Automation And Scheduler Patterns

Pattern

Use event automations for immediate reactions and scheduler-backed automations for deferred or recurring work.

  • let event automations react quickly to object or action changes
  • move delayed follow-up into scheduled tasks
  • use variables to name important intermediate concepts
  • use secrets for external integration credentials

Recommendations

Design The Trigger First

  • decide whether the automation is auto-driven by a resource event or caller-driven by a button, form, view action, canvas, webhook, or scheduler
  • choose the narrowest resource and selector set that still expresses the real business trigger
  • keep trigger descriptions readable enough that another implementer can tell why the automation runs

Keep Immediate And Deferred Work Separate

  • handle immediate validation, assignment, and object updates in event-driven automations
  • hand off reminders, retries, follow-up checks, and recurring routines to scheduler-backed execution
  • use scheduled arguments when the later step needs object-specific context
  • turn on run logging for business-critical scheduled work

Use Shared Runtime Assets Intentionally

  • use variables when several actions depend on the same derived business value
  • store credentials in the secret store and reference them from automation logic instead of embedding them directly
  • use Local Storage when automations need reusable helper files, generated artifacts, or intermediate exported outputs

Treat Public Entry Points As Governance Decisions

  • pair every webhook-triggered flow with a clearly owned automation path
  • document what a public route or webhook is expected to trigger
  • review webhook exposure together with links, public modules, public canvases, and release checks

Good Scenarios

  • create follow-up tasks immediately, but send reminders later
  • assign ownership on create, then schedule escalation checks
  • process webhook input through a focused automation and hand off longer work to a scheduled routine
  • build reusable helper code in Local Storage and include it from several automation steps
  • use a permission-aware button automation for a user action and a separate scheduled routine for later compliance checks

Best Practices

  • keep automations small and composable
  • use Local Storage for shared helper files only when several automations or scripts truly reuse them
  • use the scheduler intentionally instead of simulating delay inside one large automation
  • keep scheduled automations stable without UI-only context
  • keep secrets, trigger selectors, and scheduler arguments documented as part of the workflow contract
  • log scheduled work that matters operationally
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