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Build an automation flow

Build a flow that runs by itself when something happens, on a schedule, or when you start it. At the end, you have a published automation with a trigger, steps that use the trigger's data, and a live version that runs on real events.

Before you start

Triggers you can choose

The When this runs panel offers 6 triggers:

Trigger Starts the flow when
When something happens here An event happens in Ohanvi, for example a store order, a form, a tag. Pick it in Which event.
Run by hand You click Run test in the list or the builder.
When a record appears A connector app has a new record. Ohanvi checks the app on a timer.
When a webhook arrives A connector app sends a webhook to Ohanvi.
When Zapier/Pabbly sends data A Zap or a Pabbly workflow calls this flow.
On a schedule A time you set comes round, for example every day at 09:00.

Events in Which event include:

  • A form is submitted, A Google Form gets a new response, A contact is added in Google Contacts
  • A WhatsApp conversation finishes
  • A contact joins an email list, A contact is tagged
  • Someone becomes a customer of the store, A new store order is placed, A shopper leaves a checkout unfinished, An order payment fails, An order ships, A parcel is out for delivery, A parcel is delivered, A shopper looks at a product on the storefront, An order is cancelled, A refund is issued
  • A post is ready to publish, A post is created as a draft, A post finished publishing, A new comment arrives on a published post
  • Yesterday's Instagram numbers are in (once a day, with yesterday's views, reach, interactions and follower change against the 7-day average), An Instagram post is taking off (a post or reel from the last 48 hours reaches 3 times the account's usual views; once per post)

A ready-made draft, Weekly Instagram summary, sends last week's Instagram numbers on WhatsApp every Monday. It appears in your flows list when Instagram is connected with Direct Instagram login. Fill in the recipient and the WhatsApp template, then publish it.

Steps

Create the flow and choose a trigger

  1. Open WhatsApp in the left rail, then select Flows.
  2. Click New flow. A blank canvas opens under a placeholder name.
  3. Click the name in the toolbar and type a new one, for example Order follow-up.
  4. Click Add first step…. The How does this flow start? menu opens.

  5. Pick a starting point:

    • Form submitted, Google Form response or New Google contact for those events.
    • Email journey when someone joins a list or gets a tag.
    • Run by hand for any other trigger. You change it in the next step.
    • Start from a recipe for a complete example flow.

    The When this runs panel opens on the right.

  6. Open the drop-down at the top of the panel and choose the trigger. See the table above.

  7. Fill in the fields the trigger shows:
    • When something happens here — choose Which event. For A contact joins an email list, also choose Which list. For A contact is tagged, type Which tag.
    • On a schedule — click the time beside Runs every day at, then choose a Timezone. For other patterns, type a Cron expression (advanced) with 6 fields.
    • When a record appears — choose the Trigger operation and the Connection.
    • When a webhook arrives — type the connection's id in Connection. See Connect an app and use it in a flow.
    • When Zapier/Pabbly sends data — see "Start the flow from Zapier or Pabbly" below.

To change the trigger later, click the trigger node at the start of the canvas.

Add steps

  1. Click the + after the trigger or after any step. The Add a step after menu opens.
  2. Pick a step under COMMON, or click All steps to see every group. You can also type in Search.
  3. Click the new step. Its settings open in the Step panel on the right, on the Setup tab.
  4. Fill in its fields. Repeat for each step.

Steps that suit automations:

Step Where to find it What it does
Wait COMMON Pauses the flow. Set Wait for in minutes, hours or days.
Save to CRM COMMON Creates or updates the contact in CRM.
Action All steps → Advanced Runs one action. In This step will, choose, for example, Send a WhatsApp template, Send a WhatsApp message, Create a CRM lead, Enrol in an email journey, Post to social, a Google Sheets or Calendar action, or a connector operation.
Continue only if… All steps → Advanced Stops the run unless a condition holds.
Many paths by rule All steps → Advanced Sends the run down the first path whose condition matches.
For each All steps → Advanced Repeats the next steps for each item in a list.
Sub-flow All steps → Advanced Runs another flow, then continues.
Parallel and Join All steps → Advanced Runs several paths at once, then waits for all of them.
Google Sheets, Calendar, Meet and Contacts steps All steps For example Add a row or Create event.

