Trigger chains connect multiple automation actions into a dependable sequence. After one run finishes, a trigger can start another run automatically based on a condition or schedule.

Trigger Chain Concepts

A trigger chain is composed of:

• Source project — the first automation that completes successfully
• Trigger condition — the rule that decides whether to continue
• Target project or command — the next step in the chain
• Payload — variables passed from the source to the target

This pattern is used for daily price monitoring, social media reporting, and multi-stage data pipelines.

Trigger Categories

Trigger chains are configured in the RTILA X UI. The editor can discuss trigger chains, but it cannot generate trigger chain configurations as project JSON.

RTILA X supports triggers across these categories:

• Project Execution: launch_project, webhook_out
• Data Sources: file_watch
• Validation: validate
• Data Transformation: transform
• Flow Control: if, parallel
• APIs / Webhooks: rest_api, graphql_api, soap_api
• Cloud Storage: aws_s3, gcp_storage, azure_blob
• Databases: postgresql, mysql, mongodb
• Email: send_email
• File Formats: export_to_file, convert_format, compress_file, parquet_export, xml_processing, jsonl_export
• File Transfer: sftp, ftps, webdav
• Messaging Queues: rabbitmq, kafka, aws_sqs
• Spreadsheets: google_sheets, excel
• BI Tools: power_bi, tableau, slack_webhook, teams_webhook, generic_webhook
• ITSM / PM / ERP: jira, servicenow, sap_http
• Cloud Platforms: azure_data_factory, dataiku, airflow
• Additional BI: qlik_sense, superset, looker_studio, microstrategy
• Cloud Warehouses: snowflake, bigquery, databricks, mssql, oracle
• Data Stores: redis, elasticsearch, teradata, sybase

Each trigger type has its own configuration object in the RTILA X UI, but they all share the same core idea: when condition X occurs, execute Y.

Variable Syntax in Triggers

Triggers use single-brace {variable} syntax. Unlike command parameters, which use ${variable}, triggers never include the dollar sign.

RTILA X does not include a variable_change trigger type. For automations that should respond to new data appearing upstream, use the file_watch trigger. It monitors a directory for new files and can launch the next project or transform step when a matching file is detected.

Scheduling with Triggers

Scheduling is configured through RTILA X’s project or trigger chain schedule settings in the UI, not through a trigger type inside project JSON. For example, you can monitor an auction every ten minutes or run a weekly report every Friday morning.

Remote Execution

Remote execution triggers allow you to send trigger chain results to an external system over HTTP. Use the webhook_out trigger type to POST results to a dashboard, CI pipeline, or chat-based assistant.

{
  "trigger": {
    "type": "webhook_out",
    "url": "https://example.com/rtila-events",
    "method": "POST"
  }
}

Post-Processing

After a run completes, post-processing commands can transform outputs, save results to PocketBase, send notifications, or call external APIs. Trigger chains often point to a post-processing script that manages this final step.

Try It Yourself

Run all five Trigger Chains scenarios. They demonstrate variable event triggers, scheduled checks, webhook handling, post-processing commands, and multi-step chain behavior.