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Event trigger: what a workflow starts with

5 steps± 4 minVideoVerified 22 Oct 2026
  1. Step 1 · Open Flow and create a workflow
  2. Step 2 · Give the trigger sample data
  3. Step 3 · Use a field from the trigger
  4. Step 4 · Put the steps in one line and save
  5. Step 5 · Run and read the output

Every workflow starts at a trigger. The Event trigger starts the workflow when a request comes in: through an endpoint of your API, from another workflow, or when you click Run. Because you have no real request yet while building, you give the trigger sample data: you try the workflow with it, and every field in it is a variable the next steps can use.

Watch the whole guide as a video5 steps in one film
Step 1 / 5

Open Flow and create a workflow

In the portal, under Environments, click Development and there Open; Flow opens in a new tab. There, click ＋ next to General, choose New workflow and give it a name. A new workflow starts with an Event trigger: the point where it begins.

  1. Click Development
Open Flow and create a workflow · Click Development
  1. Click Open ↗
Open Flow and create a workflow · Click Open ↗
  1. Click Add to General
Open Flow and create a workflow · Click Add to General
  1. Click New workflow
Open Flow and create a workflow · Click New workflow
  1. In Workflow name, type Guide · new request
Open Flow and create a workflow · In Workflow name, type Guide · new request
Step 2 / 5

Give the trigger sample data

Click the Event trigger. Under Sample data is what the workflow starts with when you try it here. Choose Code and put in what a real request would send: here a customer, an email address and an amount. When the request later comes in through an endpoint, the fields from the body are in the same place.

  1. Click the step ‘Event trigger’
Give the trigger sample data · Click the step ‘Event trigger’
  1. Click Code
Give the trigger sample data · Click Code
  1. In the sample data, type `{
Give the trigger sample data · In the sample data, type `{; ; ; ;
Step 3 / 5

Use a field from the trigger

Add Transform data and connect the trigger to it. At the bottom of the properties panel is Available in this step: every variable from the sample data, with its type. With {{field}} you take over a value; click a variable to insert it into the field you were typing in.

  1. Click Add node
Use a field from the trigger · Click Add node
  1. Click Transform data
Use a field from the trigger · Click Transform data
  1. In Name, type Greeting
Use a field from the trigger · In Name, type Greeting
  1. Click Remove field
Use a field from the trigger · Click Remove field
  1. Click Remove field
Use a field from the trigger · Click Remove field
  1. In New field, type greeting
  2. In greeting, type Dear {{customer}}, thank you for your request.
Use a field from the trigger · In New field, type greeting; In greeting, type Dear {{customer}}, thank you for your request.
  1. Click the dot of ‘Event trigger’
Use a field from the trigger · Click the dot of ‘Event trigger’
  1. Click the dot of ‘Greeting’
Use a field from the trigger · Click the dot of ‘Greeting’
  1. Click the step ‘Greeting’
Use a field from the trigger · Click the step ‘Greeting’
Use a field from the trigger · Available in this step: customer, email and amount from the trigger.
Step 4 / 5

Put the steps in one line and save

Select the steps (click the first, and the others while holding Shift) and click Align horizontally: they then stand in one line and you read the workflow from left to right; a branch (such as No of an If / Else) gets its own row below. Fit to view puts everything in sight; then Save.

  1. Click ‘Event trigger’
Put the steps in one line and save · Click ‘Event trigger’
  1. Click ‘Greeting’ while holding Shift
Put the steps in one line and save · Click ‘Greeting’ while holding Shift
  1. Click Align horizontally
Put the steps in one line and save · Click Align horizontally
  1. Click Fit to view
Put the steps in one line and save · Click Fit to view
  1. Click Save
Put the steps in one line and save · Click Save
Step 5 / 5

Run and read the output

Click Run. At the bottom, under Output, every step says what happened: the trigger read the sample data, Transform data added your field. Under Data after the run is everything the workflow had at the end.

  1. Click Run
Run and read the output · Click Run
Run and read the output · Status: Completed.
Run and read the output · The greeting, with the customer from the sample data filled in.

This guide was carried out step by step on 22 Oct 2026 by an automated test on Flow (version 3e563176).