ManualTrigger NodeTypeCode: manual-trigger

When to Use

• HR-initiated onboarding: An HR manager clicks "Run" in FlowStudio, supplies a new hire's name, role, department, and start date, and the workflow automatically provisions accounts, sends welcome emails, and schedules orientation meetings — without touching any downstream system manually.
• Ad-hoc invoice generation: An accounts manager needs to generate an out-of-cycle invoice for a project milestone. They trigger the invoice workflow via the portal API from the internal billing tool, supply client ID and line items, and the workflow creates the PDF, emails the client, and logs it in the ERP.
• On-demand report runs: A regional director needs a custom revenue report before a board meeting. They trigger the report workflow via the FlowStudio UI, specify date ranges and regions, and receive the formatted Excel and PDF reports within minutes.
• Developer testing and debugging: A developer building a new notification workflow triggers it manually during development, passing synthetic customer data as the input body. They inspect each node's output in real time on the canvas without needing a full integration test environment.
• Application-embedded triggers: An internal procurement portal has a "Submit Purchase Request" button that calls the workflow API endpoint directly, passing the purchase details. BizFirst initiates the approval chain immediately.

Configuration

The ManualTrigger node requires no configuration. There are no settings fields. It is the simplest trigger node in the system.

Output Ports

Output Fields

The ManualTrigger passes InputData through unchanged. All fields in the JSON body posted to the trigger API (or provided in the FlowStudio "Run" dialog) are available as output fields on the main port.

Sample Configuration

Example API invocation

POST https://app.bizfirstai.com/api/workflows/{workflowId}/execute
Authorization: Bearer <api_token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "employeeId": "EMP-00293",
  "firstName": "Sarah",
  "lastName": "Mitchell",
  "department": "Engineering",
  "role": "Senior Software Engineer",
  "startDate": "2026-06-02",
  "managerId": "EMP-00105"
}

Sample Output

Success Port — Workflow Triggered

{
  "triggeredBy": {
    "userId": "usr_admin_001",
    "name": "Sarah Kim",
    "email": "s.kim@company.com",
    "role": "WorkflowAdmin"
  },
  "triggeredAt": "2025-03-15T08:00:00Z",
  "triggerMethod": "manual",
  "inputData": {
    "targetMonth": "2025-03",
    "reportType": "monthly_summary",
    "includeSubsidiaries": true
  },
  "executionId": "exec_20250315_001",
  "workflowId": "wf_monthly_report"
}

Expression Reference

Node Policies & GuardRails

Pattern Examples

Pattern 1 — Employee Onboarding from HR Portal

The HR system calls the workflow API when a new hire is added. The ManualTrigger receives the employee record and routes it through provisioning, notifications, and HR system updates.

// API call from HR system
POST /api/workflows/wf-onboarding-v2/execute
{
  "employeeId": "EMP-00412",
  "firstName": "James",
  "lastName": "Okafor",
  "email": "james.okafor@company.com",
  "role": "Product Manager",
  "department": "Product",
  "startDate": "2026-06-09",
  "managerId": "EMP-00088",
  "officeLocation": "London"
}

// Downstream VariableAssignment — build display name
{
  "VariableName": "employeeFullName",
  "ValueExpression": "{{ $output.manualTrigger.firstName }} {{ $output.manualTrigger.lastName }}"
}

Pattern 2 — On-Demand Report Generation

A director triggers a custom revenue report from the FlowStudio UI, specifying the reporting period and regions. The workflow queries the data warehouse, formats the report, and emails it.

// FlowStudio Run dialog input
{
  "reportType": "revenue_summary",
  "dateFrom": "2026-04-01",
  "dateTo": "2026-06-30",
  "regions": ["EMEA", "APAC"],
  "recipientEmail": "director@company.com",
  "format": "pdf"
}

// Downstream IfCondition — validate date range
{
  "Condition": "{{ $output.manualTrigger.dateFrom }} < {{ $output.manualTrigger.dateTo }}"
}

Pattern 3 — Debugging a New Workflow with Synthetic Data

A developer triggers a payment processing workflow with a synthetic payload to test the happy path, then again with a missing field to verify the error port behaviour.

// Test case 1 — happy path
{
  "paymentId": "PAY-TEST-001",
  "amount": 9500,
  "currency": "USD",
  "customerId": "CUST-TEST-099",
  "orderId": "ORD-TEST-555"
}

// Test case 2 — missing customerId to test validation
{
  "paymentId": "PAY-TEST-002",
  "amount": 500,
  "currency": "GBP"
}