Automations
An automation watches one table of a project and does something when an event happens: a record is created or changes, a form is submitted, an e-mail or a WhatsApp message arrives, a KSeF invoice comes in, or a schedule fires. It then notifies people, sends an e-mail, WhatsApp message or SMS, changes the record, creates another record or runs the table's AI columns. In the app's words: "Let Quanty react to new records, messages, invoices and schedules for you."
Automations are in beta: the page carries a beta badge, and what an automation can do may still change.
Before you start
- Where. Automations belong to a project: open the project and click Automations in the project rail (the + next to it starts a new one). Each automation watches one table and one tab of that table. A project without a table says "This project has no table yet. Create one first, then add automations to it."
- Who. Anyone who can edit the project creates, changes, tests, switches on and deletes its automations. Viewers see them as Read only: "Your role in this project lets you read automations, not change them." Run history can be read by anyone who can open the project.
- Plan. Most triggers and actions work on every plan. The KSeF invoice received and WhatsApp message received triggers and the Send a WhatsApp message and Send an SMS actions need the Gold plan or higher; on a lower plan they stay visible with a lock and the plan's name (see Plans and billing).
- Credits. Only some steps spend credits: running AI columns, WhatsApp messages and SMS. E-mails, notifications and record changes do not (see Testing and run history).
The Automations page
The header has the beta badge, Activity ("What your automations did, and when") and New automation, which offers Start from a template and Start from scratch.
Your automations
"Everything that runs in this project." Each automation is one row:
| Part | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Icons | The trigger and one tile per kind of action (with +2 when there are more). |
| Name and line | The automation's name, and its trigger and actions in words, for example "Record matches conditions → Send an e-mail". |
| Table | The table it watches. |
| Last run | "Last run 5 min ago", or "Not run yet". |
| Switch | On or Off. |
| ⋯ | Open in editor, Run history and Delete. |
Search automations finds a name, a table, or the name of a trigger or an action. Show filters the list: All, On, Off and, when something needs a look, Needs attention.
Marks on an automation
An automation that needs a look carries a mark, the most serious one first:
| Mark | What it means |
|---|---|
| Table deleted | The table it watched is gone. |
| Last run failed | The last run ended with an error; its history says which step. |
| Paused | Quanty paused it, with the reason (below). |
| Did not run | A run was skipped for a reason worth reading, for example the 24-hour WhatsApp window. |
Quanty pauses an automation in three cases, and says so on the row:
- "Paused: the AI budget ran out. Turn it on again once credits are back."
- "Paused: its mailbox was disconnected. Pick another mailbox and turn it on again."
- "Paused: its mailbox is no longer shared. Its owner should check the actions and turn it on again."
A paused automation stays off until someone switches it on again.
Start from a template
"Ready-made automations matched to the columns of your table. Add one, then adjust it."
- Pick the table under For table.
- Browse the shelves: Suggested, Records, Schedule, Forms, Email, WhatsApp and Invoices (KSeF), or type in Search templates. Filter shows All templates, Ready to add, Needs setup or Needs an upgrade.
- Click a card (Use template). "Automation added. It stays off until you turn it on." The builder opens on it.
A card that cannot be added as it is says what is missing, for example "Needs a person column", "Needs a select column", "Needs a connected mailbox", "Needs a KSeF register writing into this table" or "Needs a connected WhatsApp number". A card that needs a higher plan says Upgrade to Gold to admins and Ask an admin to upgrade to everyone else. Viewers see "Only editors can add automations".
