Triggers

What is a trigger?

Triggers initiate workflows in Rewst. Every workflow must have a trigger to define when and how it starts. Essentially, triggers put the automate in automation. Choosing the right trigger ensures that your workflows execute at the right time, with the right data, to drive efficiency and consistency in your operations.

A trigger is also used on any form input that requires a workflow. If a form uses the Dynamic button, then you must also create a trigger on the workflow associated with that form.

For more on how to see which triggers appear on a specific workflow, view our documentation here.

Create a trigger

Add a trigger to a workflow by clicking the Add Trigger button in the workflow builder, which will open up a new dialog with a form.

Note that you can have multiple triggers per workflow, for example a webhook and a trigger that runs when a ticket gets saved in the PSA.

Update the relevant fields in the form as needed, to set up your trigger.

Item
Description

Name

Whatever you would like to name your trigger, with a descriptive word or phrase for what it does.

Enabled

Toggle this on or off.

Organizations

Select all the organization that exist within Rewst that may need to use this workflow. If you add a new client, they will have to be added in that workflow trigger.

Integration Override

Integration overrides allow you to specify which integration configurations should be used. When a workflow is triggered by and running within the context of a child organization, by default they only have access to their own integrations and configurations. To give the workflow access to integrations and credentials owned by the parent organization, that default behavior must be explicitly overridden. In the above example image, the trigger allows your clients to use your PSA, RRM and licensing integration.

Trigger Type

There are a number of types to choose from, such as a webhook, form submission, ticket saved, M365 alerts. See Core triggers for more information on common trigger types.

Form

If your trigger type is a form submission, you would select the form that links to the workflow.

Modify an existing trigger

To modify an existing trigger, click Edit Trigger. If there are multiple triggers for the workflow, select the appropriate trigger from the dropdown menu.

How to use a trigger on a form

Once the trigger has been created on a workflow, it can then be used on a form. This must be an options generator workflow. The requirements for this can be found here.

The above is a snippet from a form where a dropdown field has been selected and the output will be based on the workflow output. When running the form, if the client is added on the trigger and the trigger is set on the form, the workflow will run, and the options will fill into the form field.

Core triggers

There are six key triggers to understand when getting started with Rewst. These triggers cover a range of automation scenarios, from scheduled executions to real-time event responses. In Rewst, we denote these from other triggers by calling them core triggers. Type core into the Trigger Type field to isolate most of these trigger types from the total list.

Core - Cron Job

The cron job trigger initiates a workflow on a predefined schedule. This allows you to automate recurring tasks without manual intervention.

Schedules are configured using cron syntax. Consult crontab guru for help configuring this syntax.

For example, you can configure a workflow to run every Monday at 3:00 PM to generate weekly reports or clean up outdated records.

This trigger is most useful for:

  • Scheduled maintenance workflows: clearing stale data, running audits

  • Recurring notifications: sending reminders, generating reports

  • Automated check-ins: verifying system statuses, updating dashboards

Core - Form Submission

A workflow can be triggered when a user submits a form. Forms collect structured information, ensuring the workflow has the necessary data to proceed.

For example, you can submit an employee onboarding form to trigger a workflow that creates user accounts, assigns permissions, and sends welcome emails.

This trigger is most useful for:

  • Request-based workflows: access requests, service requests

  • Intake processes: user registrations, issue reporting

  • Approval workflows: leave requests, expense approvals

For help building a form, refer to Conditional fields.

Core - Webhook

A webhook trigger starts a workflow when external data is received in real time. Webhooks eliminate the need for manual checks, making them efficient for event-driven automation.

The webhook URL serves as a listening endpoint. When an external system (e.g., a CRM, ticketing system, or another Rewst workflow) sends data to the webhook URL, the workflow is triggered immediately. This enables seamless integration between Rewst and external applications without requiring a direct API connection.

For example, a webhook could trigger a workflow whenever a new customer signs up in a CRM, automatically assigning them an account manager and setting up follow-up tasks.

This trigger is most useful for:

  • Event-driven automation: responding to new leads, updating records on status changes

  • Real-time notifications: escalating high-priority tickets, alerting teams to critical updates

  • External system integrations: syncing data between platforms, processing incoming requests

For more information on webhook triggers, refer to Use webhook triggers.

Core - Always Pass

The always pass trigger allows a workflow to start without conditions. It is commonly used in workflows that do not depend on external events or schedules.

For example, you might use this trigger when testing workflows, executing a workflow from another workflow without needing a specific event, or populating dynamic options in a Rewst form.

This trigger is most useful for:

  • Manual workflow execution: running a workflow on demand

  • Subworkflows or completion handlers: workflows triggered by other workflows

  • Testing automation: verifying workflow functionality

  • Option generators: dynamically populating form fields in Rewst

For more information on option generators, refer to Rewst Foundations.

Core - Time Interval

Time intervals can be set to trigger a workflow repeatedly over specified periods. This trigger is suitable for workflows that need to repeat on a regular basis.

  • Examples:

    • Every 5 minutes

    • Every hour

    • Daily

    • Weekly

Check out our Use webhook triggers page for a more detailed example.

PSA: Ticket record saved

Note that this is the only common trigger type that does not start with Core, as the trigger name will be specific to your brand of PSA. Search for that in the trigger type list instead.

This trigger is similar to the webhook trigger but is specific to PSA systems. When a ticket record is saved in an integrated PSA, the workflow starts automatically. This includes both newly created tickets and updates to existing tickets.

For example, if a ticket is updated to Escalated, a workflow can trigger an alert to the appropriate team or assign a senior technician.

This trigger is most useful for:

  • Automating ticket management: escalating high-priority tickets, auto-assigning technicians

  • SLA enforcement: sending reminders for unresolved tickets, auto-responding to specific cases

  • Status-based automation: triggering follow-up workflows when a ticket is created or reaches a certain stage

For more detailed information on PSA triggers, refer to Customize PSA ticket triggers.

Other triggers

While these six triggers cover the most common use cases, Rewst offers additional triggers tailored to different automation needs. Explore the available triggers in the trigger type list to find the best fit for your specific processes.

A moving GIF image depicting scrolling through the trigger type list in an example organization in Rewst. Various integrations' actions are shown.
The contents of the complete trigger type list will depend on your particular integrations

Trigger criteria

When you're comfortable with the basics of triggers, learn more about trigger criteria here.

PreviousWorkflows actionsNextTrigger criteria

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