Create and enable Automation Rules Updated May 15, 2025 15:05 Maintaining and distributing your organization’s content involves many small tasks. By creating Automation Rules, you can streamline these processes, allowing you to focus more on enabling effortless sales and maximizing productivity within your team. With Automation Rules, you can automate how new file properties are configured when added to your library, manage file access based on user Course completion, and trigger actions based on user lifecycle events and scheduled intervals. For instance, you can set default shareable permissions for specific file types, automatically add users to groups upon Course completion, initiate workflows when new users join your Showpad instance, react to changes in user details, and even run tasks on a recurring schedule. Automation Rules are triggered by specific events within Showpad or by a defined schedule. This article will guide you through creating and managing these rules, including the available trigger events and their unique configuration options. See how it looks Key features Automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks Set default values for asset properties Ensure files in your Files library adhere to your content governance policies Instantly give users access to content when they complete relevant Courses Set updates to run on your chosen schedule You need this to succeed Plan: eOS Expert, eOS Advanced, eOS Professional Previous plan: Showpad Content Essential or higher Permissions: Administrator The quick way Create an Automation Rule Select a trigger event and configure the conditions and actions: New file created User completed Course New user created User details changed Scheduler View, arrange, and enable or disable Automation Rules Edit or delete an Automation Rule Review the automation audit log Do this step by step Create an Automation Rule To save valuable time, you can automate routine tasks by creating Automation Rules. You’ll start by selecting an event that will trigger an automated action. Depending on the trigger, you'll choose specific conditions and then one or more actions to apply when the conditions are met. Click the gear icon to open Settings in the Admin App. Click Automation in the left side menu to expand the section, and select Rules. Click New Automation Rule. Type a unique and descriptive name in the Rule name field. The Status defaults to Enabled. Toggle the status if you want to turn off the rule. Optionally, include a Description of the new Automation Rule. Select an event from the Trigger Event drop-down menu that will start the rule’s action(s). To learn how to set the conditions and actions available for your selected event, choose it from the following list. The available events are: New file created User completed Course New user created User details changed Scheduler Back to Top New file created Automatically standardize file properties as soon as content is added, saving time and ensuring consistency across your libraries. For example, you can apply default tags, set permissions, and schedule release dates the moment a file is uploaded. From the Trigger Event dropdown, select New file created. Then, under Libraries, optionally select one or more Divisions for this rule. If no Divisions are selected, the rule will apply to all Divisions. In the Conditions field, set the parameters required for the actions in this rule to be implemented: Use advanced filters to target specific files. Click here to reveal a table of available file attributes to filter by. This table details the available file attributes and the operators that can be used with them. The attributes are grouped into four themes: File, Data, Date, and Other. Theme Identifier Operators Description File File type is (=) is not (!=) Select one of the following file types: Document Photo Raw SCORM Video Audio Webapp URL File name contains (~) does not contain (!~) is (=) is not (!=) The value must: have at least 2 characters have no more than 64 characters be lowercase not include special characters File content contains (~) does not contain (!~) Allows you to search the content inside documents that have indexed text. The value must: have at least 5 characters be a single word. Extension is (=) is not (!=) Select a file extension from the list of supported file formats. Data Authors contains (~) does not contain (!~) Select one or more users from the displayed list. Languages all any none Select one or more languages from the displayed list. Countries all any none Select one or more countries from the displayed list. Permissions is (=) is not (!=) You can select one of the following permissions: Can be annotated Can be downloaded internally Restrict internal download PDF Can be downloaded externally Restrict external download PDF Only entire document is shareable Can be shared Can be personalized Page groups are enforced Global Show in Kiosk Mode Speaker notes enabled Tags all any none Select one or more tags from the displayed list. Type to search list. Date Added is (=) is not (!=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last uploaded is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last updated is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Expired is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Released is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last buyer activity is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) The date of the latest buyer activity. This includes views of emails, links, Shared Spaces, and downloads. Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last seller activity is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) The date of the latest seller activity. This includes in-app views, Shares, downloads, and adding to Shared Spaces. Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Other Description contains (~) does not contain (!~) Note: The value must have at least 5 characters and be a single word. External ID is (=) is not (!=) Note: The value must have at least 5 characters. Slug is (=) is not (!=) Note: The value must have at least 5 characters. Select an Action to implement when the event is triggered and the conditions are met. You can add more than one action. Once you select an action, click Add Action to add another. See the following table for available actions and their options. New file created action Options Apply Permissions Show in Kiosk Mode Can be shared Can be downloaded internally Restrict to PDF Can be downloaded externally Restrict to PDF Global Can be annotated Pages can be separated Page groups are enforced See the asset permissions article for details. Apply Tags Your selected Divisions determine the available tags. For example, if your rule applies to all Divisions, you can only choose global tags. If you’ve selected multiple Divisions, you can only choose tags that apply to any of the selected Divisions. Set Release Date Control when the asset becomes available to users. Choose to set an exact release date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar Or choose to set a release date relative to the trigger event: Days after trigger event: Set a number of days Weeks after trigger event: Set a number of weeks Months after trigger event: Set a number of months Set Expiration Date Control when to remove user access to the asset. Choose to set an exact expiration date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar Or choose to set an expiration date relative to the trigger event: Days after trigger event: Set a number of days Weeks after trigger event: Set a number of weeks Months after trigger event: Set a number of months Set Countries Select one or more countries or regions Set Languages Select one or more languages Optionally, check Create another Automation Rule to start creating a new rule after you save this one. Click Save. Back to Top User completed Course Grant instant access to relevant content when learners complete training, keeping enablement aligned with readiness. For instance, you can automatically add users to a group linked to a specific Experience after finishing a Course. From the Trigger Event dropdown, select User completed course. Then, under Libraries, select the Division to which you want to apply this rule. In the conditions fields, set the parameters required for the actions in this rule to be implemented. User conditions: Use advanced filters to target specific users. Click here to reveal a table of available user attributes to filter by. This table details the available user attributes and the operators that can be used with them. Attribute Operators Description Email contains (~) does not contain (!~) Enter text Role is (=) is not (!=) Select a Showpad role: Admin Manager User Status is (=) is not (!=) Select the Showpad access status of the user: Active Deactivated Languages all any none Select one or more languages from the displayed list and click Apply. Countries all any none Select one or more countries from the displayed list and click Apply. Company contains (~) does not contain (!~) Enter text Direct manager is (=) is not (!=) Select a user assigned as a direct manager from the displayed list. License type is (=) is not (!=) Select a type of user license: Direct Partner Course conditions: Use the filters to narrow which Courses, when completed, will trigger the action. To make the condition a specific Course, type the Course title in the field. You can also enter a word that Course titles contain. You can filter by a combination of: Curriculums Competencies Owners Groups Tags Select an Action to implement when the event is triggered and the conditions are met. Choose one of these actions: Add to user groups: Select one or more user groups to add the user to. With related Experiences assigned to the selected user groups, the user will automatically have access to the Experiences after completing a relevant Course. Deactivate user: The user(s) meeting your selected user conditions will be deactivated when they complete the Course(s) meeting your selected Course conditions. Optionally, check Create another automation rule to start creating a new rule after you save this one. Click Save. Back to Top New user created Simplify onboarding by automatically assigning new users to the correct groups based on their attributes. This ensures new team members get the right access and resources from day one. From the Trigger Event dropdown, select New user created. In the User conditions field, set the parameters required to implement the actions in this rule. Use advanced filters to target specific users. Click here to reveal a table of available user attributes to filter by. This table details the available user attributes and the operators that can be used with them. Attribute Operators Description Email contains (~) does not contain (!~) Enter text Role is (=) is not (!=) Select a Showpad role: Admin Manager User Status is (=) is not (!=) Select the Showpad access status of the user: Active Deactivated Languages all any none Select one or more languages from the displayed list and click Apply. Countries all any none Select one or more countries from the displayed list and click Apply. Company contains (~) does not contain (!