Create an automation

An automation runs actions automatically when a submission changes. You choose a form and a trigger, then add one or more actions. ApplySG supports three actions: send an email, send a webhook to a target system, and move child submissions to another state. Each automation belongs to one form version.

Use automations to send applicant data to your agency’s reporting tools, or to start a disbursement in your finance system.

Who this applies to

Audience: Configurators.
Access required: The Manage Automations permission on the scheme. Webhook actions also need Manage Target Systems.
Assumed knowledge: The form has a workflow with states. Refer to Build your workflow: roles, states and form permissions.

Steps

On the scheme overview page, select the Versions card.
On the version that you want to configure, select the Automations card.
Select Create Automation.
Enter a Name, up to 96 characters. It must be unique among automations for the same form.
Select the Form. The list shows each form as form code (version ID).
Select a trigger and set its conditions. Refer to the next section.
Select Create, then select Set up actions.
In the editor, add an action under THEN. Refer to the links in the actions table.
Set the automation to Active. It starts as Inactive, and you can activate it only after you add at least one action.

Versions page with the Automations card on the first version outlined. A Reference data card sits beside it. Below is a table of the Application parent form with its version ID, form code, publish date, status and actions.

Triggers

Trigger	When it runs	Conditions to set
Submission is created	A new submission is created, by any route: a closed invite, an open listing, the Create Submission API, or a data import.	None.
Submission is updated	A submission is saved as a draft, or any update is applied. A transit also counts as an update.	At State: Any, or Select State and choose one or more states.
Submission is transited	A submission moves from one state to another.	At least one From State and To State pair. Select OR to add more pairs. The automation runs when any pair matches.

Create Automation dialog with a name, a form selected, and three trigger choices: Submission is created, Submission is updated, and Submission is transited. Submission is transited is ticked, and From state and To state lists and an OR button appear below.

Actions

Action	Triggers it supports	Guide
Send email	Submission is transited	Send an email automatically
Send webhook	Submission is created, updated or transited	Send a webhook automatically
Transit submission	Submission is transited	Transit a submission automatically

Automation editor. The WHEN section states that the Application form is transited from Draft to Submitted, with an Edit conditions button. The THEN section offers three actions: Send email, Send webhook and Transit Submission. A status setting at the bottom has Active and Inactive options, with Inactive selected.

Constraints and limitations

Constraint	Detail
Limits	60 automations per trigger form. 30 trigger conditions per automation. 5 actions per automation. 80 actions per trigger form.
Fixed trigger	You cannot change the form or the trigger type after you create an automation. Create a new automation instead.
Overlapping triggers	If one automation uses Submission is updated and another uses Submission is transited with overlapping states, one transit runs both.
Independent runs	When several automations share a trigger, all of them run independently. The order is not guaranteed.
Activation	An automation needs at least one action before you can activate it.
New versions	Automations are Inactive in a new form version. Activate them before you publish.
Published forms	You can create and change automations after a form is published.
Closing the dialog	Closing the Create Automation dialog returns you to the list without saving.

Activate or deactivate automations in bulk: change the status of many at once.
Set up a target system: needed for webhook actions.
Manage email templates: needed for email actions.

Set up a target system

Send an email automatically