Managing Triggers and Trigger Sets

In Uncountable, triggers let users automate nearly any platform action—from scanning barcodes to creating recipes or scheduling calendar events. If it can be done manually, it can likely be triggered automatically.

Each trigger consists of two key components:

• When — defines the conditions under which the trigger should run
• Actions — define what happens when those conditions are met

Triggers are grouped into trigger sets, which are reusable across all definitions within a schema. This makes it easy to apply consistent automation logic across different workflows.

You can manage triggers and trigger sets within the Form Admin:

• The Trigger Sets tab is the primary interface for creating and organizing triggers into reusable sets that can be added to definitions.
• The Triggers tab lists all triggers available in your schema, making it easy to search by reference name or review trigger details.

Creating a New Trigger Set

New triggers are always created within a trigger set. While each form definition can have its own dedicated trigger set, shared trigger sets can also be created and reused across multiple definitions.

To create a new trigger set, you have two options:

Create a trigger set linked to a specific definition:

• Navigate to the definition’s Triggers tab.
• Click “Create Trigger Set” (A).
• The set will be created with a default name based on the definition.
• Note: You can also create a shared trigger set from this page (B).

Create a shared trigger set for use across multiple definitions:

• Go to the Trigger Sets tab on the Form Admin page.
• Enter a name and click “Add Trigger Set”.

Either method will navigate you to the new trigger set page. There, click Add Trigger to create a new trigger. Within the sidepanel, configure the following:

• Name (A): Add a name for the trigger.
• When (B): Set when you want the trigger to fire. Options include:
  • Begin Phase: Fires when an entity enters a specific phase.
  • Complete Draft: Fires when the entity is submitted.
  • Create: Fires when a new entity is first created.
  • Explicit: Used for configuring entity actions and action buttons and fires only when an the action or action button are explicitly selected.
  • Modify Field: Fires when a select field is modified.
• Actions (C): Select which actions you want the trigger to automate. A trigger can have multiple actions, all of which will be initiated when the trigger is fired. Common actions available include:
  • Set Values: Automatically update fields on current or related entities.
  • TriggerActionCreateTasks: Generate tasks tied to measurement requests, groups, or recipes.
  • TriggerActionEmail: Notify specific users or groups via email when specific conditions are met.
  • Create Notebooks: Automatically generate a new Notebook when an entity enters certain phases.
  • TriggerActionUiEntityActions: Can perform tasks like updating status, copying data, or creating related entities

Within the sidepanel, users can also add additional configuration settings within the following sections:

• Entity Actions: To create an action button for that trigger, it must be configured as an entity action within this section. To configure, select an entity action behavior and then define the entity type to enable the button for. To learn more, refer to Action Buttons.

• Constraints: Add optional constraints, or conditions which must be met before the trigger can fire. For example, using a Phase Match constraint, users can instruct the platform to only fire the trigger if an entity is in a specific workflow phase.

• Advanced: Use this section to add a reference name, if needed.

Adding Trigger Sets in Definitions

If you have created a trigger set associated with a definition, all triggers within that set will be fully functional on any entity created using that definition.

If you created a shared trigger set, they can now be attached to definitions. To do so, take the following steps:

1. Navigate to a Definition page of the Form Admin.
2. Search for and select a definition.
3. Access that definition’s Triggers tab.
4. Use the Triggers tab to link the definition to a shared trigger set.
5. When a trigger set is linked, all triggers inside it will apply to all entities created using that definition.

Triggering Actions with Action Buttons

In addition to running automatically, triggers can also be fired manually by users through Action Buttons. Action buttons appear as clickable buttons either in the top toolbar of an entity page or embedded directly within the entity form. These buttons make it easy for users to initiate predefined automation with a single click.

Action buttons are configured at the definition level using the Actions tab. Each button is linked to a trigger (typically one with a "when" value of explicit) via its reference name.

To learn more about setting up action buttons, refer to Action Buttons.

Best Practices for Triggers

• Copy Before Editing: If you need to change a trigger set that’s already in use, duplicate it first to avoid affecting live workflows.
• Use Explicit Triggers for UI Actions: Only triggers with a “when” value of explicit can be used with entity actions or buttons.
• Keep It Organized: Use clear naming conventions for triggers and sets so it’s easy to understand and maintain your automation logic.