On Demand
Starts the automation when a person runs it, or when another automation calls it as a step. Reach for it for anything you kick off yourself, and for a reusable sub-automation that other automations invoke through the Automation action.
Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Payload | Optional structured input the run starts with. Choose Content Type to take the fields of an existing content type, or Custom Shape to define the fields here. Leave unset—shown as None—to start with no input. |
What later steps see
With a payload set, the trigger's output is that payload's fields, filled in for each run. With none, the trigger produces no output.
Running one by hand
The node offers Run Automation and Run as Dry Run. A trigger with no payload fires immediately; one with a payload opens a short form first, so you fill in the fields the run will start with. A one-off dry run does not change the automation's saved run mode—and it can only step down to a rehearsal, never escalate an automation set to dry run into a live one.
The run buttons appear only on a trigger that is the start of the flow, and only while the automation is enabled.
As a step in the middle of a flow
An On Demand trigger placed mid-flow does not start anything—it holds the run there and waits for a person. While it waits, the node offers Resume, which collects the payload (or simply confirms, when there is none) and lets the run continue. The waiting step also appears in the approvals inbox, where Respond opens the same form.
Running from a content edit page
When an on-demand automation is registered against a content type, editors can run it straight from that content's edit page instead of opening the editor. See Triggers.