Architecture of an event

In this module, we will learn what events are and how they work.

The data flow that powers your automation 

If actions are the workers in your automation story, then events are the messages they pass between each other. Events are the lifeblood of your Tines workflows carrying vital information from one step to the next and ensuring everyone's on the same page.

What makes events special? 

Events are more than just data packets they're intelligent carriers of information that:

  • Preserve context from previous steps

  • Build a complete picture as they flow through your story

  • Create an audit trail of exactly what happened and when

  • Enable decisions based on accumulated information

Imagine a relay race where the baton (event) not only gets passed from runner to runner but also records everything that happens along the way. By the end of the race, that baton contains the complete story of the journey!

Inside an event: The anatomy of information flow 

Events in Tines have several important characteristics:

Structured data: Information you can use 

Events contain data in *JSON format think of it as a digital container with clearly labeled compartments. Each piece of information has a name (key) and a value, making it easy to find exactly what you need.

💡 *JSON: explained 

💡Note

Complete history: Nothing gets lost 

As events flow through your story, they accumulate information. Each action adds its contribution, creating a growing record of everything that's happened so far.

This means that action #5 in your story can still access data that was generated by action #1 nothing gets lost along the way!

Timestamps: When things happened 

Every event is stamped with the exact time it was created, giving you a precise chronology of your automation. This is invaluable for:

  • Troubleshooting issues

  • Measuring performance

  • Creating time-based reports

Immutability: Trustworthy records 

Once created, events cannot be changed they're immutable records of what happened. This creates a reliable audit trail that you can trust for security investigations, compliance reporting, and process verification.

Event data in action: A real example 

Here's what event data actually looks like in Tines:

{
  "kickoff": [
    {
      "email": "johndoe@example.com",
      "name": "John Doe",
      "ip": "192.168.1.1"
    },
    {
      "email": "lousmith@example.com",
      "name": "Lou Smith",
      "ip": "192.168.1.2"
    },
    {
      "email": "mike@example.com",
      "name": "Mike Smith",
      "ip": "192.168.1.3"
    },
    {
      "email": "franklinthomas@example.com",
      "name": "Franklin Thomas",
      "ip": "192.168.1.4"
    },
    {
      "email": "janedoe@example.com",
      "name": "Jane Doe",
      "ip": "192.168.1.5"
    },
    {
      "email": "gerg@example.com",
      "name": "Greg Smith",
      "ip": "192.168.1.6"
    }
  ]
}

This event contains a list of users with their email addresses, names, and IP addresses information that subsequent actions can use to make decisions or perform tasks.

The power of event data: Making your automation smart 

Event data isn't just for passing information it's what makes your automation intelligent and adaptive:

Creating Decision trees 

Events allow your story to make decisions based on what's happened so far. For example:

  • If an HTTP request returns a status code of 200 (success), continue with the normal process

  • If it returns a 404 (not found), trigger a different path to handle the missing resource

  • If it returns a 500 (server error), alert the IT team and retry later

This branching logic turns your automation from a simple sequence into an intelligent workflow that can handle different scenarios.

Transforming information 

As events flow through your story, you can transform their data to suit your needs:

  • Extract specific pieces of information from complex responses

  • Format data to match the requirements of different systems

  • Calculate new values based on existing information

  • Sort, filter, or group items in a list

💡 Real-world example: An event containing a list of security alerts can be transformed to extract just the high-severity items, sort them by timestamp, and format them into a concise report for your security team.

Building dynamic responses 

The accumulated event data allows your automation to create personalized, context-aware responses:

  • Send notifications that include relevant details from earlier steps

  • Generate reports that combine information from multiple sources

  • Create tickets with complete context about the triggering issue

  • Update records with comprehensive information about a process

Seeing events in action 

The best way to understand events is to watch them flow through your story. In Tines, you can:

  • View the exact event data at each step in your workflow

  • Track how information transforms as it moves through actions

  • Identify exactly where and how data is being used

This visibility gives you unprecedented insight into your automation, making it easier to build, troubleshoot, and optimize your workflows.

In the next section, we'll explore how to work with event data using Tines' powerful formula capabilities, allowing you to manipulate information in sophisticated ways as it flows through your stories!

Example: modifying event data 

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