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Automations run the “when this happens, then that should happen” logic your team already follows. When a record is created or updated, Forerunner can create the right task, send the right email, or flag a property, so the step happens without anyone remembering to do it. Automations are built visually, set up for one record type at a time, and managed from a single page in the sidebar.

Build an automation

Pick a trigger, add actions and conditions, and publish

Monitor runs

Review run history and resolve failures

See what automations can do

The triggers and actions available today

Understand statuses

Live, Paused, and Draft

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What an automation is

Every automation has a trigger and at least one action, and can branch on what’s in the record. An automation runs on one record type. If you need the same behavior on permits and on code cases, build one automation for each.

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Triggers and actions

Two triggers are available: Three actions are available: Task and email fields can pull values from the triggering record, so one automation handles every record of that type. See variables.

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The Automations page

Automations live on the Automations page in the sidebar, which lists every automation in your account. Each row shows:
  • The automation’s name and category
  • How many times it has run
  • Its status: Live, Paused, or Draft
  • Who created it and when it was last updated
Click any row to open the automation for editing, or select ”+ Add” to start a new one.

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Automation statuses

Pause an automation instead of deleting it when you want to stop it temporarily, such as before a bulk data import that would otherwise trigger it.

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Integration automations

Automations that keep Forerunner in sync with an outside system appear on the Automations page alongside the ones your team builds, marked with the Integration category. Forerunner configures these, and they can’t be edited or deleted from the builder. See Integrations.

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Who can build automations

Building and editing automations requires the Manager role. Managers see the Automations page and the builder; other users don’t. See User roles.

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Automations vs. record email notifications

Record types have their own email notification settings, which overlap with what an automation can do. Which one to use depends on who you’re emailing and how much control you need.
  • Use record email notifications to email guests, meaning people who submitted a record without a Forerunner account.
  • Use automations when you need a custom subject line, a message body with values from the record, or conditional logic.
  • Automations can reach people other than the submitter, such as an assigned evaluator or contractor, through a user field on the record. Those recipients need Forerunner accounts.

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Current limits

A few things automations don’t do today:
  • Emails are plain text. No formatting or attachments.
  • Email recipients must be Forerunner users. You can’t type in an arbitrary email address.
  • Triggers and actions are record-based. An automation can’t be triggered by a change to an object.
  • A failed run can’t be re-run. Correct the cause and the next run succeeds.