This guide continues from Creating an Automation. Once you have created an automation, use the steps below to find it, organize it, update it, and check the result.
Before You Begin
- Open the board that owns the automation, and know which rule you intend to change.
- Decide the expected result before editing. Check the four parts from the creation guide: trigger starts the rule, conditions narrow which cards qualify, action defines the work, and timing controls when the action occurs.
- Have a dedicated test card and any test message destinations ready. Check the current Status before saving changes.
Continuing example: In the creation guide, Create Task: Review new lead uses On Stage Change for an existing new-lead stage, creates the Review new lead task, uses Immediately timing, and starts in Draft. Here, you might organize that rule into a folder or revise the task details. Keep the trigger, conditions, and timing unchanged unless those are part of your intended change.
Edit an Existing Automation
- Open the board’s Automations window using the sparkle/wand icon. Find the rule using its folder, title, status, and filters.
- Open the automation’s three-dot menu and choose Edit. The same menu also contains Duplicate, Logs, and Delete; choose Edit when you intend to change the existing rule.
- Confirm that you opened the correct automation. Review its Title, Status, and Folder before changing the rule.
- Review the Trigger and its conditions. Check the stage, fields, criteria, or other trigger-specific settings that determine which cards qualify.
- Review every configured Action. For messages, check the sending inbox, template, and recipients. For updates, check the exact fields or stages affected.
- Check When and Only fire if office is open. Timing and trigger conditions work together; changing one can change when a qualifying card is processed.
- Choose the intended Status and click Save. If you decide not to keep your edits, click Cancel.
- Return to the list and confirm the automation appears in the intended folder and status tab. Reopen Edit to check the saved values if needed.
Open the Automations Window
- Open the board whose automations you want to manage.
- In the board’s upper-right toolbar, click the Automations sparkle/wand icon. It sits beside the Board Tools icon; it is a separate control from the Board Settings gear.
- Start from the top-level Automations window to see the board’s folders. Click a folder to browse its automations. Use the Automations breadcrumb to return to the folder overview.
The top-level window includes New Automation, Folder, and Test Mode Settings. Inside a folder, the header shows the folder name and a New Automation button.
Understand Status Before Making Changes
The window has four status tabs. The editor uses a Status field with three choices.
Window tab | What to look for |
All | Browse automations across statuses. Start here when you are unsure where an automation was saved. |
Live | Find automations set to run against their configured triggers and conditions. |
Drafts | Find automations kept in Draft while they are being prepared or revised. |
Test | Find automations whose editor Status is Test Mode. Review Test Mode Settings before running a test. |
At the folder overview, the Draft, Testing, and Live columns summarize the statuses in each folder. Testing in this overview corresponds to Test in the tabs and Test Mode in the editor.
Draft, Test Mode, and Live are distinct settings. Saving an automation does not mean it is automatically Live: check the Status selected in the editor. Draft rows may also show Publish; treat that as an activation control, not a routine save button.
Find an Automation with Search and Filters
- Start in All if you do not know the automation’s status.
- Enter part of its title in Search automations….
- Use Stage: All to narrow the results to a board stage.
- Use Action: All to narrow the results to an action type.
- Open the relevant folder and locate the matching automation. Read its title, status, and the trigger/action summary before editing.
- To broaden the search, clear the search text, return the Stage and Action filters to All, and check the All status tab again.
The current Action filter includes All, Email, SMS, Tasks, Follow up, Assignee, Due Date, Archive Card, Archive Card & Conversations, Change Stage, Update Related Cards Stage, Update Specific Fields, Notify, Create PDF, and Create eSignature.
Filter labels and editor action labels are not always identical. For example, the filter uses Email, while the editor uses Send Email. Use the automation’s actual action summary to confirm that you found the intended rule.
If an automation seems to be missing, first check the board, folder, status tab, search text, and both filters. A stage-filtered view is narrower than the board’s full automation collection.
Create and Organize Folders
Folders group automations for easier browsing; they are independent of board stages. Choose a structure your team can apply consistently, such as action type or process. For example, a New Lead Follow-up folder could contain the welcome email, task creation, and reminder automations for that process.
Create a Folder from the Overview
- Return to the top-level Automations window.
- Click Folder in the upper-right corner.
- In the folder picker, click Add Folder at the bottom.
- Enter a descriptive Name and choose a Color.
- Click Save to create the folder, or Cancel to leave without creating it.
Assign a Folder in the Automation Editor
- Open an existing automation with Edit, or click New Automation to prepare a new one.
- Under Folder, click Choose a folder… or the current folder selector.
- Select the folder you want to use. If you need a new folder, click Add Folder, enter its name and color, and save the folder.
- Check the folder selection in the editor before saving the automation.
A folder is organizational: selecting one does not replace the automation’s stage trigger or conditions. Use a descriptive automation title as well as a folder—for example, Create Task: Review new lead—so search results remain understandable.
For a full setup walkthrough, see Creating an Automation.
Save with the Intended Status
- Choose Draft when the rule is unfinished or should not be activated while you work on it.
- Choose Test Mode when you are ready to validate it using configured test recipients and dedicated test cards.
- Choose Live only after checking the trigger, conditions, actions, recipients, and timing.
Changing a Live automation’s behavior can affect real work after it is saved. Plan the change with your team, and use an appropriate Draft or Test Mode workflow when you need to review it before activation. Do not use Publish merely to save an edit.
Prepare and Check a Test
- Return to the top-level Automations window and click Test Mode Settings.
- Review Test Mode Email, Test Phone Number, and Test Cards. Use addresses, numbers, and cards intended for testing.
- Save these settings only when you intend to change the board’s testing setup.
- In the automation editor, select Test Mode and save the automation when it is ready for testing.
- Aptly’s settings explain that selected test cards have a Test Automations button. Use a dedicated test card and review what happened before making the automation Live.
Test recipients and test cards are separate from the automation’s normal message recipients and trigger conditions. Review both sets of settings. Keep test data separate from customer work; check each action before running a test.
Troubleshoot an Unexpected Result
If you notice… | Check this first |
You cannot find the automation | Confirm the board and folder. Select All, clear the title search, and return Stage and Action filters to All. |
The expected action did not happen | Check Status first. Then compare the card with the trigger and conditions, and review When and the office-hours option. |
The action affected the wrong details | Review every action’s selected fields, stage, task details, template, and recipients. Check the saved setup rather than relying on the title alone. |
You are unsure where a test message will go | Review the board’s Test Mode Settings and the message action’s normal destination settings before running the test. |
For the continuing Create Task: Review new lead example, check that the expected stage change occurred, the selected stage and conditions match the test card, Create Task has the intended task details, and timing is Immediately. Confirm the rule has the intended Status: Draft, Test Mode, or Live.
Review Automation Logs
- Find the automation in the Automations window.
- Open its three-dot menu.
- Choose Logs to open the automation’s available log history.
Use the automation’s title and status to confirm you are reviewing the intended rule. If you are investigating an unexpected result, keep the relevant card, expected action, and time of the event available when asking Aptly support for help.
Review History for One Card
- Open the card’s three-dot menu and choose Automations.
- In APTLY AUTOMATIONS, review the Title and Fired columns to identify the rule and its recorded run time.
- Check any error indicators and compare the history with the result on the card. Review earlier effects before using a row-menu action that could retry or change a rule.
This is the card’s built-in automation history, distinct from the automation-level Logs command above. Adding an Automation Log view to a card layout is a separate setup task. For layout-specific instructions, ask Aptly support for the current steps for your board; share only screenshots with personal details removed.