Add to List and Triggers Reference

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.affinity.co/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

The Add to List and Triggers system enables you to build your pipeline efficiently while maintaining data quality through automated workflow prompts. This reference covers four interconnected features: Add to List (for adding entries), Status Triggers (required fields on status changes), Opportunity Triggers (automatic opportunity creation), and Required Fields (default fields when adding entries).

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Key Concepts and How It Works

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Add to List

What it is: Add to List allows you to quickly add existing people or companies from Affinity’s database to your current list directly from the sheet view.

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How it works

1. Click the ”+ Add” button at the top of any sheet
2. Search for the person or company using enhanced search
3. Select the entity from search results (duplicate warnings appear if already in list)
4. Complete any Required Fields that appear
5. The entry appears in your sheet immediately

Key capabilities:

• Smart search leveraging Global Search ranking algorithms
• Duplicate detection with “In this List” tags
• Enhanced search ranking based on name match, recent activity, connection strength

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Status Triggers

What it is: Status Triggers are automated workflow prompts that activate when you change a status field to a specific value, ensuring critical information is captured at key decision points.

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How it works

1. Admin configures which fields are required when moving to specific statuses
2. When you change an entry’s status to a trigger value (e.g., “Active” → “Due Diligence”), a modal automatically appears
3. You must fill all required fields before the status change saves
4. Entry updates with new status and required information

Key behaviors:

• Triggers only fire when status changes (not on every save)
• Cannot be bypassed - required fields must be completed
• One trigger configuration per status value
• Formula fields cannot be required (they auto-calculate)
• In New Lists: Consolidated modal combines with Opportunity Triggers for seamless experience

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Opportunity Triggers

What it is: Opportunity Triggers automatically create an Opportunity record when a deal progresses to a specific stage, ensuring every qualified deal has tracking for forecasting.

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How it works

1. Admin configures which status values should create opportunities (e.g., “Qualified” → creates opportunity)
2. When you change status to that value, opportunity creation modal appears
3. Modal pre-fills with information from source entry (name, owners, entity link)
4. You complete additional required fields
5. New opportunity is created in target opportunity list with automatic linking

What gets pre-filled:

• Name (derived from source entity)
• Link to source entity
• Owners
• Amount (if available) Key capabilities:
• Automatic linking back to source entity
• Target flexibility (different statuses can create opportunities in different lists)
• Cascades with Status Triggers (Status Trigger fires first, then Opportunity Trigger)

Configuration requirements:

• Target list must be type “Opportunity”
• Target list must be shared with users creating opportunities
• One opportunity list per status value
• Source and target lists cannot be the same

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Required Fields (Default Fields)

What it is: Required Fields ensure critical data is captured when adding entries to a list. Admins define global required fields (apply everywhere) and list-specific required fields (apply to specific lists only).

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How it works

1. Admins configure required fields in list settings
2. When you add an entity to that list, modal shows all required fields
3. Required fields marked with red asterisk (*)
4. Must complete all required fields before entity can be added

Types:

• Global required fields: Apply to all lists organization-wide
• List-specific required fields: Apply only to specific lists

Key behaviors:

• Required fields appear at top of modal for visibility
• Can be reordered by admins (drag and drop)
• Formula fields automatically excluded
• Enrichment fields can be required if manually editable
• In New Lists: Only required fields shown (not all optional fields), increasing focus

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Where Triggers Fire

Legend:

• ✅ = Fully supported
• ❌ = Not supported
• 🟡 = Partial support (Mobile: triggers fire only on first status when adding, not on subsequent status changes)

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CRUD - Create, Read, Update, Delete

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Add to List

Create (Add an entry):

1. Click ”+ Add” button at top of sheet
2. Search for entity (person or company)
3. Select from results
4. Complete Required Fields modal if appears
5. Entry added to list

Delete (Remove from list):

• Coming in future New Lists release
• Currently use Classic Lists to remove entries

