Steps

Steps enable you to provide menu actions on records based on customised logic; to ask the user for specific information in a form, and to act on that information by updating records and optionally adding other records such as transactions and linked records. They are a key component in building up dedicated business logic for your organisation.

What’s the difference between a Step and an Automation? The key distinction is that Steps are exposed to users – they generate a Form which may ask for information, then run an Action Script that acts on the form values and the record. Compare this with an Automation which runs ‘behind the scenes’. It is, of course, possible to have both Automations and Steps operate in tandem i.e. a record added or edited by a Step will trigger any relevant Automations associated with it.

A Step is created by adding a Step record, which contains the following fields:

Read/Write Fields

The following Fields can be Read and Written To. These Fields can be used to load data from Blueprints etc.
They can also be included referred to in Calculations or in Templates.

Field *requiredTitleTypeDetails
Name *NametextMaximum length – 60 characters
Title *TitletextTitle of this Step – this will appear as the text of the link that appears on records in order to trigger this Step.
Maximum length – 80 characters
RecordTypeName *Record TyperecordtypeThe Record Type on which this Step operates e.g. Person / Organisation / a custom RecordType.
DescriptionDescriptiontextThis description will appear as the hover text on small icons (e.g. in list views) or as the detail text where this Step is shown as the Next Step at the top of a record screen.
Maximum length – 500 characters
IconNameIconicon 
ColourColourcolourColour is an optional HTML colour. It will be used as the colour of the step wherever displayed.
SetNameDisplay Set NametextEnter the Display Set heading under which this step should be displayed on the record’s main display screen. Leave this blank if you want the Step to appear only as a major ‘next step’ at the top of a record page.
Maximum length – 30 characters
SetColourDisplay Set ColourcolourOptionally specify an HTML colour (hex string) that will be used as the colour of the Display Set heading etc. See Field Order and Grouping for further details.
DisplayAfterDisplay AftertextOptionally specify the name of the field after which this one should be displayed in the Display Set specified. Alternatively, enter top to have this step display as the first item in the Display Set. If not specified, steps will be displayed in the order that they were created.
Maximum length – 80 characters
isShowLargeButtonShow As a Large Button?logicalIf set, this Step will be shown as a large button at the top of a record page (as well as in a Display Set if set). This also dictates whether the Step will appear as a button on records when being shown in Column Views.
FilterDisplay FilterfilterThis optional Filter allows for more specific control over when a Step is offered on each record. The filter is evaluated against a record and this Step will only be offered if the Filter passes. Note that whether and where a Step button appears on a record will also be affected by the optional SetToValue and CurrentValue, and by the settings in the Display section.
Typically, you will use this to evaluate business logic relevant to the Step, particularly when using the Advanced Options of your own FormScript and ActionScript e.g. you might only offer a step ‘Add Sale’ on Person records flagged as an Active Customer.
CategoryFieldCategory FieldtextThe name of the Category Field for which this Step moves a record from one value to another. In most cases, a Step is intended to work as part of a ‘process’ that moves a record between states that are managed as individual values of a Category. The expectation is that, for some states, other Fields of the record will be required, so the Step will enforce that these are filled in before the new state can be set.
Note that if your requirement is different from/more complex than this, you can ignore this default behaviour, leave this field and the CurrentValue and SetToValue blank, and utilise the Advanced Options to define your own FormScript and ActionScript.
Maximum length – 80 characters
SetToValueSet To ValuetextSelect the value from the Category to which you want to set the record if this Step is selected. If left blank, then you will need to utilise the Advanced Options to define your own ActionScript in order to update the record when this Step is selected.
Maximum length – 80 characters
CurrentValueIf Current Value IstextSelect a Category value if you want this Step to be available only when a record is currently set to that value. If you leave this blank (e.g. select — Any — in the dropdown), then this Step will be available on any record which is not yet set to the SetToValue
Maximum length – 80 characters
RequiredFieldsRequired Fieldsfieldlist 
ActionScriptAction ScriptactionscriptThis Action Script is evaluated when the Form is saved. It is evaluated on the record on which the Step is being performed, but can (and, almost always, should) utilise the values entered on the form.
If no Action Script is provided, it is assumed that all fields displayed on the Form are fields of the owning data record, and a simple save to that record will be performed.
FormScriptForm ScriptformscriptThe Form Script that describes the Form that is displayed when the Step is selected.
isAddRecordAdd Record Step?logicalIf set, this Step will be used whenever a record of this type is to be added, replacing the generic Add Record form. Only one Step can be set with this flag for each Record Type.
SequenceNameSequence NametextIf multiple steps are given the same SequenceName, then only one will be displayed at a time – the lowest SequenceOrder that satisfies the Filter.
Maximum length – 60 characters
SequenceOrderSequence Ordernumber 
ViewGroupView GroupGroup 
EditGroupEdit GroupGroup 

Read-Only Fields

The following Fields can be Read only. They can be referred to in Calculations or in Templates.

FieldTitleType
CreatedCreateddatetime
CreatedByCreated ByPerson
UpdatedUpdateddatetime
UpdatedByUpdated ByPerson

Get Started