Launch workflows with signals

Create a signal in «Workflow signals», emit it from one workflow with «Emit signal», and every workflow listening to it starts with its data.

Account administrators create, edit, archive and restore .

Workflows isn't open in Filmo yet: the sidebar shows it as coming soon and its pages can't be opened. This article describes how it works once it's available in your account.

Some things should set off several separate jobs. An urgent order might need a message to the warehouse, a task for transport and an email to the client, each one owned by a different person.

A lets one workflow announce “this happened”, with some data, and every workflow listening to it starts with that data. Events are a fixed list; signals are defined by your account. And unlike the , which calls one workflow, a signal reaches every workflow listening.

Create the signal

Open the signals page Go to «Settings» → «Filmo AI» → «Workflow signals».
Click «New signal»
Name and describe it For example, “Urgent order”. «Name» is required.
Add the data In «Data traveling with the signal», add each field with a name and a type: «Text», «Number», «Date» or «Yes / No».
Click «Create signal»

Listen to it and emit it

Listen In each workflow that should react, choose the «Signal» and the signal. Its fields reach the as .
Emit In the workflow where it happens, add the «Emit signal» step, choose the signal and fill in its fields.
Publish and activate the listeners Only workflows in start.

The signals list shows «Data traveling» and «Listening to it»: how many workflows have a trigger on each signal, in «Live» or not.

A workflow with the «Manual run» trigger and an «Emit signal» step, which emits the signal “Event confirmed”, selected. Its side panel shows «Event confirmed» and «Signal data», with the field filled in from the «Client» variable. — «Emit signal» fills in the signal's fields, here from a variable.

The «Workflow signals» page, under «Filmo AI», with the «New signal» button. One row: “Event confirmed”, “An event is confirmed with the client”, with «Data traveling» client, «Listening to it» 1 workflow and an «Actions» menu.

Change, archive or restore a signal

The «Edit signal» dialog for “Event confirmed”: «Name», «Description» “An event is confirmed with the client” and «Data traveling with the signal», with one field, client, of type «Text», the «Add field» button, and «Cancel» and «Save changes». — «Edit signal» opens from the «Actions» menu of the signal's row.

Renaming is safe: workflows keep the signal by its identity, not its name.
Changing the fields affects both sides. The emitting step checks its data against the current fields; each listening workflow checks with the copy it kept when you chose the signal. After changing fields, review and republish the listeners.
Signals aren't deleted, only archived. An archived signal shows «Archived» and comes back with «Restore». A step that emits an archived signal fails.

Signal or «Trigger workflow»?

	Signal	«Trigger workflow»
What it starts	Every workflow listening to it	One specific workflow
The data it carries	The fields defined in «Workflow signals»	The called workflow's form
The workflows it starts	Must be in «Live»	Can be paused

Good to know

A workflow started by a signal can emit others, but the chain is cut off at 10 workflows. See Workflow credits and limits.
When a is retried, the signal isn't emitted a second time.

If you see an error

Message	What it means
Give the signal a name	You tried to create it without a name. Type one.
No hay ninguna señal seleccionada (shown in Spanish)	The «Emit signal» step has no signal. Choose one in the editor.
La señal «…» ya no existe (shown in Spanish)	The chosen signal can't be found. Choose another.
La señal «…» está archivada… (shown in Spanish)	The signal was archived. Restore it or choose another.
Los datos no encajan con los campos declarados… (shown in Spanish)	A field is missing or has another type. Correct the step's values; no workflow started.
Se alcanzó el límite de 10 workflows encadenados por señales… (shown in Spanish)	Workflows are emitting signals to each other in a loop. Review the chain.