Actions allow you to automate various tasks with external systems and APIs. By using actions, you can reduce manual effort and improve efficiency in your workflows.

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Introduction

Automated Actions are the core of our system, allowing you to trigger operations with external systems directly within your workflows. With actions, you can interact with various APIs and services, automate repetitive tasks, and optimize your processes.

This guide will walk you through the steps of getting started with Actions, from setting them up to customizing and using them within your workflow.

Before you begin, make sure you have an account and have connected any third-party services you wish to automate.

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Steps to Get Started

For now (v3) you have to create at least a single-step workflow for the correspondin Action you want to automate. We’ll soon release (v4) a new way to launch Actions using a specific API.

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1. Create a New Action

To get started, head to the My Workflows section in the dashboard. Click “New Workflow” and select the type of action you’d like to automate. You’ll have options for APIs, integrations, and more.

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2. Configure an Action

Each action requires specific inputs and parameters. Provide the necessary credentials and configurations to connect the action to the relevant service, depending on its type (COOKIES, APIKEY, OAUTH…). For example, when using an API action, you will need to provide an API Key.

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3. Set up Triggers and Conditions

After configuring the inputs, you need to define when the action should trigger. You can set triggers based on various conditions, such as scheduled times or user actions triggered via our Launch a Workflow API.

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4. Test and Run the Action

Once everything is configured, it’s time to test the action. Run the action in a test environment to ensure that it works as expected. After testing, you can deploy it to production.

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Key Components of an Action

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Inputs

Inputs (array of object) are required values that the action uses to perform its function. These can include things like website, social URL like a linkedin_profile_url and more.

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linkedin_profile_url
string

For example a flow that requires a LinkedIn Profile URL.

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meta
object

You can pass additional meta fields for as key, for example meta: {"key1": ..., "key2": ""}

Which would translate as:

[
  {
    "linkedin_profile_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaumeodier",
    "meta": { "hubspot_id": "12345" }
  }
]

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Output Data

Each action will return a specific output data after execution. This data could be a response from an API, a status update, or any other result from the action. We thrive at normalizing & cleaning data so you don’t have to.

Use the Get a Run’s Results endpoint to fetch an Action Run’s results.

You’ll receive results in the following format:

{
  "items_count": 100,
  "pages": 1,
  "limit": 1000,
  "results": [ ... ],
  "paging": {
    "previous": null,
    "next": null,
    "have_next_page": false
  }
}

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Troubleshooting

If your action doesn’t perform as expected, check the following:

Ensure that the integration credentials are correct and that the endpoint is reachable. If you’re experiencing issues with authorization, double-check your Cookies, API key or OAuth token.

For more advanced troubleshooting, feel free to reach out at support@captaindata.co; add detailed information about any failed requests.

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Conclusion

Once you’ve set up and configured your first action, you’ll be able to automate a wide range of tasks with minimal effort. By integrating external services and automating workflows, you can greatly enhance the efficiency and scalability of your processes.

If you’re new to automation, start by creating simple actions with minimal configuration, and build up from there as you get more familiar with the platform.

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