~) Enter text Direct manager is (=) is not (!=) Select a user assigned as a direct manager from the displayed list. License type is (=) is not (!=) Select a type of user license: Direct Partner Select an Action to implement when the event is triggered and the conditions are met. Add to user groups: Select one or more user groups to add the user to. When a new user is created that meets your designated conditions, they will be added to the selected group(s). Optionally, check Create another Automation Rule to start creating a new rule after you save this one. Click Save to enable the rule. Back to Top User details changed Respond dynamically to role or team changes by adjusting group membership in real-time. For example, if a user’s manager or region changes, you can automatically update their access to match their new responsibilities. From the Trigger Event dropdown, select User details changed. Under Properties, select one or more user properties that, when changed, will trigger the action. The available properties are: Country Language License type Direct manager Role Status In the User conditions field, set the parameters required to implement the actions in this rule. Use advanced filters to target specific users. Click here to reveal a table of available user attributes to filter by. This table details the available user attributes and the operators that can be used with them. Attribute Operators Description Email contains (~) does not contain (!~) Enter text Role is (=) is not (!=) Select a Showpad role: Admin Manager User Status is (=) is not (!=) Select the Showpad access status of the user: Active Deactivated Languages all any none Select one or more languages from the displayed list and click Apply. Countries all any none Select one or more countries from the displayed list and click Apply. Company contains (~) does not contain (!~) Enter text Direct manager is (=) is not (!=) Select a user assigned as a direct manager from the displayed list. License type is (=) is not (!=) Select a type of user license: Direct Partner Select an Action to implement when the event is triggered and the conditions are met. Add to user groups: Select one or more user groups to add the user to. When a user’s specified properties are changed, and they meet your designated conditions, they will be added to the selected group(s). Remove from user groups: Select one or more user groups to remove the user from. When a user’s specified properties are changed, and they meet your designated conditions, they will be removed from the selected group(s). Optionally, check Create another Automation Rule to start creating a new rule after you save this one. Click Save to enable the rule. Back to Top Scheduler Handle recurring tasks without lifting a finger by running automation on a set schedule. You can archive outdated content every month or apply governance rules regularly to keep your library clean and compliant. Note: During one execution of a scheduled rule, changes will apply to a maximum of 15,000 items. This is true even if more items qualify based on the rule settings. From the Trigger Event dropdown, select Scheduler. Then, under Libraries, optionally select one or more Divisions for this rule. If no Divisions are selected, the rule will apply to all Divisions. Under Occurrence, select the frequency at which you would like the action to occur. You can select Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or an Exact date. Reference the following table for details on each option. Occurrence Settings Daily Time AM/PM Time zone Weekly Day of the week Time AM/PM Time zone Monthly Relative monthly date: First day of the month Last day of the month First: Day of the week Second: Day of the week Third: Day of the week Fourth: Day of the week A date: Day of the month Time AM/PM Time zone Exact date Calendar-specific date Time AM/PM Time zone In the Conditions field, set the parameters required for the actions in this rule to be implemented. Use advanced filters to target specific files. Click here to reveal a table of available file attributes to filter by. This table details the available file attributes and the operators that can be used with them. The attributes are grouped into four themes: File, Data, Date, and Other. Theme Identifier Operators Description File File type is (=) is not (!=) Select one of the following file types: Document Photo Raw SCORM Video Audio Webapp URL File name contains (~) does not contain (!~) is (=) is not (!=) The value must: have at least 2 characters have no more than 64 characters be lowercase not include special characters File content contains (~) does not contain (!~) Allows you to search the content inside documents that have indexed text. The value must: have at least 5 characters be a single word. Extension is (=) is not (!=) Select a file extension from the list of supported file formats. Data Authors contains (~) does not contain (!~) Select one or more users from the displayed list. Languages all any none Select one or more languages from the displayed list. Countries all any none Select one or more countries from the displayed list. Permissions is (=) is not (!=) You can select one of the following permissions: Can be annotated Can be downloaded internally Restrict internal download PDF Can be downloaded externally Restrict external download PDF Only entire document is shareable Can be shared Can be personalized Page groups are enforced Global Show in Kiosk Mode Speaker notes enabled Tags all any none Select one or more tags from the displayed list. Type to search list. Date Added is (=) is not (!