Triggers (custom field, address, contact, form submitted, receipt)

A trigger is the start condition for an automation — the event that causes it to run. Every automation begins with exactly one trigger. On the automation canvas, click the Trigger automation node to open the Choose a starting trigger panel, then select a trigger type.

Available trigger types

• Custom field updated — "A specific custom field value changes." Fires when a chosen custom field on a Person or Organisation is updated.
• Address updated — "An address on a profile has changed." Fires when a contact's address is added or updated.
• Contact updated — "A contact detail on a profile has changed." Fires when a contact detail (such as a phone number or email) is added or updated.
• Form submitted — "A person completed a specific form." Fires when a chosen form is submitted.
• Receipt — "A new receipt is created or the status has changed." Fires on receipt activity, and always builds around conditional branches. See the receipt-triggered automations guide.

Setting up a "Custom field updated" trigger

When you choose Custom field updated and click Next, the panel heading reads Select the fields that will trigger this automation:

1. Choose the Record Type the field belongs to — Person or Organisation.
2. Under Fields, tick one or more custom fields you want to watch. Fields are grouped by their custom field group (for example, "Custom Fields > Category Type" or "Client Details > Client Type"); the exact fields shown depend on how your account is configured.
3. When you tick a field, its change condition appears directly beneath it. Choose one:
   • Trigger on any value change — fires whenever the field's value changes at all.
   • Trigger if value changed from — fires only when the field changes away from a value you specify. A Value to check field appears where you enter that value.
   • Trigger if value changed to — fires only when the field changes to a value you specify. A Value to check field appears where you enter that value.
4. Click Add trigger to confirm.

Setting up an "Address updated" trigger

When you choose Address updated, a configuration panel appears with three sections:

1. Only trigger when this action is done — choose which change starts the automation: Address was added, Address was changed, or Address was removed.
2. Only trigger on this record type (required) — Person or Organisation.
3. Only trigger on this address type (optional) — Street Address or Postal Address. Leave this blank to trigger on any address type.

Then click Add trigger to confirm.

Setting up a "Contact updated" trigger

When you choose Contact updated, a configuration panel appears with three sections:

1. Only trigger when this action is done — choose which change starts the automation: Contact was added, Contact was changed, or Contact was removed.
2. Only trigger on this record type (required) — Person or Organisation.
3. Only trigger for these contact type(s) — tick any combination of Phone, Mobile, and Email to limit the trigger to those contact types. Leave all unticked to trigger on any contact type.

Then click Add trigger to confirm.

Setting up a "Form submitted" trigger

• Choose Form submitted. Under Select the form this automation will apply to, use the searchable Search forms dropdown to pick the specific form you want to watch, then click Add trigger.
• The automation then runs every time that form is submitted, and the submitter becomes the affected contact for the actions that follow.
• Form triggers also make the form's answers available as merge field values, and forms with a Transaction block expose transaction details for receipts. See the merge fields availability guide for detail.

Setting up a "Receipt" trigger

• Choose Receipt to start the automation from receipt activity (a receipt being created or its status changing).
• SwiftFox shows a notification that the trigger requires conditions, and automatically adds conditional branches based on receipt status. See the receipt-triggered automations guide for full detail.

The "affected contact"

The affected contact is the contact tied to the trigger — for example, the person who submitted the form, or the record whose custom field was updated. Actions such as Send an email and Update custom fields can target this affected contact directly.

Why the trigger matters beyond starting the automation

The trigger you choose determines which merge field values are available later in the journey. Not all custom fields are available in every automation — availability depends on the trigger context. See the merge fields availability guide for full detail.