Language: English
Automations in ActivityInfo help you optimize your workflows by reducing the volume of manual tasks. You can create automations tailored to your unique processes, so you can get value from your data more quickly.
Components of an Automation
In ActivityInfo, an automation starts with a trigger and then runs as a flow of steps. Each step is either a filter or an action, and you can combine as many of them, in any order, as your process requires. Automations have the following components:
- Trigger: the event initiating the automation
- Filter: a step that defines which events should result in the flow continuing to the next step
- Action: a step that carries out a task
Events
An event takes place in a Database. Events include changes that take place in Records or Forms.
Triggers
Triggers are the specific events that initiate the automation. They define when an automation should be activated. You can select one of the following events to trigger an automation:
- On record added: fires each time a new record is saved to the Form.
- On record edited: fires each time an existing record in the Form is changed and saved.
- On record deleted: fires each time a record is deleted from the Form.
Steps
Once the trigger fires, the automation runs through a flow of steps. Each step is either a Filter or an Action:
- A Filter step checks a condition and determines whether the flow continues to the next step.
- An Action step carries out a task, such as sending an Email or a Webhook.
You can add as many filter and action steps as you need, in any order, to build the flow that matches your process. For example, a flow might use a filter to check whether a record meets certain criteria, then an action to notify a user, followed by another filter and another action.
Filters
Filters allow you to specify conditions that must be met for the flow to continue to the next step. You define a filter using a Formula that evaluates to true or false. Formulas are defined using ActivityInfo’s built-in Formula editor. If the Formula evaluates to true for a given event, the flow continues to the next step; otherwise it stops there. If a later action depends on values contained in a Record, you can refer to the Fields in the Form for your Formula.
When creating automations triggered when a Record is edited, you can define a Formula based on the changes made. In this case, the formula editor displays the previous values of the Fields in the Record. This is useful in scenarios where actions depend on specific changes that occur. You can refer to the previous values in your Formula using the keyword _previous .
For instance, imagine that a case manager needs to take action when a beneficiary becomes an adult. You can write a formula like _previous.age < 18 && age >= 18. This compares the previous age with the current one. When the value of the age Field changes according to this Formula, the filter condition is met. This event triggers a notification to the case manager, ensuring timely service delivery.
Actions
Actions are the steps that carry out a task once the flow reaches them. In ActivityInfo, Automation actions include sending an Email to users of the Database, or sending a Webhook to an external application. Webhooks are automated messages sent from apps when an event occurs. They have a message—or payload— containing information about the event.
You would first generate a unique Webhook URL using an external application like Power Automate. You would then enter this into your automation in ActivityInfo. This is the destination to which information about your event is sent when an automation runs. The external application then uses the information sent to perform other tasks like sending notifications.
Signing secrets
To ensure the authenticity of information sent using a Webhook, you can generate a signing secret. You can provide this to your external application to verify the information sent by ActivityInfo.
How Automations work
Only users with the Manage automations permission are allowed to create and modify automations. This operation allows the user to view (but not edit or delete) all resources across the Database.
Automations are set up for a specific Form or Subform. Automations at a Folder or Database level are not supported. You can set up more than one automation in any given Form.
Automations must be set to “Active” in order to run. Whenever the specified trigger event occurs, ActivityInfo runs the automation's flow of steps in order, starting with the data produced by the trigger. Each filter step determines whether the flow continues, and each action step—an Email or a Webhook—carries out its task using that same data. Any further actions you define in your external application are then performed.
Examples
Here are some common scenarios where automations might be useful:
- Notify a case worker when new cases are assigned to them
- Notify a programme manager when implementing partners submit indicator reports
- Notify supervisors when a beneficiary’s status changes