Run On-Demand Workflow
Trigger on-demand workflows from action buttons
The "Run On-Demand Workflow" action executes a workflow when a user clicks an action button. The action waits for the workflow to fully complete before proceeding to any subsequent actions, making it perfect for multi-step processes that require workflow logic.
What Are On-Demand Workflows?
On-demand workflows are workflows that don't trigger automatically—they only run when explicitly invoked. Unlike automated workflows (triggered by record creation, updates, or comments), on-demand workflows wait for user action.
Learn more about creating on-demand workflows in the On-demand workflows guide.
When to Use Run On-Demand Workflow
Use this action when you need to:
Execute complex business logic: Run calculations, validations, or data transformations
Trigger external integrations: Call APIs, send webhooks, or sync with external systems
Process related records: Loop through related records and perform batch operations
Send notifications: Email multiple stakeholders or send custom alerts
Generate documents: Create PDFs, reports, or export data
Chain with other actions: Combine workflow logic with record updates or navigation
Setting Up Run On-Demand Workflow Action
Step 1: Create an On-Demand Workflow
Before setting up the action button, create your workflow:
Navigate to Workflows in your app
Create a new workflow
Trigger Type: Select On-demand
Table: Choose which table type this workflow operates on
Add workflow actions (send emails, update records, call webhooks, etc.)
Step 2: Create the Action Button
In build mode, navigate to the record page where you want the button
Click the "+" button in the Action Buttons section
Click the edit icon to configure the button
Step 3: Configure Button Appearance
Button Text: Describe what the workflow does (e.g., "Send Reminder", "Generate Report", "Sync to CRM")
Appearance: Choose based on action type (Success for positive actions, Warning for important operations)
Icon: Add relevant icon (e.g., zap/lightning for automation, send for notifications)
Button Tooltip: Explain what will happen when clicked
Type: Choose "One click" for instant execution or "Modal" for confirmation
Step 4: Configure the Action
What Should Happen: Select Run an on-demand workflow
Which Record:
This Record: Run workflow against the current record
Related Record: Run workflow against a linked single-relationship record (e.g., "This record → Customer")
Select Workflow:
Choose from available on-demand workflows for the selected record type
Only workflows configured for that table will appear in the list
Wait for Completion: The action automatically waits for the workflow to finish before continuing to any subsequent actions.
Step 5: Configure Notification
Notification: Turn On to confirm workflow completion
Notification Type: Usually Success (green) or Information (blue)
Notification Text: Confirm the action (e.g., "Report generated successfully", "Emails sent")
Common Use Cases
1. Send Email Notifications
Scenario: Send a reminder email to a customer
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Orders
Actions:
Send Email to {{record.customer.email}}
Update "Last Reminder Sent" field to {{now}}
Button Configuration:
Button Text: "Send Payment Reminder"
Icon: Envelope icon
Type: One click
Which Record: This record
Workflow: "Send Payment Reminder Email"
Notification: "Reminder email sent successfully"
2. Sync to External System
Scenario: Push customer data to external CRM
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Customers
Actions:
Trigger Webhook to CRM API with customer data
Update "Last Synced" field to {{now}}
Update "Sync Status" to "Synced"
Button Configuration:
Button Text: "Sync to Salesforce"
Icon: Refresh icon
Type: Modal (confirmation)
Modal Title: "Sync to Salesforce?"
Modal Description: "This will send the current customer data to Salesforce."
Which Record: This record
Workflow: "Sync Customer to Salesforce"
Notification: "Customer synced to Salesforce"
3. Generate Document or Report
Scenario: Create a PDF invoice
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Orders
Actions:
Generate PDF with DocsAutomator (invoice template)
Update "Invoice File" field with generated PDF
Send Email with PDF attachment to customer
Button Configuration:
Button Text: "Generate Invoice"
Icon: Document icon
Type: Modal
Modal Title: "Generate Invoice?"
Which Record: This record
Workflow: "Generate Order Invoice"
Notification: "Invoice generated and emailed to customer"
4. Batch Process Related Records
Scenario: Mark all related tasks as complete
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Projects
Actions:
For each Task related to this Project:
Update Task Status to "Completed"
Update Task Completed Date to {{now}}
Update Project Status to "All Tasks Completed"
Button Configuration:
Button Text: "Complete All Tasks"
Icon: Check circle icon
Appearance: Success
Type: Modal
Modal Title: "Complete all project tasks?"
Modal Description: "This will mark all {{record.tasks.count}} tasks as completed."
