Build simple automation flows
15 min
Intermediate
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:
- List the building blocks of automation flows
- Configure flow settings
- Create an automation flow
Explore the building blocks of automation
Automation flows are essentially if-then statements.
👉 Some examples:
- If a work item is unassigned, then assign it to Mika.
- If a comment is added to a page, then send the owner a notification.
You’ll build automation flows using three basic steps: triggers, conditions, and actions.
👇Click the tabs below to explore these steps.
It is also possible to specify a condition at the trigger level to filter which triggers continue your automation. This is particularly useful when using advanced steps (Flow groups).
It can be helpful to think of these steps as when, if, and then. The trigger determines when to launch the automation flow. The conditions determine if the flow should actually do something. The action is what then happens.
There are several ways to create automation flows:
- Select a template that meets your needs.
- Use natural language to have AI create automations for you.
- Use the flow builder to manually build custom automation flows from scratch.
Create automation flows from templates
Before creating an automation flow, check to see if there’s a template that already meets your needs. Automation flow templates are pre-built automation flows that you can use as they are or customize to suit your needs.
To access automation flows templates:
- In your space settings, in the sidebar, select Automation.
- Select Templates.
- Select any flow template to see its details and turn it on.
👇 Jira and Confluence recommend useful flow templates for your space in the Templates area.
The template flows displayed are selected based on your app and space type, but you can see all template flows in the Jira automation template library or Confluence automation library. The libraries are also linked at the bottom of the Templates page.
Use the flow builder to create automation flows
1. Configure the flow details
The flow details section contains a number of important settings for your automation flow.
👇Click the boxes below to learn more about them.
2. Select a trigger
There are many different triggers available. You can search for triggers in the search box or browse triggers in several categories, including:
- Content triggers: triggers related to content-based events, such as comments and updates on pages or work.
- Scheduled: a trigger based on a recurring time or a Cron expression (a complex way of expressing time and date).
- Work item triggers: triggers related to work item-based events, like status and workflow changes.
- Confluence triggers: triggers related to Confluence events, such as page creation, updates, or comments.
- Jira Service Management: triggers specific to Jira Service Management information, like SLAs and queues.
Optionally, you can add a condition at the trigger level. This will filter which triggers continue your automation.
3. Select conditions
There are several conditions to choose from. You can use multiple conditions in a single automation flow.
👇Click the boxes below to learn more about different conditions.
👇Click the boxes below to learn more about the conditions specific to Jira.
The order of your conditions matters. The flow will stop executing when the first condition fails. You can drag and drop all steps in an automation flow to reorder them.
You can read more about Jira automation conditions and conditions in Confluence automation in our documentation.
4. Select actions
There are many different actions available. Similar to triggers, you can search for actions in the search box or browse actions in several categories, including actions related to Jira, Jira Service Management, Confluence, work, notifications, security, and advanced actions.
5. Test the automation flow
You should always test your flow by creating situations in which it should trigger and should not trigger. You can see what flows are executing successfully or failing in the audit log. The audit log provides detailed information on how the flows in your space execute over time.
To access the audit log:
- In space settings, in the sidebar, select Automation.
- Select Audit log.
👇This is an example of an audit log. Many flows will trigger, but not pass all conditions, so no actions will be performed.
Let's explore an example!
Diya is a Confluence space admin and a Jira space admin. She is managing a new team member, Anne Baker, whose work she needs to keep up with. Diya sets up two automation flows, one in Confluence and one in Jira, that send her email notifications whenever Anne updates a page in Confluence or a work item in Jira. This helps Diya monitor Anne’s contributions and provide timely feedback.
👇Click the boxes below to explore how Diya should build her automation flows.
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next lesson
Create automation flows using natural language
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- Let’s create automation flows using AI
- Build a flow using AI in Confluence
- Build a simple flow using AI in Jira Service Management
- Build a flow using AI in Jira