Build and run workflows
Build workflows in the visual editor, map data with expressions, publish a version, and manage versions over time.
How workflows are built
A TaskJuice workflow starts with one trigger and continues through connected action and system nodes. Each step's output becomes context for later steps, so a downstream node can read what a trigger or an earlier action produced.
Use this section when you are building, mapping data, publishing, or managing versions in the visual editor.
Core concepts
| Concept | What it means |
|---|---|
| Trigger | The single entry node that starts a run. A workflow has exactly one. |
| App action | A step that calls a connected app, such as Slack, Gmail, HubSpot, Stripe, or Google Sheets. |
| System node | A built-in node, such as Branch, Switch, Loop, Parallel, Transform, HTTP, Code, Delay, Call Workflow, or one of the AI nodes. |
| Form node | A Forms trigger or action that starts a run from a form submission or pauses a run for a response. |
| Active version | The one version that receives live events. Editing an active version forks a new draft, so live runs keep going until you publish. |
Build your first workflow
Open a workflow, add a trigger, connect action and system nodes, and configure each one in the canvas.
- Build a workflow - A guided walkthrough from an empty canvas to a published run.
- Document a workflow with sticky notes - Annotate the canvas with Markdown notes that never affect how the workflow runs.
- Map data into node fields - Pull trigger and upstream output into a node's fields with the reference picker and expressions.
- Expression reference - Every alias (
$trigger,$steps,$input,$meta), scope bindings, and JSONata syntax.
Choose your nodes
- Workflow nodes - Choose the right trigger, app action, or system node.
- Trigger nodes - Schedule, webhook, form, polling, stream, RSS, and app webhook triggers.
- System nodes - Built-in control flow, AI, HTTP, transform, and workflow-call nodes.
- Control-flow nodes - Branch, Switch, Loop, and Parallel: match modes, loop modes, and merging branches.
- App action nodes - App action coverage and configuration guidance.
- Form workflow nodes - Start a run from a form, or pause a run for a form response.
Publish and manage versions
Publishing compiles your version and, when validation passes, activates it so it starts receiving live events.
- Test a node and publish - Test a step, clear publish-gate validation, and publish a version.
- How versions work - The version lifecycle and how the live version swaps without disrupting in-flight runs.
When you change the graph of an active version, TaskJuice creates a new draft instead of changing the running version. The active version keeps dispatching to live events, and in-flight runs finish on the version they started on. Your edits go live only when you publish the draft. See How versions work.