Workflows

Automate document processing with triggers, steps, and integrations.

What are Workflows?

Workflows automate repetitive document tasks. Define a trigger, add processing steps, and connect integrations to create end-to-end automation.

Example workflow:

1. New PDF uploaded to “Invoices” knowledge base
2. Extract invoice data using “Invoice” schema
3. Send Slack notification with extracted amounts
4. Add to monthly report

Creating a Workflow

From the Dashboard

1. Go to Workflows in the sidebar
2. Click Create Workflow
3. Name your workflow
4. Configure trigger
5. Add steps
6. Enable the workflow

From a Template

Templates provide pre-built workflows for common scenarios:

Triggers

Triggers define when a workflow runs.

Event Triggers

React to platform events:

With filters:

{
  "event": "document.uploaded",
  "filters": {
    "file_type": "pdf",
    "knowledge_base_id": "kb-uuid"
  }
}

Scheduled Triggers

Run on a schedule using cron expressions:

Manual Triggers

Run on-demand via the dashboard or API.

Webhook Triggers

Trigger from external systems via webhook URL.

Steps

Steps define what the workflow does.

Parse Step

Parse documents to extract content:

{
  "type": "parse",
  "config": {
    "agentic": false
  }
}

Extract Step

Extract structured data:

{
  "type": "extract",
  "config": {
    "schema_id": "invoice-schema"
  }
}

Transform Step

Transform extracted data:

{
  "type": "transform",
  "config": {
    "expression": "data.total_amount * 1.1"
  }
}

Condition Step

Branch based on conditions:

{
  "type": "condition",
  "config": {
    "condition": "data.total_amount > 10000",
    "true_branch": "high_value",
    "false_branch": "standard"
  }
}

Integration Step

Send to external services:

{
  "type": "integration",
  "config": {
    "integration_id": "slack-uuid",
    "template": "New invoice: {{invoice_number}} for ${{total_amount}}"
  }
}

Integrations

Connect workflows to external services.

Slack

Send notifications to Slack channels:

{
  "integration_type": "slack",
  "config": {
    "webhook_url": "https://hooks.slack.com/...",
    "channel": "#invoices"
  }
}

Email

Send email notifications:

{
  "integration_type": "email",
  "config": {
    "to": "team@company.com",
    "subject": "New Document Processed",
    "template": "Document {{name}} has been processed."
  }
}

Webhook

Call external APIs:

{
  "integration_type": "webhook",
  "config": {
    "url": "https://api.example.com/documents",
    "method": "POST",
    "headers": {
      "Authorization": "Bearer token"
    }
  }
}

Template Variables

Use variables in integration messages:

Example:

Invoice {{invoice_number}} processed.
Vendor: {{vendor_name}}
Amount: ${{total_amount}}
Due: {{due_date}}

Monitoring

Execution History

View past executions from the workflow page:

• Status (completed, failed, running)
• Duration
• Step-by-step log
• Errors and retries

Execution Log

Each execution includes a detailed log:

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "step_id": "parse",
      "status": "completed",
      "duration_ms": 5000,
      "output": {...}
    },
    {
      "step_id": "extract",
      "status": "completed",
      "duration_ms": 3000,
      "output": {...}
    }
  ]
}

Scheduling

Schedule workflows to run automatically:

1. Open a workflow
2. Click Schedule
3. Enter cron expression
4. Set timezone
5. Enable

Schedule Management

• View next run time
• See last run status
• Enable/disable schedule
• Modify cron expression

Automation platforms

DocLD workflows can be triggered by n8n and Zapier via webhooks and event hooks. Use the workflow webhook trigger URL (from the workflow page or GET /api/workflows/{id}) as the target in n8n or Zapier, or configure DocLD’s n8n/Zapier integrations from the dashboard (when available) to start workflows on external events.

Best Practices

1. Start simple - Begin with one trigger, few steps
2. Test manually - Run manually before enabling triggers
3. Handle errors - Add error notifications
4. Use conditions - Branch for different scenarios
5. Monitor executions - Review logs regularly
6. Version control - Document workflow changes

API Reference

See the API Reference for programmatic access.