| Template | What it does |
|---|---|
| Notify the assignee about a new record | When a record is created, the person in the person column gets a notification. |
| Daily digest of new records | Every day at 09:00, a list of the records added in the last 24 hours. |
| Escalate tasks untouched for 2 days | A daily check for records still in the first status after 2 days, with a reminder. |
| Send an e-mail when the status changes | When a record enters the chosen status, an e-mail with its details goes out. |
| Remind about the agenda 24 h before a meeting | An hourly check for meetings within a day that have no agenda. |
| Escalate a missing agenda 2 h before a meeting | A meeting 2 hours away with an empty agenda: its creator is notified. |
| Mark as ready once the agenda is added | When the text field is filled in, the status switches to ready. |
| Move a record to the next status | When a record enters the first status, the next one is set. |
| Notify the reviewer when a document enters review | When the status switches to review, the person in the person column is notified. |
| Daily list of documents to review | A daily e-mail at 09:00 with the records waiting for review. |
| Escalate a review not started for 48 h | A daily reminder about records in review with no change for 2 days. |
| Notify about a new form submission | Every submission notifies the automation's creator. |
| Weekly digest of changes | An e-mail on Mondays at 09:00 with the records changed in the past week. |
| Notify the team about a new record | Every new record notifies the whole team. |
| Escalate overdue records | A daily reminder about records past their date and not done. |
| Save incoming e-mails as records | Every e-mail in your mailbox becomes a record, and you get a notification. |
| Auto-reply to new e-mails | Replies in the same thread from the same mailbox with a short thank-you, and saves a record. |
| Notify the team about e-mails from a client | An e-mail from the address or domain you enter notifies the team. |
| Save incoming WhatsApp messages as records | Every message becomes a record, and you get a notification. |
| Notify the team about a new WhatsApp message | The team is notified with the message text. |
| Auto-reply to WhatsApp messages | A short reply from the same number that you will be in touch. |
| Process a new purchase invoice from KSeF | Runs the AI columns on the invoice's row and tells the team. |
| Notify about an invoice above an amount | An invoice above the gross amount you enter notifies the team. |
| E-mail a contact when the status changes | The contact in the e-mail column gets a message, from your mailbox if you have one. |
| E-mail a contact when a record is added | The same, when a record is added. |
The template list also has Send a webhook on a new record; it shows Off here because the webhook step is not switched on.
Start from scratch
- Click New automation, then Start from scratch (or Build your own at the end of the templates).
- In New automation, choose the Source table and give it a Name, for example "Notify about a new shift".
- Click Create. The automation starts off, with the trigger Record created and one step that notifies you, and the builder opens.
The builder
An automation reads top to bottom:
| Card | What it holds | Page |
|---|---|---|
| When | The trigger: the event that starts the automation, and its settings. | Triggers and conditions |
| If | The conditions that must hold, or Every time. | Triggers and conditions |
| Then | The steps, run in order: Step 1, Step 2 and so on. Add a step adds one. | Actions |
Click a card to set it up in the panel on the right. Changes save by themselves: the top bar says Saving…, then Saved, or Fill in the fields to save while something required is missing.
The top bar holds:
- the name (click it to rename) and the table it watches;
- the switch: Turn on or Turn off. An automation with missing fields cannot be switched on: "Cannot turn on: complete the automation first";
- History: the runs of this automation (see Testing and run history);
- Test: one trial run, by default without sending or writing anything;
- ⋯, Delete automation: "The automation will be switched off and deleted. Its run history stays."
Test before you switch it on
Every automation, from a template or from scratch, starts off. Click Test with Dry run on to see what it would do with a real record, then switch it on.
Automations from chat
You can also ask the chat to create or delete an automation. The assistant shows what it is about to do, and nothing happens until you approve it (see AI assistant).
Good to know
- One table each. An automation watches one table and one tab. To react on several tables, make one automation per table.
- No undo of a run. What an automation sent or wrote is not reversed by switching it off or deleting it. Test first, and use Once per record and the hourly limit (see Triggers and conditions).
- Chains. A change an automation makes can start another automation, up to three automations deep.
- The table's own triggers. Separate from this page, a table's toolbar has a lightning button with Triggers: Gmail, interval and weekly runs of the table itself, with row approval and undo (see Table triggers and row approval).
- Inside the TMS. The TMS has its own automatic actions with their own settings (see Automatic actions).
Related pages
- Triggers and conditions: every trigger, its settings, conditions and limits.
- Actions: every step and the fields you can put into messages.
- Testing and run history: test runs, history, activity, pauses and credits.
- Table triggers and row approval: the Triggers panel of a table.
- Mailboxes: the mailboxes an e-mail trigger listens to.