Automation Triggers

Learn how to configure Automation triggers in SmartSuite and understand each of our available triggers

Emma Montgomery avatar
Written by Emma Montgomery
Updated over a week ago

What is a Trigger?


An automation trigger is the “switch” to run an automation under the defined conditions you specify.

Think of a Trigger as:

When Something happens (the Trigger) and These Conditions are true, then This Event (the Action) occurs.

Select the Trigger


The first thing you do after adding an automation is select the Trigger you want to use. You can select your trigger in the When this happens section at the top of the left-hand column.


SmartSuite Triggers

You can choose from a variety of SmartSuite native triggers to kick off your automation. These triggers react to events within SmartSuite itself, such as records being created or updated.

You can elect from these available SmartSuite triggers to get started:

When a Record Matches a Condition

The "When a record matches a condition" trigger fires when a record starts matching the specified conditions. Both new and updated records matching the conditions will cause the trigger to fire.


Select the Table you want the automation to occur in and set up the conditions that cause the automation to trigger.

In this display, the resulting action will occur whenever the Status of the Task in the Project's Tasks Tables changes from In Process to Complete.



When a Record is Created


The "When a record is created" trigger will run every time a new record is created that matches the conditions you define.

Select the Table you want the automation to occur in and set up the conditions that cause the automation to trigger.


In this display, the resulting action will occur when a new task is created, in the Project Task Table.


When a Record is Updated


The "When a record is updated" trigger will fire when a record in the selected Table is updated. The trigger fires every time the record is updated.

Select the Table you want the automation to occur in and set up the conditions that cause the automation to trigger.


In this display, the resulting action will occur whenever a task is updated in your Project Task Table and any of the set conditions apply.

When a Form is Submitted

The "When a form is submitted" trigger will run each time a response is received from the SmartSuite form you select.


Select the Form you want the automation to occur for and set up any conditions that cause the automation to trigger.

At a Scheduled Time

The "At a scheduled time" trigger allows you to trigger an automation at a specific interval, frequency, starting date, or once - under the conditions you define.

Select from the interval type option for the automation:

  • Minutes

  • Hours

  • Days

  • Weeks

  • Months

  • One time

Next, select the occurrence of this automation trigger; for example, every x # of minutes, hours, or days, at what specific time, and a starting date for this automation to trigger after.

Specify any conditions that must be matched to trigger the selected action.


Integration Triggers

A second trigger type, Integration Triggers, react to events that are generated by systems outside of SmartSuite.

Right now one integration trigger is available: Google Gmail - When an email is received. Be sure to check back frequently, however, as we have a long list of integration triggers that will be added in the near future.

Google Gmail: When an Email is Received

The Gmail When an Email is Received trigger allows you to monitor your Gmail inbox for new messages that match criteria that you provide.

The following options are available when configuring this trigger:

  • Google Gmail Account. To use this trigger you must first authorize with Google and give SmartSuite permissions to access your Gmail inbox and messages. Click Add new Google Gmail Credential to log in to your account.

  • Folder. You can optionally move new mail that matches your conditions to a folder in Gmail. Note that the folder must already exist.

  • Conditions. Here you can add one or more conditions that must be true for the trigger to fire. These conditions match values in the Gmail message. See the list of available Gmail properties. Note that if you add more than one condition, you can choose AND or OR. Pick AND to require that all conditions be met, or OR to fire if any of the conditions are true.

Available Properties for Gmail trigger Conditions:

  • Attachment Count

  • Body (HTML)

  • Body (Plain)

  • CC Emails

  • CC Names

  • Date

  • From Email

  • From Name

  • Google Account

  • Labels

  • Subject

  • To Emails

  • To Names

Did this answer your question?