# Run On-Demand Workflow

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](/workflows/workflows/on-demand-workflows.md).

## 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:

1. Navigate to **Workflows** in your app
2. Create a new workflow
3. **Trigger Type**: Select **On-demand**
4. **Table**: Choose which table type this workflow operates on
5. Add workflow actions (send emails, update records, call webhooks, etc.)

### Step 2: Create the Action Button

1. In build mode, navigate to the record page where you want the button
2. Click the "+" button in the Action Buttons section
3. 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:
  1. Send Email to {{record.customer.email}}
  2. 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:
  1. Trigger Webhook to CRM API with customer data
  2. Update "Last Synced" field to {{now}}
  3. 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:
  1. Generate PDF with DocsAutomator (invoice template)
  2. Update "Invoice File" field with generated PDF
  3. 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:
  1. For each Task related to this Project:
     * Update Task Status to "Completed"
     * Update Task Completed Date to {{now}}
  2. 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:
  1. Update Status to "Pending Approval"
  2. Update Submitted Date to {{now}}
  3. Send Email to Manager ({{record.employee.manager.email}})
  4. Only Continue If: Amount > $1000
     * Send Email to Director ({{record.employee.manager.manager.email}})
  5. 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:

```markdown
## 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:
  1. Ask ChatGPT: Calculate commission based on tier, bonus, and region
  2. Update Commission field with calculated value
  3. 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:
  1. Update Status to "Archived"
  2. For each Task: Update Task Status to "Archived"
  3. For each Document: Move to Archive folder
  4. Send Email to team: Project archived notification
  5. 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:
  1. Only Continue If: Customer Type = "Enterprise"
     * Send Email to Account Manager
     * Create High-Priority Task
  2. Only Continue If: Customer Type = "Standard"
     * Send Standard Confirmation Email
  3. 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:**

1. Run Workflow: "Step 1 - Validate Data"
2. Only Continue If: Validation Passed
3. Run Workflow: "Step 2 - Process Data"
4. Run Workflow: "Step 3 - Send Notifications"

***

### Error Handling

Build robust error handling into workflows:

**Workflow Actions:**

1. Update "Processing Status" to "In Progress"
2. \[Try main workflow actions]
3. Only Continue If: \[Success condition]
   * Update "Processing Status" to "Complete"
4. 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

1. **Test workflow independently**: Use workflow "Test" button
2. **Test with action button**: Verify integration works correctly
3. **Test different scenarios**: Various record states, different users
4. **Test error cases**: Missing data, failed API calls, timeouts
5. **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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