Overview
Automations allow admins to configure their FUYL Smart Locker System to react to events without intervention. Each automation is configured in simple terms, “When this happens, if these conditions are met, then do this”, which can enable anything from a simple notification to large and complex integrations with third party systems.
This article covers what automations are and how to create and manage them. For details regarding specific actions, and for suggestions of what automations can achieve, see the companion articles linked below.
Triggers, conditions and actions
Every automation is built from the same three parts:
| Trigger (the “when”) | The event that starts the automation, such as a device being loaned or a locker going offline. Exactly one trigger is required. |
| Conditions (the “if”) | Optional filters that narrow the automation to relevant events only, such as a particular kiosk, site or workflow. |
| Action (the “then”) | What FUYL does when the automation fires. At least one action is required. |
Available actions
Actions are the “then” of an automation. FUYL is designed to support a growing range of actions over time. Today, actions are limited to outgoing webhooks.
- Webhooks: send the details of an event as an HTTP request to another system, which can then take actions as a result. Examples include (but are not limited to) logging a record, opening a ticket, sending a notification, or posting a message to a chat channel. Webhooks are very flexible actions, since almost any modern service or workflow tool can receive them as their own triggers. See Automation Actions - Webhooks for full technical details, including how to configure the action and the payload sent for each event.
More actions, triggers and conditions are planned. As each new action becomes available it will be listed here and documented in depth on its own reference article.
Configure an automation
An automation in FUYL requires a name, one trigger (the “when”), and at least one action (the “then”). Conditions are optionally included to reduce the scope to relevant events (e.g. only when a Staff Loan is picked up, not a Student Loan).
- Browse to the FUYL Portal (FUYL.io) and log in with an administrator profile.
- From the left-hand menu, open Settings and select Automations. This screen lists existing automations for management, and allows the creation of new automations. Select Create new to begin a new automation.
- Enter a clear name in the Automation name field.
- Under When, select Add trigger. Choose a trigger Type (the category), then the specific Event within it that should fire the automation. Relevant events are grouped into six categories: Device deployments, Device loaning, Device repairs, Secure charging, Single use, and Stations. For the full list of events, and the data each one carries, see Automation Actions - Webhooks.
- Optionally, under Conditions, select Specify condition to narrow when the automation activates. Conditions can restrict the automation to a particular Kiosk, Site or Workflow. More than one condition can be added. If conditions are left blank, the automation applies to all kiosks, all sites, and all relevant workflows.
- Under Then, select Add action and choose an action Type. Webhooks is currently the only available action; for how to configure it (the endpoint URL, authentication and custom headers) see Automation Actions - Webhooks.
- Select Create to save. The new automation appears in the list, and can now be tested.
Manage existing automations
The Automations screen lists every automation that has been created. Each row shows its name, whether it is currently enabled, and when it was last triggered. Use the Enabled toggle to pause an automation temporarily (during maintenance, while testing etc) to be resumed later without losing its configuration, and use the Last triggered column to confirm that an automation is firing as expected.
Where to go next
Discover the detail behind automations:
Automation Actions - Webhooks - How to configure the webhook action, how to receive one with a workflow automation tool, and the full list of events and their respective payload formats.
Automation examples & inspiration - Practical examples of what automations can achieve, as suggested and demonstrated by other FUYL organizations.