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Status Triggers

Read:

• View configured triggers: List Options → Triggers → Status Triggers tab
• See all triggers for current list with status values and required fields
• Permissions: Only list owner and list admins can create/edit/delete Status Triggers

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Frequently Asked Questions

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General Questions

What happens if I cancel out of a trigger modal? The status change or add action is cancelled. The entity remains in its previous state, or the entry will not be added to the list. Can I edit required fields later? Yes. Required fields only enforce completion at the point of entry or status change. You can edit them anytime after. What if I don’t know the answer to a required field? You must complete all required fields to proceed. If unsure, add a placeholder note (like “TBD - follow up with Sarah”) and update later. Talk to your admin if a required field is consistently unclear. Can I add triggers to multiple lists at once? Not yet. You must add them to each list individually.

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Status Triggers

Can I have multiple Status Triggers on the same status? No. Each status value can only have one trigger configuration, but that trigger can require multiple fields. Do Status Triggers fire when I bulk import entries? No. Importing does not currently support required fields or triggered actions. What happens if the status field is deleted? All triggers associated with that status field are automatically deleted. Can I make the status field itself a required field in a Status Trigger? No. The status field cannot be a required field in its own trigger (would create a loop). The trigger fires because the status changed. Can Status Triggers require fields from related entities? No. Status Triggers can only require fields on the same entity. If triggering on a Company, you can only require Company fields, not fields from related People or Opportunities.

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Opportunity Triggers

Can one status create opportunities in multiple lists? No. Each status value can trigger to only one opportunity list. However, different statuses can trigger to different opportunity lists. What fields are automatically pre-filled in the opportunity? Name (derived from source entity), link to source entity, owners, and amount (if available). Can I create an opportunity without going through the trigger? Yes. Opportunity Triggers are just one way to create opportunities. You can always create opportunities manually. What happens if the target opportunity list is deleted? The trigger becomes inactive and users see an error. An admin must reconfigure the trigger to point to a different opportunity list. Does the opportunity link back to the source? Yes. Opportunities are automatically linked to the source entity that triggered their creation.

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Required Fields

Can I make global fields required for only some lists? No. Global required fields apply to all lists. Use list-specific required fields if you only want requirements on certain lists. Can I reorder required fields? Yes. In Default Fields settings, admins can drag and drop to reorder fields. The order determines how they display in the modal. Are required fields enforced through the API? No. At this time, required fields and Opportunity Triggers are not supported via the external API. Can I make enrichment fields required? Yes, as long as the field is editable. Auto-enriched fields that cannot be manually edited cannot be required. What happens if a required field is deleted? It’s automatically removed from the required fields list. No manual cleanup needed.

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Troubleshooting

Problem: “I can’t find the entity I want to add” Solutions:

• Try searching by different attributes (company name, person name, email, domain)
• Check if entity exists in Affinity at all (search in Global Search)
• Create the entity via Global Navigation or Classic Sheets if it doesn’t exist (New Lists entity creation coming soon) Problem: “The entity is already on this list but I need to add it again”

Solutions:

• Some workflows intentionally allow duplicates (e.g., tracking multiple touch points)
• Proceed with adding even with “In this List” tag or duplicate warning
• Consider if you really need a duplicate or should update existing entry instead Problem: “I added an entry but don’t see it in my view”

Solutions:

• Check your current filters - entry might not match and is filtered out
• Clear filters temporarily and search via Find in View to verify entry was added
• Refresh page to see entry appear in unfiltered view Problem: “A trigger is requiring a field that doesn’t make sense for this entry”

Solutions:

• Complete the trigger as best you can (use placeholder if needed)
• Provide feedback to your admin about why requirement doesn’t fit
• Admins can adjust trigger configuration based on team feedback

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Limitations

• Bulk add not yet available
• Current and existing triggers (previously created in classic Lists) will fire in new Lists
• Creating and editing new triggers can be done in classic Lists only (for now)