Manual Trigger

You can create an Automations workflow that does not respond to any incoming message or schedule, but runs on demand, and allows you the option to pass in sample JSON data. This type of workflow uses a manual trigger in place of one of the other trigger options. Manual triggers are useful when you want to test a workflow before you create one that receives real, incoming messages.

The manual trigger has two output ports. The success port (✔) can send a message if the trigger initiates successfully. The failure port (x) can send a message if the trigger fails to initiate.

To Use a Manual Trigger

1. Add a manual trigger to your workflow

On the workflow area, expand , click on the Manual Trigger icon, and drag it onto the workflow area. (You may also need to manually remove any other triggers and actions that are currently on the workflow area.)

2. (Optional) Configure the message schema for the manual trigger

Click on the manual trigger to open the Manual Trigger Details pane. This pane displays the JSON keys that are currently configured for the trigger to output. If the trigger will receive additional JSON data (in the form of a JSON-formatted request body), you must configure the message schema to accept that data. You can create the expected JSON keys manually or automatically. To create JSON keys manually, click the Add New Custom Key icon beside Manual Keys (under Success). To create JSON keys automatically, click Import Keys from JSON, drag and drop a JSON file or enter a valid JSON schema on the Import Keys from JSON dialog, and click Parse.

Note: The parser only parses top-level keys. To access the contents of nested arrays and objects from a workspace, use JSON manipulation transformers in an FME Desktop workspace.

The imported keys appear under "Manual Keys", prefixed with the manual parent property.

Other output keys

Expand for an explanation of other keys that are output
Key Description
time Event time
source Event type
error.type

(Failure port only) Error type:

  • InvalidMessage: An error occurred while configuring this component, such as missing or malformed values.
  • DeadLetter: An error occured while connecting to an external resource. Examples may include connection issues, invalid credentials, or generic external resource exceptions.
error.message (Failure port only) Error message
message (Success port only) Message content

3. Complete the workflow

Complete the workflow, adding actions and external actions, as desired. When finished, be sure to save and start the workflow. For more information, see Getting Started with Automations.

4. Trigger the workflow

When you are ready to trigger the workflow manually, select Menu > Trigger Automation. Alternatively, from the Manage Automations page, select the automation, and select Actions > Trigger Automation.

If you completed step 2. (Optional) Configure the message schema for the manual trigger, the Trigger Automations dialog opens. Drag and drop a JSON file or enter a valid JSON schema in this dialog, and click OK. The schema must match the keys you added in that step.