=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last uploaded is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last updated is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Expired is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Released is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last buyer activity is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) The date of the latest buyer activity. This includes views of emails, links, Shared Spaces, and downloads. Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Last seller activity is (=) is before (<) is after (>) is on or before (<=) is on or after (>=) is between (>=, <=) The date of the latest seller activity. This includes in-app views, Shares, downloads, and adding to Shared Spaces. Select a date: Exact date: Select a date from the calendar. Relative date: Set a number of days before or after the trigger event. Set a number of weeks before or after the trigger event. Set a number of months before or after the trigger event. With the is between (>=, <=) operator, select start and end dates from the calendars to set the range. With the is (=) or is not (!=) operator, you can select Empty. Other Description contains (~) does not contain (!~) Note: The value must have at least 5 characters and be a single word. External ID is (=) is not (!=) Note: The value must have at least 5 characters. Slug is (=) is not (!=) Note: The value must have at least 5 characters. Select an Action to implement when the event is triggered and the conditions are met. Archive content: The files that meet your selected conditions will be archived at your scheduled interval. Note: This action cannot be undone through Automation Rules. If set up incorrectly, it could result in all files in your Files library being archived. Review the rule carefully before saving to ensure it's accurate. Optionally, check Create another Automation Rule to start creating a new rule after you save this one. Click Save. Back to Top View, arrange, and enable or disable Automation Rules Rules are executed in the order they appear in this list, from top to bottom. On the Automation Rules page in Admin Settings, click a rule to expand the row and view the details. To reorder a rule in the list, click and hold the drag icon and drag the rule to a new location. You can also click the three dot menu and select Move up, Move down, Move to top, or Move to bottom. To toggle the rule on or off, click the three dot menu and select Disable or Enable. To search for a specific rule, click the magnifying glass icon to open the search field. Enter the name of a rule. The list of rules automatically updates as you type. Back to Top Edit or delete an Automation Rule Customize your Automation Rules to ensure a seamless workflow. On the Automation Rules page in Admin Settings, click the three dot menu on a rule row. You can select to edit or delete the rule. Select Edit to open the Automation Rule Builder and edit rule settings. Click Save when done. Select Delete to remove the rule from the list permanently. Confirm on the pop-up. Back to Top Review the automation audit log When a rule is executed, it’s recorded in the audit log for review. The log gives you detailed insight into the execution of scheduled Automation Rules. It helps you track activity, pinpoint successes and failures, and troubleshoot any issues. It shows which items were affected and what actions were taken, offering full transparency into rule outcomes. Select Audit Log from the Automation section in the Admin Settings menu to view a table of executed rules. The audit log table displays three columns: Rule name: The name of the automation rule Execution time: The date and time that the rule was executed. Status: The outcome of the executed rule. Can be one of four possible results: Success: All actions were completed successfully. Skipped: The rule or some of its actions were skipped. Mixed: Some actions were successful, while others failed or were skipped. Failed: The rule or some of its actions encountered errors. To view detailed information about a specific rule execution, click the caret icon to the left of the rule name. This expands the row to reveal: A status message: If the status is not Success, a message appears at the top, indicating the reason for the status. It will be in one of two colors: Yellow indicates Mixed or Skipped status. Red indicates Failed status. A list of affected items: Below the status message, a table shows the items affected by the rule (files, users, or Courses) and the actions performed on them. The columns are: Name: A thumbnail and the file, Course, or user name. Clicking the file or user name opens the item in its library. Failed Actions: Actions that failed for the item (displayed in red). Skipped Actions: Actions that were skipped for the item (displayed in yellow). Successful Actions: Actions that were successfully applied to the item (displayed in green). For more specific information about an action, hover your mouse over the action. A tooltip will appear, providing details such as specific added tags or updated permissions. If an Automation Rule affects a large number of items, the list will be paginated, with 10 items per page. Click a rule name to view the definition on the Automation Rules page. Back to Top Related articles 2025 Web apps and HTML content guidelines Unlink external assets and tags in the Content Library Download and install the Showpad application Prepare for the improved Chrome extension