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Building Workflows

Workflows let you automate what happens when something changes in your Expiration Reminder account — like sending a notification, creating a follow-up expiration item, or branching the next step based on a condition. This article walks through creating a workflow from scratch, adding steps on the canvas, and publishing it so it runs automatically.

 

Before You Begin

Opening the Workflows Page

  1. Open the Settings menu.
  2. Expand the Tools group.
  3. Click Workflows.

The Workflows page lists every workflow in your account as a card showing its name, type, status, step count, and the date it was last modified.

Creating a Workflow

Step 1: Open the Create dialog

  1. From the Workflows page, click Create Workflow at the top right.
  2. The Create New Workflow dialog opens.

Step 2: Name your workflow and pick a type

  1. Enter a clear, descriptive name in the Workflow Name field — for example, New Hire Onboarding or Contract Renewal Reminder.
  2. In the Workflow Type dropdown, choose one of:
    • Regular Workflow — runs against expiration items in your account. This is the most common choice.
    • Pipedrive Workflow — runs when Pipedrive contacts are created or updated. Requires the Pipedrive integration.
    • Greenhouse Workflow — runs when a Greenhouse candidate is created. Requires the Greenhouse integration.
  3. Click Create.

A confirmation appears and the Workflow Builder opens automatically with your new workflow.

Step 3: Understand the Workflow Builder canvas

The Workflow Builder has three areas:

  • Left sidebar — a palette of step types you can drag onto the canvas.
  • Center canvas — the diagram where you arrange and connect steps.
  • Top toolbar — buttons for Save, Validate, Test, Undo, Redo, zoom controls, and the status dropdown.

Every new workflow starts with three foundational nodes already on the canvas — Start, Join, and End. You can't delete these, and only one of each is allowed per workflow.


Step 4: Set the trigger on the Start node

The Start node tells Expiration Reminder when the workflow should run.

  1. Click the Start node on the canvas.
  2. In the right-side panel, open the Trigger dropdown and select an event. The available options depend on the workflow type you picked in Step 2 — see the companion article Workflow Actions and Triggers for the full list.
  3. Click Save.

A confirmation toast appears at the bottom of the page.

Adding Steps to the Canvas

Step 1: Drag a step from the palette

  1. In the left palette, find the step type you want to add. Steps are grouped under:
    • Logic — Decision (If/Else)
    • Actions — Send Notification and Create Expiration Item
  2. Click and drag the step onto the canvas.

A configuration panel slides in on the right with a green banner indicating you're creating a new step.

Step 2: Fill in the step details

Each step type has its own configuration fields. The most common ones are:

  • Name — a short label that appears on the canvas.
  • Step-specific settings — for example, a notification's timing and email template, or a decision's rules.

For a complete walkthrough of each step type's options, see Workflow Actions and Triggers.

Step 3: Create the step

  1. Click the green Create button at the bottom of the panel.
  2. The new step appears on the canvas and the panel closes.

Step 4: Connect steps together

  1. Hover over a step on the canvas. Connection ports appear around its edges.
  2. Click and drag from a port to another step to draw a connector.
  3. The connector saves automatically and a confirmation toast appears.

To remove a connector, click it and press the Delete key.

[Screenshot: Workflow canvas with several steps connected by arrows]

Step 5: Edit an existing step

  1. Click the step on the canvas. Its configuration panel opens on the right.
  2. Change any field. The panel shows a yellow indicator when there are unsaved edits.
  3. Click Save.

If you click another step or the canvas before saving, Expiration Reminder asks whether you want to discard your changes.

Step 6: Delete a step

  1. Click the step you want to remove.
  2. In the panel that opens, click the trash icon — or select the step and press Delete.
  3. Confirm Delete in the dialog.

The step and any connectors attached to it are removed. You can't delete the Start, Join, or End nodes.

Saving and Publishing

Validate the workflow

Before you publish, run the structural validator to catch missing pieces.

  1. In the toolbar, click Validate.
  2. If the workflow is valid, the message "Workflow is valid" appears.
  3. If there are issues, a dialog lists each one (for example, "Workflow is missing a Start node" or a disconnected step). Fix each issue and validate again.

Save your work

Click Save in the toolbar at any time. A confirmation appears once the workflow is saved.

Tip: Save often. If you navigate away from the builder with unsaved changes, Expiration Reminder warns you before discarding them.

Publish the workflow

A workflow only runs automatically when its status is Published.

  1. In the toolbar, open the status dropdown (it shows Draft by default).
  2. Choose Published.
  3. Click Save.

Expiration Reminder runs the validator one more time before publishing. If there are validation errors, the dropdown reverts to Draft and the issues are listed so you can fix them.

Testing a Workflow

Use Test to dry-run the workflow against an existing expiration item without sending real notifications or creating real records.

  1. In the toolbar, click Test.
  2. Pick an expiration item to test against.
  3. Review the step-by-step output.

Note: Test is disabled until you save your latest changes. The validator must also pass — if it doesn't, the validation dialog appears instead.

Pausing, Drafting, and Deleting Workflows

From the Workflows list, click the three-dot menu on any workflow card:

  • Edit — opens the builder.
  • Publish — activates the workflow (validator must pass).
  • Set as Draft — pauses the workflow and lets you edit safely. Drafts don't run.
  • Pause — temporarily stops the workflow without sending it back to draft.
  • Delete — permanently removes the workflow after a confirmation. Steps and connectors are deleted with it.

Filtering and Searching the Workflow List

  • The search box at the top of the list filters by name as you type.
  • The All Statuses dropdown narrows the list to Draft, Published, or Paused workflows.

Tips & Best Practices

  • Start every workflow as a Draft while you build it. Switch to Published only when you're ready for it to run on live data.
  • Use clear, action-oriented names for your steps (for example, Email Manager or Create 90-day Follow-up) so the canvas reads like a flowchart.
  • Validate before every publish. The validator catches the most common mistakes — missing connectors, disconnected steps, or duplicate Start nodes.
  • Use Test before publishing a workflow that sends notifications. It's the fastest way to catch a misconfigured template or contact source.

Troubleshooting

  • Issue: "Cannot publish: X validation errors" appears when you switch the status to Published. Solution: Open the workflow, click Validate, fix each issue in the list (for example, connect any disconnected steps or set a trigger on the Start node), then try publishing again.
  • Issue: A step won't drop onto the canvas. Solution: Some step types can only exist once per workflow (Start, Join, End). Check that the workflow doesn't already contain that type.
  • Issue: The Test button doesn't open the test dialog. Solution: Click Save first. Test is unavailable while there are unsaved changes.

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