---
title: Creating a Workflow
description: Workflows are created and managed in the Administration section. Only admins can create workflows, but all users benefit from their effects on incomin...
---

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# Creating a Workflow

Workflows are created and managed in the Administration section. Only admins can create workflows, but all users benefit from their effects on incoming documents.

---

## Opening Workflow Management

1. Click **Administration** or **Management** in the left sidebar
2. Select **Workflows**

The workflow list shows all active and inactive workflows in order of execution priority.

---

## Creating a New Workflow

1. Click **+ Add workflow**
2. Give the workflow a descriptive name (e.g. `Acme Invoice Auto-Classify`, `New Document Inbox Tag`)
3. Set the **Order** — workflows with lower numbers run first when multiple workflows could apply to the same document
4. Toggle **Enabled** on

---

## Step 1: Choose a Trigger

Select when this workflow should run:

- **Trigger**: \*\*Document created\*\*
- **Description**: Fires when any new document is first added to the system

- **Trigger**: \*\*Document updated\*\*
- **Description**: Fires when metadata on an existing document changes

- **Trigger**: \*\*Document added to workflow\*\*
- **Description**: Fires only when the document is manually added to this specific workflow

For most automation (auto-classification of incoming documents), use **Document created**.

---

## Step 2: Add Filter Conditions (Optional)

Filters narrow down which documents the workflow applies to. Without filters, the workflow runs on *all* documents matching the trigger. Add one or more conditions:

- **Filter**: Correspondent is/is not
- **Options**: Select a correspondent

- **Filter**: Document type is/is not
- **Options**: Select a document type

- **Filter**: Has tag / does not have tag
- **Options**: Select a tag

- **Filter**: Title matches
- **Options**: Text or regex pattern

- **Filter**: Source
- **Options**: Upload, email, scanner

Multiple filter conditions all need to match (AND logic).

---

## Step 3: Add Actions

Actions are what Essal Office does when the trigger fires and all conditions match. Click **+ Add action** to add each one:

- **Action**: \*\*Assign correspondent\*\*
- **What it does**: Sets the correspondent on the document

- **Action**: \*\*Assign document type\*\*
- **What it does**: Sets the document type

- **Action**: \*\*Add tag\*\*
- **What it does**: Adds a tag (existing tags are kept)

- **Action**: \*\*Remove tag\*\*
- **What it does**: Removes a specific tag

- **Action**: \*\*Assign owner\*\*
- **What it does**: Sets the document owner

- **Action**: \*\*Assign view permissions\*\*
- **What it does**: Grants view access to a user or group

- **Action**: \*\*Assign change permissions\*\*
- **What it does**: Grants edit access to a user or group

- **Action**: \*\*Set custom field\*\*
- **What it does**: Sets a value on a custom field

- **Action**: \*\*Email notification\*\*
- **What it does**: Sends an email notification when the workflow fires

You can add as many actions as needed. All actions in a workflow execute together when the trigger fires.

---

## Step 4: Save and Test

1. Click **Save**
2. Upload or import a test document that matches your filter conditions
3. Verify the document has the expected metadata after processing

If the workflow did not fire or produced unexpected results, review the filter conditions and check they match the test document's actual properties.

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