Table of Contents

Workflow Tools

Lesley Updated by Lesley

Workflow defines the process, steps, and actions that get your work done. 

In Knack, workflow is what turns your static data into dynamic processes designed to impact your business: it moves jobs to the right employee, it alerts customers when an order is ready, it requests approvals from a manager.

Knack doesn’t have one specific workflow feature. Instead, workflow is included in many features throughout the Knack platform.

Below is a list of the commonly used features for creating your own unique workflows. Each feature includes:

  • A description of the feature
  • Examples of how the feature is used in workflows
  • A link to an article that explains how to use the feature

For a sample of common workflows, check out our Learn More Workflows article.

Fields

Fields form the foundation for many workflows.

Multiple Choice Fields

Multiple choice fields present a group of options users can choose from.

In a workflow, multiple choice fields are often used to denote status or stage.

Workflow Example:

For details on how to create multiple choice fields, check out this article: Field Types - Multiple Choice.

Yes/No Fields

Yes/no fields differentiate between a true or false value.

Workflow Examples

For details on how to create yes/no fields, check out this article: Field Types - Yes/No.

Equations

Equation fields combine field values, numbers, and other mathematical functions to calculate values for each record.

Workflow Examples

For details on how to create equation fields, check out this article: Equations.

Formulas

Formula fields run automatic calculations on connected records, which can be used by other features in a workflow, like conditional rules.

Workflow Examples

For details on how to create formula fields, check out this article: Formulas.

Default Values

Default values populate fields if no value is entered. They are also used to populate forms that add new records.

Workflow Examples

Default values are only available for specific fields. To find out which fields allow for default values, check out this article: Field Types.

Conditional Rules

Conditional rules set the value of a field based on conditions that you define.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to add conditional rules to fields, check out this article: Conditional Rules.

Validation Rules

Validation rules define which values are or are not allowed on a specific field. This ensures that data meets the defined criteria.

Workflow Example:

For details on how to add validation rules to fields, check out this article: Validation Rules.

 

Views

Views determine what your users see for any given workflow.

Source

The data source determines which records are displayed and how they are displayed in views. This allows views to be customized to show only records with a specific status in a workflow.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to customize the data source of a view, check out this article: Source.

Grid Groupings

Grid groupings group records by a common value.

Workflow Example:

For details on how to add groupings to grids, check out this article: How to Add Groupings to a Grid.

Display Rules

Display rules can either show/hide fields or customize a field's appearance based on specified criteria. Display rules are available in form, grid, list, and detail views.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to add display rules to views, check out these articles: Forms - Display RulesGrids - Display Rules, and Lists & Details - Display Rules.

Custom Text on Submit Buttons

Submit buttons appear on all forms. The "Submit" text on those buttons can be customized to streamline user actions in a workflow.

They can also be combined with record rules to create one-step button forms.

Workflow Example:

For details on how to change the text of a submit button, check out this article: How to Customize the Text on a Submit Button.

Users

If you need multiple user roles in your workflow with different access, you’ll need to activate users. With users, you can set up custom pages, views, and triggers.

User Roles & Permissions

User roles are different types of users. Using roles and users, you can ensure that the data displayed is relevant to the logged-in user in order to move a workflow forward.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to create user roles, check out this article: User Roles. For details on how to manage permissions, check out this article: Permissions.

Logins & Registrations

Logins require users to validate their access using an email and password before they can access your app. In a workflow, this ensures that users only have access to the data and functionality that you've defined.

Registrations control whether or not a new user has the option to sign up for approved or immediate access to your app.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to add logins and registrations to your pages, check out this article: Logins & Registrations.

Triggers

Triggers make it possible to add automation to your workflows.

Record Rules

Record rules perform automated actions behind the scenes when a form or inline edit on a grid is submitted.

Those actions include automatically setting field values in a workflow, which can save time for users and reduce data entry errors. Record rules can also insert or update connected records.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to add record rules to your forms, check out this article: Using Record Rules.

Submit Rules

Submit rules determine where a user is directed after successfully submitting a form, which includes redirecting the user to a relevant page in a workflow.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to add submit rules to your forms, check out this article: Submit rules.

Email

Email notifications can be sent to users using forms in a workflow. Also, time-based email reminders can be sent using scheduled tasks. 

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to send automatic emails from your forms, check out this article: Send Emails. For details on sending emails using scheduled tasks, check out this article: Scheduled Tasks.

Page Rules

Page rules automatically trigger actions when a page is loaded based on conditions you define. They can be used to show only the views (grids, forms, etc.) relevant to the user or the page's record. In workflows, this ensures the page’s content is relevant to the user and stage.

Workflow Examples:

For details on how to create page rules, check out this article: Page Rules.

Scheduled Tasks

Scheduled tasks automate actions that can be scheduled on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, which allows you to sent email reminders to users in a workflow.

Workflow Example:

For details on how to create scheduled tasks, check out this article: Scheduled Tasks.

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