Module 1: Workflow Triggers Review - SuiteFlow Advanced Workflows

🎯 Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

Define a workflow trigger and list examples of how triggers control action and transition execution
List each of the primary client and server triggers and explain when to use each
List the sequence of events that occur during record processing and associated workflow triggers

Workflow Triggers Overview

Workflow triggers represent the events that occur during the processing of a record in NetSuite. They dictate when a workflow should perform certain tasks:

Workflow Initiation — When the workflow should start on a record
Action Execution — When actions should be executed within states
State Transitions — When a record should transition between workflow states

📋 Two Types of Triggers

Client Triggers: Events that occur on the local computer within the user's web browser.

Server Triggers: Events that occur on the NetSuite server.

Client Triggers

Client triggers represent events that occur on the user's local computer in their web browser. Key distinction: They only occur when creating a new record or editing an existing record—NOT when viewing a record.

Form-Level Client Triggers

Trigger	When It Occurs	Common Uses
Before User Edit	User creates new record or edits existing record	Show/hide fields, make fields mandatory, default values
Before User Submit	User saves the record (before server processing)	Form-level validations on the client

Field-Level Client Triggers

These triggers create dynamic forms that perform additional processing based on user interactions:

Trigger	When It Occurs	Purpose
Before Field Edit	User enters a field (before changes)	Validate before allowing changes
After Field Edit	User leaves a field (after changes)	React to field value changes
After Field Sourcing	After dependent fields are auto-populated	React to sourced values

⚠️ SuiteBuilder vs. SuiteFlow

SuiteBuilder can also manipulate form display, but changes are static and require ongoing administration. SuiteFlow field-level triggers provide dynamic behavior based on user interactions.

Server Triggers

Server triggers represent events that occur on the NetSuite server during record processing.

Trigger	When It Occurs	Common Uses
Before Record Load	Record is loaded from database (view, edit, copy)	Modify display, set defaults for viewing
Before Record Submit	After validation, before saving to database	Server-side validations, modify data before save
After Record Submit	After record is saved to database	Create related records, send emails, integrations

State-Level Triggers

Trigger	When It Occurs	Purpose
Entry	Record enters a workflow state	Actions when entering a state
Exit	Record leaves a workflow state	Cleanup actions when leaving a state

✅ Scheduled Trigger

The Scheduled trigger is a special server trigger that executes based on time rather than user events. We'll cover this in detail in Module 2.

Trigger Event Sequence

Understanding the order in which triggers fire is critical for proper workflow design:

Create/Edit Record Sequence

Before Record Load — Record loaded from database
Before User Edit — Form displayed to user (client)
Field-level triggers — As user interacts with fields
Before User Submit — User clicks Save (client validation)
Before Record Submit — Server validation, pre-save processing
After Record Submit — Record saved, post-save processing

View Record Sequence

Before Record Load — Record loaded for viewing

💡 Remember

Client triggers (Before User Edit, Before User Submit, field-level) do NOT fire when viewing a record—only when creating or editing.

Trigger Summary Diagram

WORKFLOW TRIGGERS
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  WORKFLOW INITIATION                   │
│  → Event-based or Scheduled             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ACTION EXECUTION                      │
│  → Client or Server triggers            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  STATE TRANSITIONS                     │
│  → Trigger-based or Scheduled           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

🌟 Key Takeaways

Triggers are events that control when workflows initiate, actions execute, and transitions occur
Client triggers occur in the browser (Before User Edit, Before User Submit, field-level)
Server triggers occur on NetSuite server (Before/After Record Load/Submit)
Client triggers do NOT fire when viewing records—only create/edit
Understanding trigger sequence is critical for proper workflow design
The Scheduled trigger enables time-based execution (covered in Module 2)