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Configuring Workflows

Enable a workflow and define its stages and actions

This guide shows you how to build a Workflow

on a Collection : enabling it, defining the Stages records pass through, and creating the Actions that move a record from one stage to the next. For what a workflow is and when to use one, start with Workflows.

You'll need Configure permission for this collection. If you're unsure, ask your System admin.

1. Enable the workflow

1. Open the collection's configuration

In the sidebar, right-click the collection and select Configure (or open the collection and use the options menu (⋯) at the top-right). Open the Workflow pane, under Setup.

2. Turn on stages

Turn on Enable workflow stages for this collection. The Stages and Actions section appears, ready for you to build your process.

2. Define your stages

Each stage is one phase of your process. Every collection starts with a single default stage, which you can rename.

1. Add a stage

Click Add Stage and give it a clear, action-oriented name - for example Submitted, In Review, Approved, Paid.

2. Give it a colour

Choose a colour for the stage. This is the chip colour shown on records and in lists, so pick colours that make progress easy to read at a glance.

3. Repeat for every phase

Add a stage for each phase of your process. Records will always sit at exactly one stage.

The first stage carries a Default badge - every new record starts here, and this stage cannot be deleted.

4. Choose which groups and lists the stage shows

After the stage is saved, click Edit and open Groups and Lists. Tick Details and Forms for each field group, list and child collection that should appear on records at this stage, then click Save.

New records start on the Default stage, so anything limited to a later stage is left out when you add a record. See Organise fields into groups and Choosing where a child collection shows.

3. Create actions to move records between stages

An Action is the button a user clicks to move a record to another stage. Without actions, a record has no way to progress.

1. Add an action to a stage

Within a stage, click to add an action and choose the target stage it moves records to.

2. Name and colour it

On the General tab, set the action's Label (for example Approve, Reject, Send to Production) and its Colour. The label and colour are what users see on the button.

3. Add more actions where a stage can branch

If a stage can progress in more than one direction, add an action for each route - for example an Approve action and a Request Revision action on the same In Review stage.

Action tabs in depth

Editing an action gives you tabs for the finer detail:

  • General - the label, form title, colour, and whether the action opens a guided multi-page form.
  • Permissions - who is allowed to perform this action (see section 5).
  • Fields - the fields a user updates when performing the action, plus any additional fields captured only for this transition (these are logged as an activity).
  • Lists - collection-list items (such as line items) a user can add while performing the action.
  • Signatures - whether a signature is required before the action can complete, and from whom.
  • Validation - rules that must pass first. A warning shows a message but still allows the change; an error blocks it.
  • Notifications - whether a Notification is sent when the action runs, and to whom. This creates a Stage Change automation behind the scenes - see Automations.

4. How a stage change works for users

When a user clicks a move on a record's Details tab, Kinabase opens a confirmation before anything changes.

The confirmation asks the user to confirm the move (for example, "Are you sure you want to change this record to Approved?"). If the action requires extra fields, signatures, or list items, the user completes those here first. Where the action will set off automations, the confirmation previews how many will run.

Actions are filtered by permission, so a user only sees the moves they're allowed to use. Permission to change stage is separate from permission to edit the record's fields.

  • If only one move is permitted, it appears as its own labelled button.
  • If several moves are permitted, they sit under a Next stage button with no default, so you choose the next stage rather than accepting one. Each choice shows a small coloured square that matches the target stage.
  • If the two permitted moves read as a pair such as Approve and Reject, they appear as two buttons.

If the record view is narrow, those stage actions sit on their own row beside the current stage. If a stage change cannot run yet, it stays listed with a lock and the reason. Automations you can run from the record sit under the Actions button and in the Info panel, tagged Form when they open a form.

Some transitions can be marked as irreversible; the confirmation then warns that the change cannot be undone.

5. Set per-stage permissions

By default, who can view and edit a record does not depend on its stage. When you need that to change - for example, locking a record once it reaches Approved - use per-stage permissions.

Permissions are configured in the collection's Permissions pane, under Security. You'll need Configure permission for the collection.

1. Open the Permissions pane

In the collection's configuration, open Permissions. Alongside the Default tab you'll see one tab per stage.

2. Override a stage

Open a stage's tab and turn on Custom permissions. The stage now uses the record permissions you set here instead of the Default ones, but only for records currently at that stage.

For a full explanation of roles and permission levels, see Assign Roles and Permissions.

6. See stages on records and in views

Once configured, the current stage shows as a coloured chip on each record and as a column in your tables. Stage history is kept in the record's Info panel, under History.

To review a collection stage by stage, open the list and select Group by → Stage. Records cluster under their current stage, giving you a stage-by-stage breakdown you can scan quickly.

Grouping by stage clusters records within the Table and Side by side displays. To see each stage as a column, use a Kanban view instead - see Using Kanban Views.

Guided multi-page forms for a stage change

When a stage change needs several fields, list entries, or signatures, turn the action into a guided multi-page form so users complete it step by step.

  1. Edit the action and, on its General tab, turn on Use multi-page form, then open the form layout editor.
  2. Click Add Page and give each page a title and, optionally, an icon and instructions.
  3. On each page, assign the record fields, additional fields, and lists you want completed there. Fields must first be selected on the action's Fields tab before they appear here.
  4. Save the action. Any enabled field not yet placed on a page is flagged, and empty pages are removed automatically.

When a user performs the action, the form opens as a pop-up with a sidebar listing every page. A validation summary flags issues across all pages with links straight to the field, and progress is saved automatically to the browser in case the page is refreshed. In a Portal

, the same form opens full-screen with a progress bar, optimised for mobile.

7. Best practices

Start with the essentials

Define your core stages and actions first, then layer on validation, signatures and notifications as your process matures.

Test with a real record

Run a record through every stage to confirm each action, permission and validation rule behaves as you expect.

Check who can transition

Review action permissions regularly so only authorised colleagues can perform critical transitions such as approvals.

Need more help? Ask your System admin, or contact our support team via Help & Support.

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