Workflows

Workflows

Workflows are the core building blocks of the Workflows API. A workflow defines a series of steps that execute in response to a trigger.

A good workflow is explicit about what starts it, what data it expects, which systems it touches, and what should happen when something does not match the happy path. In Loopfour, the trigger supplies the initial context, steps transform or act on that context, and each run records the decisions and outputs produced along the way. This structure is especially important for finance processes because later review often matters as much as successful execution.

When designing a workflow, start with the business outcome rather than the integration list. Decide whether the goal is to create an invoice, reconcile a payment, route an approval, update a customer record, notify an owner, or prepare data for another system. Then model the smallest reliable path to that outcome. Add branches only where the process truly differs, and name steps in terms finance operators can recognize. Clear step names make run history easier to audit and support.

Before activating a workflow, review how it behaves when required data is missing, a provider is unavailable, or an approval owner does not respond. Those paths should be intentional. A workflow that only works for perfect input will create manual cleanup later; a workflow with explicit validation and exception handling can fail in a way operators understand and recover from safely.

Workflow Structure

{
  "name": "My Workflow",
  "description": "Optional description",
  "trigger": { "type": "api" },
  "steps": [
    { "id": "step1", "type": "action", "..." }
  ]
}

Sections