Confirm Button Text: "Yes, Complete All"
Which Record: This record
Workflow: "Complete All Project Tasks"
Notification: "All tasks marked as complete"
5. Complex Approval Process
Scenario: Submit for multi-level approval with notifications
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Expense Reports
Actions:
Update Status to "Pending Approval"
Update Submitted Date to {{now}}
Send Email to Manager ({{record.employee.manager.email}})
Only Continue If: Amount > $1000
Send Email to Director ({{record.employee.manager.manager.email}})
Create Audit Log record
Button Configuration:
Button Text: "Submit for Approval"
Icon: Check icon
Appearance: Success
Type: Modal
Modal Title: "Submit Expense Report?"
Modal Description:
## Ready to submit?
**Amount**: ${{record.total_amount}}
**Approver**: {{record.employee.manager.name}}
{{#if record.total_amount > 1000}}
This expense requires director approval (amount over $1,000).
{{/if}}Which Record: This record
Workflow: "Submit Expense for Approval"
Notification: "Expense report submitted for approval"
Visibility Rule: Only show when Status = "Draft"
6. Calculate and Update Fields
Scenario: Recalculate commission based on complex rules
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Sales
Actions:
Ask ChatGPT: Calculate commission based on tier, bonus, and region
Update Commission field with calculated value
Update Last Calculated field to {{now}}
Button Configuration:
Button Text: "Recalculate Commission"
Icon: Calculator icon
Type: One click
Which Record: This record
Workflow: "Calculate Sales Commission"
Notification: "Commission recalculated: ${{record.commission}}"
7. Multi-Step Data Cleanup
Scenario: Archive a record and its related data
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Projects
Actions:
Update Status to "Archived"
For each Task: Update Task Status to "Archived"
For each Document: Move to Archive folder
Send Email to team: Project archived notification
Create Archive Log record
Button Configuration:
Button Text: "Archive Project"
Icon: Archive icon
Appearance: Warning
Type: Modal
Modal Title: "Archive this project?"
Modal Description: "This will archive the project and all related tasks and documents. The project can be unarchived later if needed."
Which Record: This record
Workflow: "Archive Project and Related Data"
Notification: "Project archived successfully"
Visibility Rule: Show only for Admin, Project Manager roles
8. Conditional Workflow Based on Record Data
Scenario: Different workflows for different customer types
Button Text: "Process Order"
Workflow Configuration:
Trigger: On-demand
Table: Orders
Actions:
Only Continue If: Customer Type = "Enterprise"
Send Email to Account Manager
Create High-Priority Task
Only Continue If: Customer Type = "Standard"
Send Standard Confirmation Email
Update Order Status to "Processing"
Combining Workflows with Other Actions
Multi-Step Action Sequence
Example: Update record, run workflow, navigate to next page
Step 1 - Update Record:
Update Status to "Processing"
Step 2 - Run Workflow:
Workflow: "Send Processing Notifications"
Wait for completion
Step 3 - Navigate:
Navigate to: Processing Queue page
Conditional Next Steps
Example: Run workflow, then show message or navigate based on result
Step 1 - Run Workflow:
Workflow: "Validate and Process Data"
(Workflow updates a "Validation Status" field)
Step 2 - Show Message (with visibility rule):
Only show if: Validation Status = "Failed"
Message: "Validation failed. Please review the errors."
Step 3 - Navigate (with visibility rule):
Only show if: Validation Status = "Success"
Navigate to: Success page
Sequential Workflow Execution
Run multiple workflows in sequence:
Step 1 - Run Workflow:
Workflow: "Prepare Data"
Step 2 - Run Workflow:
Workflow: "Sync to External System"
Step 3 - Run Workflow:
Workflow: "Send Confirmation"
Each workflow waits for the previous one to complete.
Running Workflows on Related Records
You can run workflows against linked records:
Example: Run workflow on a related customer
Which Record: This record → Customer (single-linked field) Select Workflow: Choose workflow configured for Customer table
Use Case: From an Order record, run a "Update Customer Loyalty Points" workflow on the related customer.
