Skip to main content
Below is a sample Relay workflow that automates the process of reviewing and approving the budget for a marketing campaign. You can easily customize and apply this workflow to any process in your organization that involves a review-and-approval cycle and moving content between target folder locations. In this example, the marketing team identifies the need for a marketing campaign and assembles a proposal. Then:
  • A team member submits the proposal to marketing leadership for approval.
  • Marketing leadership reviews and approves the proposal and sends it to finance for approval.
  • Finance reviews and approves the proposal budget.
  • The fully-approved proposal moves to an “approved” folder, and the marketing team can begin working on the campaign.
demo-01-campaign-flow-png
Now let’s build this workflow in Relay. Despite the seemingly large number of steps listed here, when you become comfortable with using Relay you can create a workflow such as this in a matter of minutes. Starting things off: Establishing and naming a new workflow. To do this:
  1. Open your BoxFiles page. In the lefthand navigation, click Relay to display the Workflows page.
  2. Click New Workflow. The Workflow Builder page displays.
  3. In the Untitled Workflow box, enter the name of the workflow – in this case, call it Marketing Campaign Budget Approval .
  4. In the Add a description box, enter text that clearly explains the intent of this workflow.
relay-sampleworkflowdescription-69726-png
Now specify the trigger – the event that starts off this workflow. To do this:
  1. Under What starts this workflow? click A File Event.
    relay-marketing-campaign-budget-approval-trigger-file-event-png
  2. Under What type of file event? click New Upload.
    relay-marketing-campaign-budget-approval-trigger-file-event-new-upload-png
  3. Under In what folder will this event occur? click the box and then click Select a folder from Box. The Select a folder to act on box displays.
    select-a-folder-png
  4. From the list of folders that displays, select Marketing Campaign Proposals – REVIEW and click Select.
    relay-selected-folder-png
That’s it. In just a few clicks, you’ve instructed Relay, if a file is uploaded to the Marketing Campaign Proposals – REVIEW folder, to immediately run the Marketing Campaigns Budget Approval workflow. Now create the outcome you want to result from the trigger event. To do this:
  1. Click Add Metadata in the Outcome 1 box.
    outcome-1-add-metadata-png
  2. Click the Select a file box, then click The file that triggered the flow.
    select-file-that-triggered-flow-png
  3. Under What metadata template would you like to apply? click the box to display your list of metadata templates. Then click the template you want — in this case, the Marketing Campaign Details template.
    add-metadata-template-png
This means Relay is automatically applying the metadata template to every file that is uploaded into the Marketing Campaign Proposals – REVIEW folder. Now it’s time to involve your first reviewer. To do this:
  1. Click + Outcome. The Outcome 2 box displays.
    • Adding outcomes is how you can string together a long chain of events in a complex workflow.
  2. Click Assign a Task.
    relay-sampleworkflowassigntask-69726-png
  3. Under What type of task would you like to assign? click General Task.
  4. Under What are the task details? click the Assignee(s) box and begin typing in the name of the assignee you want. When their name displays, click the name.
    relay-sampleworkflowassignee-69726-png
  5. In the Message box, type in clear instructions for the assignee – in this case, to update the metadata values in the marketing template.
    demo-17-outcome-2-task-assignee-message-medium-png
  6. Under Assign the task to a file, click the box and then click The file that triggered the flow.
    demo-18-outcome-2-related-file-medium-png
Once again, this means that each time a file is uploaded to the folder you’ve specified, the person you’ve just assigned is alerted to update the metadata on that file. This is the beginning of your approval chain. Now move the proposal further along your approval chain. To do this:
  1. Click + Outcome. The Outcome 3 box displays.
  2. Click Assign a Task.
  3. Under What type of task would you like to assign? click Approval Task.
  4. Under What are the task details? click the Assignee(s) box and begin typing in the name of the assignee you want. When their name displays, click the name.
  5. In the Message box, type in clear instructions for the assignee – in this case, to review and approve the campaign proposal.
    demo-19-alt-task-assignee-medium-png
  6. Optionally, if this task is time-sensitive, provide a deadline. To do this, under Time to complete, type in the number of Days and/or the number of Hours. In this case, in the Days box, type 2 . In this case, if after two days the assignee has not approved this proposal, Relay changes the status of this workflow to Overdue, and notifies the assignee that the task is overdue.
  7. Under Assign the task to a file, click the box and then click The file that triggered the flow.
    demo-20-take-2-time-and-related-file-medium-png
Now get Finance to approve the proposal. To do this:
  1. Click + Outcome. The Outcome 4 box displays.
  2. Click Assign Task > Approval Task, and as you’ve just done before, select an assignee, type in any relevant instructions and, optionally, a deadline, and identify the related file.
    demo-21-outcome-4-all-filled-out-medium-png
Now identify the last outcome – what should happen when the proposal receives its final approval.
  1. Click + Outcome. The Outcome 5 box displays.
  2. Under What is the next action? click A File Action.
  3. Under What type of file action? click Move.
  4. Under What file should be moved? click The file that triggered the flow.
    demo-22-outcome-5-file-moved-medium-png
  5. Under Where should the file be moved to? click the box, then click Select a file from Box.
    demo-23-outcome-5-where-file-moved-to-medium-png
  6. When the Select a folder to act on box displays, next to the folder you want, click the button and then click Select. You’ve just instructed Relay to upload the completely approved file to the Marketing Review folder.
demo-24-select-file-folder-to-act-on-medium-png
For the entire time you’re building your workflow, Relay displays the flow, in linear fashion, down the lefthand side of your screen. Here is the flow you’ve just completed:
relay-sampleworkflowflowcomplete-69726-png
This at-a-glance view makes it easy for you to see what you’re building, and identify whether it is in fact what you want or if you’ve made an error or omitted a step. If the workflow matches what you are envisioning, you have one more choice to make. You can either:
  • Save the workflow as a draft — OR —
  • Activate it.
To activate your workflow:
  1. Click Activate.
  2. Return to your Workflows page. The workflow you just created displays as orange (that is, active). Now the workflow runs each time someone drops a file into the designated folder.
demo-26-workflow-activated-medium-png