Send a WhatsApp message only reaches people who messaged you in the last 24 hours. To reach anyone else, use Send a WhatsApp template.

Add a condition

  1. Add a Continue only if… step.
  2. Under Only continue if, click Add condition.
  3. Choose the Field, the comparison (for example is, contains, is empty) and the Value.
  4. Add more conditions if needed. Set Continue when to all match or any match.

A run that stops at this step ends as Filtered. That is a normal result, not a failure.

For several paths, use Many paths by rule. Click Add two paths, set a rule for each path, and choose If nothing matches, take.

Use data from the trigger or an earlier step

  1. Select the step and click in a field, for example Send to.
  2. Click the field icon beside it (tooltip Use a field from the trigger or an earlier step).
  3. Pick a field, for example the customer's phone. Ohanvi inserts it as an expression.

Expressions use double curly braces:

  • {{trigger.phone}} — a field from the event that started the flow.
  • {{2.meetLink}} — a field from the output of step 2.

You can mix expressions with text, for example Hi {{trigger.firstName}}, your order is on its way. A step can only use steps that run before it.

Start the flow from Zapier or Pabbly

  1. Click Save first. The endpoint is created for a saved flow.
  2. Click the trigger node and choose When Zapier/Pabbly sends data.
  3. In Which platform sends the data, choose Zapier or Pabbly Connect, then click Create endpoint.
  4. Copy URL (POST), the Header X-Api-Key and the Body (JSON) into your Zap or Pabbly workflow.
  5. Send a test from Zapier or Pabbly. Its fields appear under Sample, ready to use in your steps.
  6. Optional: in Field that identifies one event (optional), type a field such as order.id. The same value sent twice starts the flow once.

The API key comes from Connect → Zapier or Connect → Pabbly. There, API keys lists each key with its status, and Create key at the top right makes a new one. Each key acts with the permissions of the user who created it.

Zapier page in Connect with the API keys list

Save and publish

  1. Click Save. The toolbar shows Saved just now. The version chip reads DRAFT, with the version number in front, for example v1 · DRAFT.
  2. Click Publish in the top bar.
  3. If some steps are incomplete, a window lists them. Click Fix the steps to go back, or Publish without them.
  4. Read the message. Published and live — new runs use this version. means the flow is running. The switch in the toolbar reads Active.
  5. If the message reads Published. This flow is turned off, so it will not run yet., click Turn on.

A step that blocks publishing is marked on the canvas. Select it to read why.

A published flow acts on real data

From now on, every matching event starts a run. Messages it sends cannot be taken back. Test with a small audience first.

Change a published flow

  1. Open the flow and edit it. The version chip reads LIVE · NOT PUBLISHED after you save.
  2. Click Publish. New runs use the new version. Runs already going finish on the version they started with.
  3. To go back to an older version, click the version chip, open the row's More menu, and click Make this live.

Build with AI

  1. On a blank canvas, click Build with AI. A chat panel opens.
  2. In Ask anything…, describe the flow and send it, for example When a new store order is placed, wait 1 hour, then send my order follow-up template.
  3. Review the steps it draws on the canvas, fix anything missing, then click Save and Publish.

Video walkthrough

[VIDEO]

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Fix
Which event is empty with The list of triggers could not be loaded… The event list did not load. Close the flow and open it again.
Could not publish — the step that needs fixing is marked on the canvas. A step is missing a value, for example 'to' has no value. Fill it in, or remove it. Select the marked step, fill in the field, save and publish.
'text' refers to step 3, which runs after this one. A field uses a step that has not run yet. Pick a field from an earlier step.
A scheduled flow needs a cron expression. On a schedule has no time set. Click the time beside Runs every day at, or type a cron expression.
An event flow needs the event it listens for. When something happens here has no event. Choose Which event.
Scheduled flow never runs Schedules fire only when the schedule scanner is on for your workspace. Ask your admin or support to check it.