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      Macros and automation FAQ

      How Do I Create Macros?

      User Macros can be created or modified at their respective Community and Project levels by accessing the Community/Project users tool, then Resources.

      How Do I Create a Feedback Macro?

      Feedback Macros let you define actions for Feedback tickets, such as updating status, scoring users, or modifying access. Since each feedback type has its own form, workflow, access, etc., creating and editing feedback macros is done by editing the chosen feedback type and selecting Resources.

      Navigate to:

      • From within your project, click the Management menu

      • Select Project configuration

      • Click Feedback types

      • Mouse over a feedback type and click the Modify (pencil icon) button
      • Click Resources
      • Click Create a macro
      If you want your feedback macro to display on the left-hand menu while viewing feedback, enable Show as feedback action and select the team(s) who should be able to execute your feedback macro.

      I’ve Created a Macro, How Can I Run It Manually?

      Save a macro and select Show as project user / feedback action. This enables the macro to show: 

      1. In the user or feedback advanced view in the action drop-down (screenshot below)
      2. In the user or feedback results page, in the action drop-down (similar to #1, but allows you to make individual selections)
      3. On the user summary page
      4. When viewing feedback

      How can I trigger a macro when submitting a User Profile or Survey?

      In the User Profile and Survey Advanced Options, you can include a macro trigger (static or conditionally) as the form is submitted. Use the Static Macro Type to run your macro upon user form completion.

      To have this macro execute when a users submits an existing Community or Project level Survey:

      1. Click on Community Logo > Community management > Surveys or Management > Surveys
      2. Mouse over the Survey that will trigger the macro when submitted
      3. Click the Modify (pencil) button
      4. Expand the Advanced options menu
      5. Check the Run macro on submit box
      6. Choose Conditional or Static from the Macro type drop down
        a. Conditional refers to adding a filter to set conditions in which the macro runs 
        b. Static  - refers to running the macro on any user who completes the form  (typically used)
      7. Select the desired option from the Macro drop-down. If you've not created one, you may do so with the + sign. 

      To have this macro execute when a users submits an existing User profile:

      1. Click on Community Logo > Community management > User profiles
      2. Mouse over the profile that will trigger the macro when submitted
      3. Click the Modify (pencil) button
      4. Expand the Advanced options menu
      5. Check the Run macro on submit box
      6. Choose Conditional or Static from the Macro type drop down
        a. Conditional - refers to adding a filter to set conditions in which the macro runs 
        b. Static  - refers to running the macro on any user who completes the form (typically used)
      7.  Select the desired option from the Macro drop-down. If you've not created one, you may do so with the + sign. 

        This functionality is particularly useful for time-sensitive automation - automatically adjusting a tester’s access based on their survey responses, adding Project or Community Scores for completing or updating a Profile or optional Survey, and much more. Since this feature leverages User Macros, the sky's the limit - adjust teams, add or remove scores, send email notifications, provide incentives, or even trigger an API integration via Webhook!

        Can I Schedule Macros to Run at a Later Time or Date?

        After creating feedback macros or user macros, you can set those based on your schedule schedules. These schedules allow you to set a recurring filter and time-frame for a particular macro to execute automatically. You can set a macro to run once, hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly.

        Can I Set Macros to Trigger Based on an Event?

        That depends on the event. 

        User macros are typically triggered manually or on a schedule. However, you can use notices to trigger them upon login / site access, or attach a user macro to completing a survey (described above). 

        Feedback macros allow for the option to trigger a macro based either On submission, which will trigger only on the initial creation of the feedback, or On modify, only triggers when a user (typically an admin) modifies already-existing feedback.

        How Can I Automatically Segment My Users into Teams via a Macro?

        You can utilize either a notice macro or a user macro associated with the submission of a user profile or survey to adjust user teams. Users can be sorted into specific teams based on any data you've captured about them. (Read More about automatically segmenting users)

        How can I make sure a macro runs only once per user?

        Often, you’ll want to automate certain activities or actions that should only affect a User or Feedback ticket once. Hitting particular milestones can and should be automated, but it’s possible that the milestone automation could trigger more than once when it shouldn’t. To address this challenge Only run once… will ensure that your User or Feedback Macro will only hit its target one time to protect you from redundancy, bloat, or macro spam.

        To ensure a macro only executes one time per user:

          1. In the navigation bar navigate to either the Project or Community level Users menu
          2. Click User resources
          3. Click Create a macro
          4. In the Customize section, check the Only run once per user box

          To ensure a macro only executes one time per Feedback:
          (Note: This is once per ticket, not once per Feedback Type)

          1. Click Management > Project configuration > Feedback types in the navigation bar
          2. Mouse over the desired Feedback Type
          3. Click the Modify (pencil) button
          4. Click Resources
          5. Click Create a macro
          6. In the Additional Options section, check the Only run once per Feedback box

          Common activities that would benefit from using the new Run Once functionality include: scoring testers (for their first project login, or for submitting a verified critical bug), emailing stakeholders when someone registers, or even automatically registering a user in your app through a Webhook Macro integration.

          If you are creating a scheduled macro that you would only like to run a single time, simply select Once  from the Rate dropdown for your scheduled macro.