In this lesson you’ll learn:
- How to add an action step
- How to connect your external apps to Keragon
- How to map data between steps
- How to test that your action works
Introduction
In the previous lesson, we added a trigger that starts our workflow when a patient submits a form in Jotform.
Now we'll complete our workflow by adding an action: create a new patient in DrChrono.
The Easiest Way to Add an Action: Use the Chat
Just like with triggers, the fastest way to add an action is through the chat panel on the left.
Type something like:
"When a new Jotform submission is received, create a patient in DrChrono."
The chat will:
- Suggest the correct action
- Update your workflow automatically
- Add the step to the canvas
Click Update workflow and the action step will appear. This is the recommended way to build.
Manual Option: Add an Action from the Canvas
If you prefer building manually:
- Click the + icon below your trigger step
- Search for the app (e.g., DrChrono)
- Select the action (e.g., Create patient)
The action step will appear in your workflow.
You can also use helpers and logic actions
- Helpers perform specific tasks such as formatting text (e.g., changing case), manipulating dates (e.g., converting time zones), and handling numbers (e.g., rounding values).
- Logic actions are used to control the flow of your workflow. They include conditions (if this, then that), loops (repeat an action), and delays (wait for a certain period).
These advanced actions won't be covered in this course.
Connecting your account
Connect your DrChrono account to allow Keragon to perform actions on your behalf — such as creating patients or updating appointments. The steps are the same as connecting your trigger account, so we won't repeat them here.
Configuring the action inputs
Now it's time to set up the inputs for your action step. This is where you specify how the information collected from the trigger should be used in the action. We call this data mapping.
What is data mapping?
Data mapping is connecting the dots between the information you collect and where it needs to go. For example, if your form collects a patient's name, email, and gender, you'll map those fields to the corresponding fields in your EHR.
How to map data?
Click any input field and a dropdown appears listing all available data from previous steps. Find what you need by expanding the step or using the search box.Back to our workflow…
Going back to our scenario, once a patient submits their form, we want to create a new patient record in the EHR. We’ll map the form fields First name, Last name, email and Sex to the corresponding inputs in DrChrono's Create patient action.
Testing the step
Finally, we can verify that our action works as expected by clicking on the Test step button. Once we click that the action will be fired immediately!
What if the test fails? Don't panic. Check the Error tab for any messages from the app and fix the issues before retesting. If the message isn't clear, click Explain error for additional hints.
You can also describe the error in the chat panel (left side). The AI can help you understand what went wrong and suggest a fix.
Still stuck? Click Get help (top right) and select Workflow assistance to reach the support team.
Try it yourself
Using the chat, describe the full automation you want to build:
"When a new Jotform submission is received, create a patient in DrChrono."
Once the action step is added, map the form fields to the DrChrono inputs and run a test. When the test passes, you're ready for the next lesson.
Next lesson
In this lesson we learned how to add, configure and test an action. You can now jump to the next lesson in which we’ll publish our workflow and see it in action!