Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Solution Creators – Can create, modify, delete, and manage automations in the Solutions(s) they have access to. |
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Automations help streamline your workflows, but understanding when a trigger fires is essential to making sure your automation behaves the way you expect. Two commonly used triggers in SmartSuite automations are:
When a record is updated
When a record matches a condition
While they sound similar, they work very differently. This article breaks down how each trigger works, when it fires, and how to choose the right one for your use case.
“When a Record is Updated” Trigger
This trigger activates any time a record changes, if the defined condition is true. It does not wait for the condition to change—it simply checks whether the condition is true at the time of update.
Fires when:
Any field in the record is changed
The condition is currently true, even if it didn’t just become true
Does not fire when:
The record is edited but the condition is false
Example Behavior
Scenario | Trigger Fires? |
Status changes from “Not Started” to “In Progress” | ✅ Yes — condition became true |
Record already has status “In Progress”, and a different field (like due date) is updated | ✅ Yes — condition is still true |
Status changes from “In Progress” to “Complete” | ❌ No — condition became false |
This trigger is useful when you want the automation to fire any time something changes, as long as the condition is met.
“When a Record Matches a Condition” Trigger
This trigger activates only when the condition changes from false to true. It’s ideal when you want the automation to run only at the moment the condition becomes true.
Fires when:
The record changes in a way that makes the condition true
A new record is created and it meets the condition
Does not fire when:
The condition was already true and the record is updated
The condition becomes false
Example Behavior
Scenario | Trigger Fires? |
Status changes from “Not Started” to “In Progress” | ✅ Yes — condition became true |
Status is already “In Progress”, and another field is updated | ❌ No — condition was already true |
Status changes from “In Progress” to “Complete” | ❌ No — condition became false |
This trigger works best when you want to act only when a specific change happens, like a status moving into a certain phase for the first time.
🔧 Troubleshooting Tips
Record is Updated triggers fire more frequently, so use them carefully to avoid repeated or unnecessary actions.
Record Matches Condition triggers only fire once per “false → true” transition—ideal for one-time automation.
When using date-based conditions like “today”, check:
The workspace’s time zone settings
Whether the date field had a value at the right time
If the automation was created before the date condition became true
Key Takeaways
Feature | Record is Updated | Record Matches Condition |
Fires on any field update | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Fires only when condition becomes true | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Fires when condition is already true | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Fires when record is created | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (if condition is true) |
Good for continuous checks | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Good for first-time transitions | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Practical Use Cases
1. Task Tracking in Project Management
Scenario: You want to notify a team member every time a task’s status changes to “In Progress”.
Solution: Use “Record matches condition” trigger with the condition: Status = In Progress. This ensures they’re only notified the first time the task enters that status.
2. Continuous Monitoring for High-Priority Flags
Scenario: You want to alert the support team every time any field is updated on a critical ticket.
Solution: Use “Record is updated” trigger with condition: Priority = High. This ensures alerts fire any time something changes in high-priority records.
3. Auto-Assigning Tasks on Record Creation
Scenario: When a new sales lead is added and marked as “Hot”, you want to assign it to a specific rep.
Solution: Use “Record matches condition” trigger with condition: Lead Status = Hot. This fires immediately upon creation if the condition is met.