documentation/core/automations/create-first-automation

Create your First Automation

Learn how to create your first automation in Praxsuite step by step. This guide explains how to create an automation, choose a trigger, add action nodes, build the workflow on the canvas, save it as a draft, and publish it when ready.

Automations in Praxsuite allow you to build workflows that react to events, run on schedules, send emails, call external services, or execute logic automatically.

They are useful when you want the system to do work for you instead of depending on repeated manual actions.

This guide explains how to create your first automation from scratch.

Step 1: Open the Create New Element menu

From the main Workspace view, click the + button in the left navigation area.

This opens the Create New Element window, where you can choose which type of element you want to create.

Step 2: Select Automation

Inside the Create New Element window, click Automation.

This tells Praxsuite that you want to create a workflow element instead of a table, form, dashboard, or folder.

Step 3: Enter the automation name

After selecting Automation, Praxsuite opens the Create Automation configuration window.

In the Name field, enter the name of your automation.

Examples:

• Send Welcome Email

• Notify New Lead

• Daily Status Check

• Sync External Data

• Alert on New Record

The name should describe what the automation is meant to do.

Step 4: Create the automation

Click Create Element.

Praxsuite will create the automation and open the automation editor.

At this point, the automation exists, but it still has no workflow logic configured.

Step 5: Understand the automation editor

Inside the automation editor, you will see a blank canvas where the workflow will be built.

The editor is organized into key areas:

Canvas

The large center area is where you place and connect nodes.

Nodes panel

On the left side, Praxsuite shows the available building blocks for your automation.

These are grouped by category, such as:

• Triggers

• Actions

• Communication

• Query

Controls and status

At the top, you can see:

• automation version

• current status, such as Draft

• run history access

• save and publish controls

This is where you manage the lifecycle of the automation once it is configured.

Step 6: Choose a trigger

Every automation needs a trigger.

The trigger defines when the automation starts.

In the left-side Nodes panel, Praxsuite shows trigger options such as:

• System Event

  Starts when a workspace event happens.

• Webhook

  Starts when an incoming webhook is received.

• Manual

  Starts manually or through the API.

• Schedule

  Starts on a specific interval or time.

To begin building your first automation, drag one of these triggers onto the canvas.

A simple first option is usually:

• Manual, if you want to test the automation yourself

• Schedule, if you want it to run automatically at a certain time

Step 7: Add actions to the automation

After placing a trigger, you can add the next steps of the workflow.

From the left-side panel, drag action nodes onto the canvas.

Examples shown in the interface include:

• HTTP Request

  Send a request to an external URL.

• Send Email

  Send an email through the workspace mailing engine.

• Read Secret

  Resolve a Vault secret for use in the workflow.

These actions determine what the automation actually does after it starts.

Step 8: Connect the logic on the canvas

Once you add nodes to the canvas, arrange them in the order you want the workflow to run.

The automation should follow a clear sequence:

Trigger → Action → Result

For example:

• Manual trigger

• then Send Email

• then additional actions if needed

This creates the execution flow of the automation.

Step 9: Save the automation

When your first version is ready, click Save.

Saving stores the automation in its current state.

At this stage, the automation can remain in Draft while you continue configuring or testing it.

Step 10: Review runs and status

Use the Runs button to review execution history once the automation has been tested or executed.

At the top of the editor, you can also review:

• the current version

• the automation status

• whether it is still in draft or ready to publish

This helps you control how and when the automation becomes active.

Step 11: Publish the automation

When the workflow is fully configured and ready to be used, click Publish.

Publishing makes the automation active according to the trigger you defined.

For example:

• a Schedule automation will begin running on its configured timing

• a Webhook automation will begin listening for requests

• a Manual automation will be available to run on demand

Key things to remember

• Automations are created from the Create New Element flow

• Every automation needs a trigger

• The trigger defines when the workflow starts

• Action nodes define what the automation does

• The canvas is where the workflow is assembled

• Automations should be saved first and published only when ready

• A draft automation exists but does not operate as a live workflow until published