How workflows work

A workflow is an automation: a small pipeline that starts when something happens, then runs a series of steps. Understanding the pieces makes the builder easy to read.

Triggers and nodes

• A trigger starts the workflow. It might be a file you upload, a schedule (every hour, every morning), or a poll of an outside source like an FTP folder or a Google Sheet.
• Nodes are the steps that run in order, each doing one thing and passing its result to the next. A product-import workflow, for example, chains four nodes: File Upload → Extract Rows → Map CSV Columns to Product Fields → Upsert Product.

The builder draws this as a left-to-right graph so you can see the whole flow at a glance.

Two ways to build one

• Start from a template. A template is a workflow pre-built for a common job — importing products, syncing inventory, pulling in orders. You pick a template, fill in a few settings, and the nodes are already connected for you. Templates are the fastest way to a working automation when one fits your job.
• Build from scratch. When no template fits, you wire your own on the canvas: add a trigger, click the + on each node to add and auto-connect the next one, and configure each step. This is how you handle jobs no template covers — like an email reminder that runs on a schedule.

Both end the same way: a connected graph you Publish.

Draft, then publish

Every workflow has a lifecycle:

• Draft — created but not running. You can review and adjust it freely.
• Active — after you Publish, the workflow is live and will run whenever its trigger fires.

You can unpublish back to draft at any time. Each run is recorded under Executions, so you can see what ran, when, and whether it succeeded.

Next steps

• Create a workflow from a template — do it end to end.
• Build a workflow from scratch — wire your own on the canvas.
• Get an email reminder about unsubmitted purchase orders — a worked, built-from-scratch example.
• Workflow templates reference — what each ready-made template does.