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Build your first workflow

A step-by-step tutorial: trigger, transform data, branch, test and activate.

In this tutorial you build a workflow that receives an order, adds a discount for large orders and tells you about it. It takes about ten minutes and needs no accounts or credentials.

1. Create a workflow

1. Go to Overview and click Create workflow.
2. Click the name at the top and call it My first workflow.

The canvas is empty apart from a button to add the first step.

2. Add a trigger

Every workflow starts with a trigger.

1. Click Add first step and choose Manual Trigger. It starts the workflow when you click Execute workflow, which is ideal while you build.
2. Open the trigger and paste this test data into its payload:

{ "customer": "Asha", "amount": 120000 }

3. Transform the data

1. Hover over the trigger's output and click +.

The node list opens when you click +. Search, or browse by category.

2. Search for Edit Fields and add it.
3. Add a field called currency with the value TZS.
4. Add a field called large of type Boolean with the value {{ $json.amount > 100000 }}.

The part between {{ }} is an expression: it reads amount from the incoming data and returns true or false. The preview under the field shows the result.

4. Branch

1. After Edit Fields, add an IF node.
2. Set the condition to: {{ $json.large }} is true.

Items where the condition holds leave through the true output, the others through false.

5. Act on each branch

1. On the true output, add another Edit Fields node and set discount to {{ $json.amount * 0.05 }}.
2. On the false output, add a No Operation node. It does nothing, which is fine for now.

6. Test it

Click Execute workflow at the bottom of the canvas. Each node shows a green tick and how many items it produced. Click a node to see its input and output side by side.

After a run, each node shows a tick and each connection shows how many items passed. The logs below list every step.

Change amount in the trigger to 50000 and run again: this time the item takes the false branch.

A node opened: its input on the left, its settings in the middle and its output (here the true and false branches) on the right.

7. Save and switch it on

Press Ctrl S (or ⌘ S) to save. A Manual Trigger only runs when you click, so to run automatically you would replace it with a Schedule, Webhook or Form trigger and turn the workflow Active.

Next steps

• Learn the key concepts behind what you just built.
• Connect a real app with credentials.
• Start from a template for something more complete.