Actions
Last updated
Last updated
An Action is any step that follows the first step in a workflow. MESA has many different actions, each with its unique functionality.
We will discuss authenticating and configuring an action, premium steps, and some of our most common actions.
Let's review an example. In this workflow, the Trigger is Shopify Order Created, and the action is Google Sheets Add Row.
Many MESA actions require a successful connection, especially those involving third-party apps. If the action has a sub-menu called Authenticate or Authenticated, link your credentials to that app. Please refer to our Credentials support guide for detailed instructions on how to do this.
To set up your action, open the Configure sub-menu:
Configuring an action involves filling out Fields specific to that step. Required fields will be marked with a red asterisk.
Premium steps include Email, SMS, Image, Weather, and AI actions. Since we incur the cost for these steps, we limit the number of Premium steps we provide for free. Follow this link to see how many premium credits come with your plan and how these credits are applied.
Some actions will not complete a workflow because they are used to connect other actions. These actions include steps retrieving data (Retrieve Order, Customer, etc.), Filter, Loop, Delay, or Virtual Output steps.
Paths allow you to split a workflow into multiple segments based on specific criteria. This tool lets you account for different scenarios in your process. For instance, if a customer orders Product A, do this, if a customer orders Product B, do something else.
The filter action allows you to create one or more if/then statements. If the condition is met, the workflow will proceed to the next step in the workflow. Otherwise, the automation will stop.
With the loop action, you can iterate over items in a list. A common example is looping over products, referred to as line items, in an order.
The Delay step will pause your workflow for a specific time interval before continuing. We recommend using a retrieve action (e.g., "Retrieve Order") after a delay step to ensure you retrieve the most up-to-date details.
The data action provides an easy way to store and retrieve information during your automation runs. With a PostgreSQL structure, the data action can support advanced queries for custom databases.
The approval action halts execution where the approval is added and will not proceed until a human manually "approves" it by clicking a button on the workflow's Approvals tab. This can be helpful if you want an editor to review a title or description before posting.
Like our Webhook trigger, MESA's API actions provide a way to connect with 3rd party services that do not have a supported integration.
The Custom Code action allows you to write and execute custom scripts within your workflow. This step is useful for adding specialized logic or functionality, such as data manipulation or external API calls.
The transform action provides an easy way to convert fields using key-value pairs to be used later in your workflow.
Virtual Output allows you to batch multiple events into one subsequent automation. This lets you automate a group of tasks at once, for example, creating a file of the days' orders or automatically sending an email with all products added in the last thirty days.
