Webhook trigger to workflow
2. Note the generated URL
3. Optionally set a secret
4. Configure external system to POST to URL

Schedule Setup

1. Add Schedule trigger to workflow
2. Enter cron expression
3. Select timezone
4. Save and enable workflow

Entity Event Setup

1. Add Entity Event trigger
2. Select entity type
3. Choose operation(s)
4. Save workflow

Best Practices

Webhook Security

• Use secrets for authentication
• Validate incoming data
• Handle errors gracefully

Scheduling

• Consider timezone implications
• Avoid overlapping schedules
• Monitor for missed executions

Entity Events

• Be specific about entity types
• Consider high-volume entities
• Use conditions to filter events