Build a rule in Workflow

After adding a new workflow, you may add Rules, which require both triggers and actions.

Open Admin, Workflow, Rule builder and then open the appropriate workflow (add a new workflow if needed: Add > New workflow).

To add a new rule to a workflow, click on the particular workflow to open it and then click Add > New rule.

You can also copy an existing rule.

The New rule builder will be displayed:

The rule builder consists of three tabs, Details, Triggers and Actions.

Details tab

The details tab consists of three fields: Name, Description and Status.

• Name - You need to give the rule a name, which is shown in the list of workflows.
• Description - Add a description for future reference. This is displayed in the rule builder.
• Status - The rule's status determines whether the rule will trigger or not. If the rule is Active (and the underlying workflow is also active), it will trigger if the conditions are met. 

Leave the status as Draft until the rule is ready to be used.

Once you have entered the name, click Save and continue.

Triggers tab

The triggers tab sets the conditions that 'trigger' the rule - the event that starts the action (or actions) defined in the Actions tab. You must select a subject, an event and which conditions are to be met. 

• iSheet record
• File
• Task
• Date
• Schedule

After setting your trigger or triggers, click Save and continue.

As of version 5.6, you can create nested conditions that use and/or statements to combine multiple trigger conditions into a single rule.

Actions tab

The Actions tab sets the actions that are triggered when the conditions are met. You must select a type of action and the targets for the action.

• Add a folder and sub-folders
• Move / copy / delete a file
• Automatically send emails
• Add tasks and sub-tasks
• Change a task assignee
• Add events
• Update choices and dates in iSheet columns
• Add iSheet record
• Generate document
• Send for approval (send a file)
• Update file attachment metadata

After setting actions, click Save.

Save your rule

Once you have added all of your triggers and actions, click Save. Your rules will be saved and you will be redirected to the rules screen, listing your new rules:

In this screen, you can view the name, status and last modified date and time of your rule, and also who modified it.

Additionally, you have access to the more actions menu:

The options are as follows:

• Edit - open the Create rule screen to edit the rules in your workflow
• Activate - changes the status from Draft (or Disabled) to Active; all rules will trigger actions as configured.
  If you click More actions for an active rule, you can instead Disable the rule:
  • Disable - temporarily stop an active workflow, no rules contained in that workflow (with triggers and actions) will run until Activate is selected
• Delete - allows you to permanently delete the workflow, including all rules and configuration

Deleted rules cannot be recovered, they are gone forever.

• Clone - allows you to create a copy of a rule. The status of a cloned rule is set to Validate, and the rule will not trigger until the status is set to Active. 

As of March 2023, you can clone a rule to up to five different workflows on your site.

Activating rules

Once you have created your rules, they must be activated if you want them to trigger. Click More actions > Activate to do so. If you activate rules but your workflow is not active, you will receive a warning message.

As of January 2024, when you activate a rule, a notification informs you if the parent workflow is not yet active.

Click Activate to activate the parent workflow.

A further notification shows the workflow status:

Best practices for Workflow rules

Avoid rule chaining

Configure rules to ensure efficiency, clarity and maintainability. If you have configured multiple rules, a common issue can arise: rule chaining. It is possible to set up a rule that triggers other rules, leading to unexpected outcomes, complexity, and performance issues. To mitigate these risks, follow these best practices: 

1. Keep rules simple and focused 

2. Create a single rule for a single trigger condition. Consider consolidating related logic into a single rule, if appropriate.

3. Avoid circular dependencies: Ensure rules do not create loops where they trigger each other in turn, potentially causing infinite loops or stack overflows. For example, an Update iSheet trigger performs an action that updates the same iSheet, please use the 'Changes' or 'Changes to' operator in trigger conditions to avoid looping.

4. Check for Indirect triggers. Avoid scenarios where Rule A triggers Rule B, which then triggers Rule C, which could loop back to trigger Rule A again.