Triggers and actions

Let's go through the specifics of setting up trigger events, conditions, and actions!

4.1. Trigger events

The trigger event of a T&A rule is the action that starts the whole flow. Think of the trigger event as a precondition - if that event doesn't happen, the rule won't run.

Here's how to set up the trigger event:

1. Choose the item that should be monitored for changes – for example, a task, a project, a quote, etc.
   
2. Select the activity - created, modified, or deleted - that should trigger the rule. If you choose modified as the activity, you have two options here:
   • Option 1: If you want the rule to run only when a specific item value or field is modified (e.g., status, deadline, assignee), add a condition group. You can add 3 condition groups, with up to 5 conditions in each.
     
   • Option 2: To run the rule whenever the item is modified in any way, skip adding the condition groups and proceed to the next step.
     

Let’s return to our example rule, where the bolded part is the trigger event: "When a task deadline is modified, or its status is changed, and I am the assignee, then notify me in Scoro." 

Here's how the trigger event setup would look:

Once you've set up the trigger event, click on the second tab to set the trigger conditions.

4.2. Trigger conditions 

Setting the trigger conditions for a T&A rule is optional. Trigger conditions help narrow your choice from any item (task, quote, project, etc.) to a more specific one by specifying criteria such as its creator, assignee, status, deadline, or other details.

Trigger conditions are postconditions by their nature - meaning they have to be true or remain true after the trigger event has happened; otherwise, the final automated rule action won't happen. This is because Scoro checks this additional condition layer only after the trigger event has already occurred. 

Let’s look at our example rule, where the bolded part is the trigger condition: "When a task deadline is modified, or its status is changed, and I am the assignee, then notify me in Scoro." 

With these settings, whenever a task deadline is modified or its status changes, Scoro checks whether you are also an assignee before deciding whether to send a notification.

To save time and avoid manually adding conditions, you can use the Link to bookmark option to apply filters from your bookmark as conditions. For rules created this way, the final action will happen in two cases:

• An item moves under a bookmark as a result of the trigger event:
  For example, you want to build a rule that notifies you whenever a quote gets confirmed. You have a bookmark called Confirmed quotes that includes all the quotes with ‘Confirmed’ status. You can link this bookmark to your rule to get notified whenever someone changes a quote's status and it moves under the Confirmed quotes bookmark.
  
• An item was already under the bookmark and remains under the bookmark after the trigger event:
  For example, you want to set up a rule that notifies you whenever a confirmed quote is modified in any way. You have a bookmark called Confirmed quotes that includes all the quotes with ‘Confirmed’ status. Set your rule as shown below, and you will get notified whenever someone changes any aspect of any confirmed quote because the quote itself would still remain under the Confirmed quotes bookmark after the change. The only case when you wouldn't get this notification would be when someone changed the quote status as well.
  

4.3. Action

In the last tab, you choose the action for the T&A rule to perform automatically as a result of the trigger event and trigger conditions (if specified). 

To set up the action for your T&A rule:

1. Select the type of action from the dropdown menu. These are the types of actions you can set up for a triggers and actions rule:
   • Send a notification in Scoro to the site users you've selected in your rule.
   • Send a notification in Slack to the users you've selected in your rule (requires the Slack integration to be set up).
   • Send an e-mail to site users you've selected in your rule.
   • Trigger a webhook – trigger an automated action outside Scoro when the specified trigger action and conditions are met. Read more about webhooks in this section.
   • Ask ELI to act – ask ELI to carry out certain action(s) you've described in your prompt, just as it would for a request typed directly into the ELI chat window. This option is available when ELI chat is enabled on your site. Before setting this up, note that ELI acts using the permissions of the person it's acting on behalf of, and each rule can include only one ELI action. Learn more about how ELI actions in T&A rules work in this section.
     
2. Specify the action further:
   • If the action is to notify in Scoro, send an e-mail, or notify in Slack, select the user(s) or dynamic group(s) to notify.
     