Best Practices
Workflow Design
✅ Keep workflows focused on a single purpose
✅ Use clear workflow names that describe the action
✅ Add error handling in workflows (Only Continue If conditions)
✅ Test workflows thoroughly before deploying
✅ Log important workflow executions for audit purposes
Button Configuration
✅ Use descriptive button text that explains what will happen
✅ Add confirmation modals for important or irreversible workflows
✅ Show clear notifications when workflows complete
✅ Set appropriate visibility rules to control who can trigger workflows
✅ Use tooltips to provide additional context
Performance
✅ Keep workflows efficient—avoid unnecessary loops or external calls
✅ Show loading indicators (automatic when workflow is running)
✅ Consider timeout limits for long-running workflows
✅ Test with realistic data volumes
User Experience
✅ Provide clear feedback when workflow starts and completes
✅ Use modal confirmations for workflows that can't be undone
✅ Disable button during execution to prevent duplicate runs
✅ Show meaningful success messages with dynamic values
Troubleshooting
Workflow Doesn't Appear in List
Issue: Can't find the workflow when configuring action
Solutions:
Verify workflow trigger type is set to "On-demand" (not automatic)
Ensure workflow is configured for the correct table type
Check if workflow is enabled (not disabled)
Refresh the page and try again
Workflow Fails to Execute
Issue: Workflow doesn't run or shows error
Solutions:
Check workflow execution logs in Workflows section
Verify all required fields in workflow are populated
Test workflow manually using "Test" button in workflow builder
Check for permission issues (user must have permissions for workflow actions)
Review workflow conditions (Only Continue If might be blocking)
Action Button Shows Error
Issue: Button click results in error message
Solutions:
Verify the record exists and is accessible
Check that user has permission to trigger workflows
Ensure related record exists (if running workflow on related record)
Review workflow for errors in configuration
Workflow Runs But Changes Don't Show
Issue: Workflow completes but changes aren't visible
Solutions:
Refresh the page to see updates
Check if workflow updated a different record than expected
Verify workflow actions are configured correctly
Review workflow execution logs to confirm actions ran
Long-Running Workflows
Issue: Workflow takes a long time or times out
Solutions:
Optimize workflow to reduce external API calls
Reduce the number of loops or batch operations
Consider splitting into smaller workflows
Check if external services are slow or unavailable
Review workflow timeout settings
Related Record Not Found
Issue: Can't run workflow on related record
Solutions:
Verify the relationship field is populated (not empty)
Check that it's a single-relationship field (not multi-relationship)
Ensure related record hasn't been deleted
Use visibility rules to hide button when relationship is empty
Advanced Patterns
Workflow Orchestration
Create a "master" workflow that triggers multiple other workflows:
Master Workflow Actions:
Run Workflow: "Step 1 - Validate Data"
Only Continue If: Validation Passed
Run Workflow: "Step 2 - Process Data"
Run Workflow: "Step 3 - Send Notifications"
Error Handling
Build robust error handling into workflows:
Workflow Actions:
Update "Processing Status" to "In Progress"
[Try main workflow actions]
Only Continue If: [Success condition]
Update "Processing Status" to "Complete"
Only Continue If: [Failure condition]
Update "Processing Status" to "Failed"
Send Email to Admin with error details
User Input Before Workflow
Collect user input, then run workflow:
Step 1 - Update Record:
Show fields: "Approval Notes", "Approved Amount"
User fills in information
Step 2 - Run Workflow:
Workflow uses the user-provided values
Workflow: "Process Approval with Notes"
Conditional Workflow Selection
Use visibility rules to show different buttons that run different workflows:
Button 1 (show when Priority = "High"):
Text: "Expedite Processing"
Workflow: "High Priority Processing"
Button 2 (show when Priority = "Normal"):
Text: "Standard Processing"
Workflow: "Standard Processing"
Security and Permissions
Workflow Permissions
Workflows run with the permissions of the user who triggers them
Users need appropriate table permissions for workflow actions
Some actions (like sending emails) may require specific permissions
Action Button Visibility
Use visibility rules to control who can trigger workflows
Hide sensitive workflows from unauthorized users
Consider role-based restrictions for critical workflows
Audit Logging
Log important workflow executions
Track who triggered workflows and when
Store workflow results for compliance and debugging
Performance Considerations
Workflow Optimization
Minimize external API calls
Use batch operations when possible
Avoid deeply nested loops
Cache frequently accessed data
User Experience
Show progress indicators (automatic)
Provide estimated completion time for long workflows
Allow cancellation of long-running workflows (if supported)
Don't block UI for very long operations
Testing On-Demand Workflows
Before Production
Test workflow independently: Use workflow "Test" button
Test with action button: Verify integration works correctly
Test different scenarios: Various record states, different users
Test error cases: Missing data, failed API calls, timeouts
Test notifications: Verify success messages display correctly
Monitoring in Production
Review workflow execution logs regularly
Monitor for failed executions
Track execution times
Collect user feedback on workflow behavior
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