# Flow Builder

The Flow Engine lets you create automated workflows that run in the background based on triggers and actions you define, without manual intervention.

## How it works

Each flow is built from nodes on a visual canvas. A flow must start with exactly one trigger — the event that kicks it off. From there, you add actions and conditions to define what happens next. Nodes connect in sequence to form the complete workflow.

## Available triggers

Manual Trigger - run the flow on demand at any time

Record Created - fires when a new record is created in your CRM

Record Updated - fires when a record is updated and specific fields change to target values

## Available actions and conditions

Actions:

Aggregate Records — aggregate records using a function and optional filters

Check Recent Activities — fetch the last activity time for an entity, useful for detecting inactive records

Create Record — create a new record for a selected entity type

Lock/Unlock Custom Object — lock or unlock a custom object record

Select Record — retrieve a record by ID and store it as a variable for use in subsequent nodes

Update Record — update an existing record using field mappings

Webhook Outbound — send data to an external webhook endpoint

Conditions:

If / Else — branch the flow based on conditions

Utilities:

Set Variable — set a variable value for use in later steps

Wait — pause the flow for a specified amount of time

Integrations:

Send Email — send an email using configured recipients, subject, and content

Slack Message (Coming Soon) — send a message to Slack via webhook

## How to create a flow
## Step 1: Open Flows

Go to Settings

Click Flows

Click Create Flow

## Step 2: Name your flow

Enter a Flow Name

Add a Flow Description (optional)

## Step 3: Add a trigger

In the Node Palette, select the Triggers tab

Click a trigger to add it to the canvas - each flow requires exactly one trigger to start

## Step 4: Add actions and conditions

Select the Actions tab in the Node Palette

Add the actions or conditions your flow needs

Connect nodes in sequence on the canvas to define the order of execution

Click each node to configure it in the right-side panel

Step 5: Save

Click Save to activate the flow.

The canvas will show a warning until a trigger node is added

If you need to reference fields not included in a Record Updated trigger, add a Select Record action immediately after to retrieve the full record

To trigger flows via API, set up a custom object and use WebToCRM to create an API endpoint

Original Outline page: https://wiki.alano.ai/s/alano-user-guideline/doc/flow-builder-q2mxkAJvLF

## Related guide pages

- [Alano User Guideline](https://alano.ai/docs/)
- [Customization](https://alano.ai/docs/customization-8ddSaxvPIY)
- [Welcome to Alano](https://alano.ai/docs/welcome-to-alano-1dTWipd7yW)
- [Features](https://alano.ai/docs/features-TcyTIG1kHe)
- [Contacts/Customers](https://alano.ai/docs/contactscustomers-LZZkPk05en)
- [Alatasks](https://alano.ai/docs/alatasks-rfB2f4M6Ho)
- [Deals](https://alano.ai/docs/deals-glGb1Ojq9n)
- [Custom Objects](https://alano.ai/docs/custom-objects-vKkregeoYs)
- [Alanotes](https://alano.ai/docs/alanotes-qFBrxuMSQa)
- [Resources](https://alano.ai/docs/resources-C4DgheeRju)
- [Intelligence](https://alano.ai/docs/intelligence-C27rBzbm0P)
- [Settings](https://alano.ai/docs/settings-WGYKnuS6lc)
- [Landing Pages Builder](https://alano.ai/docs/landing-pages-builder-HZh7Maos5h)
- [Inbound APIs](https://alano.ai/docs/inbound-apis-btxSF3yNBs)
- [Flow](https://alano.ai/docs/flow-ce4c7oq0eF)
- [API Supports](https://alano.ai/docs/api-supports-zFpHYd6azQ)
- [Events auto-trigger](https://alano.ai/docs/events-auto-trigger-Q7A0lKXJP4)
- [Custom Fields](https://alano.ai/docs/custom-fields-PZqIx0lFrT)
- [Productivity](https://alano.ai/docs/productivity-CzlLb3Lfoc)
- [Alano AI Chatbot](https://alano.ai/docs/alano-ai-chatbot-V1d6NJepW1)

Last generated: 2026-06-30