   • If the action is to trigger a webhook, provide the webhook URL in the Insert URL here field. Make sure your webhook URL is verified for automations.
   • If the action is to ask ELI to act, specify the following:
     • Who ELI should act on behalf of (setting available for site admins only): If you're a regular user, ELI can only act on your behalf, but site administrators can choose who ELI should act on behalf of. Options include the rule creator, initiator (of the trigger event), specific user (chosen by you), and other options specific to the trigger event item (e.g., quote owner, project manager, task creator, etc.).
     • The action(s) to take: Describe in the prompt window what ELI should do when this event occurs. If you want ELI to take multiple actions, include them all in the prompt.
     • When ELI should send a notification: Use the Notify me when ELI runs dropdown field to select whether ELI should notify about what was done always or only when it needs attention to something.
       
3. Click the Add action button to add another action. You can add up to 10 actions per rule, but you can add only one ELI action per rule. If you want ELI to take multiple actions, describe them all in your prompt.

Let’s return to our example, where the bolded part is the subsequent action: "When a task deadline is modified, or its status is changed, and I am the assignee, then notify me in Scoro." 

This is what you would select. Here, we also entered a custom title.

Once you've finished building the rule, ensure the Active toggle is switched on, and click Save to activate it.

5. How certain actions in T&A rules work

5.1. Webhooks

In addition to automatic notifications, you can also trigger custom workflows with the help of webhooks. 

The most common way is to use Zapier. You can use Zapier either to connect Scoro with other apps, such as Google Sheets, or to create automations within Scoro via Zapier.

To trigger a workflow within Scoro via Zapier, you need to create a rule that triggers a Zap. For example: “When a quote is sent out to the client from Scoro, change the quote status in Scoro.” For this, you would need to do two things: 

• create a rule in Scoro that says if any quote is modified (trigger event) and its value is subsequently ‘is sent’ (trigger condition), then trigger a webhook (action);
• create a Zap that will be triggered from that webhook and changes the status of the quote.

Webhooks need to be valid because Scoro checks them upon saving. Webhooks send out data once in a minute, so be aware of slight delays. Learn more about Verifying webhook URLs for automations.

5.2. Ask ELI to run

Instead of triggering notifications or webhooks, you can ask ELI to run as the action part of your triggers and actions rule. For example, you could create a rule that, when a project is put on hold, ELI automatically changes the status of all uncompleted tasks under that project to ‘On hold’ and notifies the task assignees.

Here's how ELI actions in T&A rules work:

1. Create the rule via triggers and actions: 
   • Select the trigger event and conditions (if applicable). Then, choose the Ask ELI to act action and enter your prompt, describing all the actions that ELI should take when the trigger event and conditions are met. Site administrators can also choose who ELI should act on behalf of. Lastly, choose whether the person who ELI acts on behalf of should be notified – always or only when their attention is needed.
   • For more guidance on how to set up a T&A rule with ELI as an action, please see this section.
     
2. What ELI does when the trigger event and conditions are met: 
   • When the T&A rule you created is triggered, ELI initiates the actions you described in the rule prompt.
   • You'll see an unread message indicator on the ELI assistant icon when ELI has completed the action or needs your attention (based on the notification preference you set in the rule) – whether it's missing access rights or permissions, ELI credits running out, or other reasons. Open the thread to see a full overview of what ELI did and what it needs your attention or confirmation for.
     

The triggers and actions list shows how many times each T&A rule with an ELI action has fired. Click the number under the ELI runs column to open a more detailed log with the date the rule was actioned, the trigger object, the affected module, and more.

6. Disabling rules created by others

If you don't want to be notified about triggers and actions rules set up by someone else, you can:

• contact the rule owner to ask them to remove you from the rule, or
• hover over the rule and click the crossed bell icon to mute the notifications for this rule. Click it again to unmute it and resume the notifications.

7. Frequently asked questions

Can I set up triggers and actions for custom fields?

Yes, you can set up triggers and actions for custom fields, as the majority of them are supported, except for relation type and PHP custom fields.

If a user account is deactivated, what happens to the triggers and actions they had created?

If a user's account is deactivated, the trigger and action rules they had created are automatically set as inactive, which means these rules will no longer trigger.

If you later reactivate that user's account, their inactive trigger and action rules will still stay inactive. The user must go to their rule list view and enable the toggle next to the rules they want to reactivate.