Triggering automation with button from a list interface, workaround

[0800-grizzly]

Hi,

I would like to trigger an automation with a button in a list interface. That's not possible, but how then to handle the following?

The listing groups all records (projects) into several buckets. The user can choose which bucket to list with a dropdown filter element. After finding the right selection, I'd like for the user to trigger an automation for that selection. The automation will (loop and) send out an e-mail to and update some fields for all the listed projects.

Is there some clever workaround that could be used?

Rgds,

Björn

[Mike_AutomaticN]

Hey @0800-grizzly! Sure, you can create a new table called something like "Buckets". Link each Bucket record to all the projects you need (one to many relationship). Then, on the interface, rather than selecting from the Projects table, you will select from the "Buckets" table. 
You can then iterate (loop) through each of the items (Projects) found in the Bucket record, and send out the email for each.

Hope this helps!

Mike, Consultant @ Automatic Nation

[TheTimeSavingCo]

What if you used a Blank Interface for this?  Main caveat is that only one person can use this at a time

1. Convert the field you're grouping by to a linked field to a new table called "Buckets", thereby creating a new table with all those options as records
2. Create a checkbox in "Buckets"
3. Create a lookup field in your main table that displays the checkbox field from "Buckets"
4. In the Blank Interface, put in a Gird/List element to display the new Buckets table and the checkboxes
5. Put in a List element to display your main table data, filter it based on whether the checkbox lookup field is marked

You can now manipulate which buckets get displayed by marking/unmarking the checkbox fields in the "Buckets" table

Now you can add a button field to the Interface that'll trigger an automation, and you can make it grab all the records that have a marked checkbox lookup field and send the email / update them.  Do make sure to unmark all the checkboxes in the "Buckets" table each time too

[0800-grizzly]

Thanks @Mike_AutomaticN for your reply. I didn't understand, however, what would trigger the automation?

Rgds,

Björn

[0800-grizzly]

Thanks @TheTimeSavingCo! I had no clue that with a blank interface one could mix-and-match together different UI-elements. Why on earth isn't that possible to do with a list interface..?

But, when I added a button to the blank interface with a list of the projects and selected "Run automation", I can't select the automation to trigger. That "Choose an automation" is marked red and the dropdown can't be opened.

Would you know what I should do differently?

Rgds,

Björn

[TheTimeSavingCo]

Try adding a Record Picker element to the page and setting that as the "Source"; you can pick any table for it as we're not using it at all.  You should then be able to select an automation via the dropdown list