Database-independent (Context aware) automation buttons

Ideas & Features Automations
1

I’d like to propose a feature that would significantly improve efficiency in Fibery:
Database-Independent, Context-Aware Automation Buttons that are always accessible wherever we are in Fibery.

Current tensions:

  1. Inefficiency: Currently, if an automation is relevant to multiple databases, it has to be added to each database separately. For example I have 50 databases in a space. This is not only time-consuming but also increases the risk of inconsistencies, and when the automation need to be adjusted, I have to adjust it 50 times for each database.
  2. Not availabe outside of entities: When on a views page (list, table, board, form, etc.), there’s no way to have generic automation buttons do something.
  3. Workflow interruption: Navigating to specific entities to access certain automations interrupts the workflow and adds unnecessary cognitive load. The absence of such a feature makes the platform less user-friendly for particular straight-forward actions.

The Solution:

Database-Independent but Context-Aware Automation Buttons that are always accessible from:

  1. the left navigation bar, which is the only persistent area in the current UI,
  2. or for example included in the top left area of a panel where the search icon is, which that is the only partly-persistent (entity independent) element on entity pages.

These buttons would be smart enough to adapt to the user’s current activity or the entity they are viewing.

Examples:

  1. Quick Task Creation: A context-aware “New Task” button popup that pre-fills the task with information related to the current entity or user. If the entity has not task relation field, just create an internal link to the entity.
  2. Time Tracking: A “Start Timer” button that links time tracking to the current entity being viewed.
  3. Team Communication: A “Send Update” button that includes a link or snapshot of the current entity in the message.
  4. Feedback Generation: A “Submit Feedback” button that captures a screenshot or details of the current entity for more effective feedback.
  5. Idea Submission: An “Idea Submission” button that associates the idea with the current project or entity being viewed.
  6. Persistent custom menu with context-aware automation buttons. A persistent custom direct link menu is often needed when we navigate to do things. We can add automation buttons to such custom menu.

And event-triggered: This would likely be implemented as entity-independent automations wich allow event-triggered actions as well as buttons.

2

In a Table view you can select multiple (or all) entities, then run a Button automation on all of them. But this is limited to entities in a single DB, visible in a Table view.

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3

Sorry I had typo’s in my description. I meant databases, not individual entities. Thus I mean:

  1. Inefficiency: Currently, if an automation is relevant to multiple databases, it has to be added to each database separately. For example I have 50 databases in a space. This is not only time-consuming but also increases the risk of inconsistencies, and when the automation need to be adjusted, I have to adjust it 50 times for each database.

(I corrected the description, thanks)

4

At the moment, an automation lives in a specific database, which has two implications:

  • it can only be triggered by and/or perform actions on the entities in that database (or entities linked to them)
  • if it is a button, it will only show up on views where the entities from this database are found

So I am not 100% clear on what you mean by

Is the problem that you want an automation to be able to carry out the same actions in multiple different databases, or do you mean that you want buttons to be visible/clickable in many locations (not just from entities within a specific database)?

Your specific examples seem to mostly relate to the latter.