Action blocks: Specify what kind of automation is triggered

With an action block, you can choose what type of automation you want your workflow to perform when triggered.

Read on to know how to set up a workflow.

Set up a workflow action

When you add an action block, you’ll choose which type of action you’d like to use. If you want to change the action you selected, in the upper-right corner of the block, select theMenuicon.

There are four types of workflow, and each type has different action types for it. Use the following tables as references for the workflow action types.

Notification action types

Use this type of alert or action	In this situation	Example(s)
Alert someone	Alert people about key changes in specific fields, or when they’re assigned to a new task Know when fields are set to a specific value	You created a workflow to receive alerts when a Status field is set toBlocked.
Alert a Microsoft Teams channel	Send field or sheet-row updates to a Microsoft Teams channel	You created a workflow to send alerts to your team’s Microsoft Teams channel when a new form entry is added to your sheet.
Alert a Slack channel	Send field or sheet-row updates to a Slack channel	You created a workflow to send alerts to your team’s Slack channel when a task is tagged asUrgent.

Update and approval requests action types

Use this type of alert or action	In this situation	Example(s)
Request an update	Ask for information about a work item from the task owner when that item is past the deadline and isn’t marked as complete yet Seek the latest information from a work item’s assignee once a value changes in a specific field	Your manager created a workflow to request the task assignees to update the Start Date column when the status on a row changes toIn Progress.
Request an approval	Ask a reviewer or a manager to review and approve a work item when a field meets a certain criteria	You created a workflow to ask the content reviewer to approve or decline the draft when a draft is tagged asComplete. The marketing team created a workflow to ask the finance team to review, and approve or decline the request when a work item’s cost exceeds the projected amount.

Sheet changes action types

Use this type of alert or action	In this situation	Example(s)
Assign people	Assign one or more persons to a work item when a date is reached or when a row is added or changed.	You created a workflow to assign tasks to the escalation team when a work item is tagged asUrgent.
Change cell value	Change data in these columns when certain conditions are met: Text/Number Dropdown (Single Select) Dropdown (Multi Select) Checkbox	You set the sheet to select theCompletecheckbox column when a user sets the Approval Status column toApproved.
Record a date	Record the current date in your chosen field when a workflow is triggered.	You set the sheet to record the current date when a task is marked asComplete.
Clear cell value	Remove the contents in a field when certain conditions are met.	You created a workflow to help you remove contents.
Lock rows	Prevent further edits after an item has been approved or completed, or a particular point in time.	You set the sheet to lock a row when the value in the Review Status column is set toIn progress.
Unlock rows	Allow users to edit rows only when prerequisite steps are completed.	You set the sheet to unlock a row when the value in the Review Status column is set toComplete.

Sheet-to-sheet workflows action types

Use this type of alert or action	In this situation	Example(s)
Move rows	Move a row to another sheet when it is marked asComplete Route automatically incoming work items to different sheets based on characteristics	The e-learning team created a workflow to remove requests that shouldn’t be on their team’s intake sheet. If they receive requests for the marketing team, the workflow will move the task to that department’s intake sheet.
Copy rows	Create a copy of a row in another sheet when a field meets a certain criteria.	You have a sheet where all the completed tasks are recorded. To reduce manual work, you created a workflow to copy rows to that sheet when rows in your parent file are tagged asComplete.

To prevent infinite approval loops, cells which containcross-sheet formulasorcell linkswon’t trigger an automation which automatically changes the sheet (Move Row, Copy Row, Lock Row, Unlock Row, Approval Request). To work around this, usetime-based automationorrecurrenceworkflows.

Select your recipients

Configure the action block to ensure alerts and requests are sent to people who are involved with a specific work item. You can configure them to be sent out to:

• People in a contact field for that row (for example: the assignee)
• Everyone shared to the sheet
• People you manually specify
• Members of a channel in a third-party app such as Slack or Microsoft Teams

When you don’t receive the alerts you set up for yourself

Your sheet notifications might be off. To fix this, turn on the notifications for sheet changes. Not sure how to do it? Read theTrigger Automated Workflows on the Changes You Makearticle.

Modify field visibility and create a custom message

你可以定制所以recipie警报消息nts will get only the information they need to know. In theCustomize message部分中,您可以控制哪些字段出现,edit the subject and message.

Want to know more about how to customize your alert messages? Check out theCustomize the Content of Your Alerts and Requestsarticle.