Documentation User Guide

Automations Overview

This page explains how automations work in Elzo Forms PRO.

Use this page when you want to understand the automation model before creating your first workflow.

What an automation is

An automation is a workflow that can run after a form is submitted.

An automation can include:

  • conditions that decide whether it should run;
  • actions that perform work;
  • settings that control how the workflow behaves.

Automations help your form do more than collect a submission.

For example, an automation can send an email, call a webhook, redirect a visitor, set a cookie, or run reusable workflow logic.

Conditions

Conditions decide whether an automation should run.

A condition checks a value or context, such as:

  • a submitted field value;
  • user context;
  • URL values;
  • cookies;
  • date and time rules.

Conditions are optional. An automation without conditions can run every time the form is submitted.

Use conditions when a workflow should only run in specific situations.

Actions

Actions are the steps an automation performs.

Depending on your installed version and configuration, actions may include:

  • sending an email;
  • calling a webhook;
  • redirecting the visitor;
  • setting a cookie;
  • changing form behavior;
  • using reusable automation logic.

A simple automation may have one action. A more advanced automation may use several actions.

Automations with no conditions

You can use an automation without conditions when the same workflow should run for every submission.

For example:

  • send every submission to the same webhook;
  • set the same cookie after every submission;
  • redirect every visitor to the same confirmation page;
  • send the same internal notification.

This is often the easiest way to start.

Automations with conditions

Use conditions when different submissions should trigger different workflows.

For example:

  • run an action only when a specific option is selected;
  • redirect visitors to different pages based on their choice;
  • call a webhook only for a certain request type;
  • run a workflow only for logged-in users;
  • run a workflow only when a URL parameter exists.

Start with one condition and one action. After it works, add more logic if needed.

Global automations

Global automations let you create reusable workflow logic.

Use global automations when multiple forms need the same behavior.

For example, you may want several forms to send data to the same endpoint or apply the same internal workflow.

Global automations help reduce repeated setup.

Automation logs

Automation logs help you understand what happened when a workflow ran.

Use logs to check:

  • whether an automation matched its conditions;
  • which actions ran;
  • whether an action failed;
  • whether a webhook or email needs attention.

Logs are especially useful when building or troubleshooting workflows.

How automations relate to Elzo Forms PRO

Elzo Forms is used for building forms, collecting submissions, using multi-step forms, and standard conditional logic.

Elzo Forms PRO adds advanced workflows and automation actions.

Use Elzo Forms PRO when your form needs to do more around the submission, such as sending data elsewhere, redirecting visitors conditionally, setting cookies, or using PRO-only condition types.

Build automations gradually

The safest way to build an automation is to keep the first version small.

Use this process:

  1. Create one automation.
  2. Add one action.
  3. Save the automation.
  4. Submit a sample entry.
  5. Check the result.
  6. Add conditions only after the action works.
  7. Add more actions only after the conditions work.
  8. Review logs if available.

This makes troubleshooting much easier.

Troubleshooting

The automation does not run

Confirm that Elzo Forms PRO is installed and active. Then check whether the automation is enabled and whether its conditions match.

The automation runs every time

Check whether the automation has conditions. If it has no conditions, it may be configured to run for every submission.

An action does not complete

Review the action settings. If logs are available, check the log entry for details.

A webhook action fails

Check the webhook URL, request method, authentication requirements, and receiving service. Use logs if available.

  • Create Your First Automation
  • Common Automation Recipes
  • Advanced Conditional Logic in PRO
  • Webhooks
  • Troubleshooting Automations

Applies to

  • Elzo Forms PRO
  • WordPress admin
  • Automations
  • Form submissions

Last reviewed

2026-07-04

 
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