Services for Businesses
Workflow Automation
Automating routine tasks to save your team time, allowing them to focus on what really matters.Workflow Design
Optimizing processes for greater efficiency. We look for bottlenecks and create improvements.Data & Systems Integration
Securely, automatically and continuously moving data between databases or systems for seamless transitions and syncs.AI Tools for Teams
Integrating AI to enhance your team's capabilities and increase their capacity.Training Content for Teams
Educating your team to use their new systems effectively and intelligently.
Integrations for Product Teams
Seamlessly connect your app to popular automation platforms, boosting user retention while reducing churn.
We'll support this integration with clear tutorials that empower customers to solve problems on their own, freeing your team from routine support requests.
Xray Blog
Automation is no longer a luxury—it's essential for staying competitive in a fast-paced business environment.
This guide concludes our three-part series on maximizing Knack's potential for your business. In Part 1, we showed you how to quickly create a custom app using Knack's templates, establishing the foundation for your project management system. Part 2 expanded on this by demonstrating how to build a client-facing portal, giving your customers direct access to submit requests and view project updates.
Now, in this final installment, we'll elevate your Knack app to its full potential by implementing powerful no-code automations. You'll discover how to transform your meticulously designed app into an intelligent system that connects seamlessly with tools your team already uses—all without writing a single line of code.
Let's explore how Knack's built-in automation tools can streamline workflows, eliminate repetitive tasks, and create a truly dynamic business solution.
Knack Flows: versatile automations connected to hundreds of apps
First, let’s explore Flows. With Flows, you can build custom automated workflows that connect your Knack app with hundreds of popular SaaS tools, including HubSpot, Jira, Slack, and Quickbooks.
You can see a full list of Knack’s integrations here.
To get started with Flows, we’ll build a simple automation connected to Slack.
When a client submits a new request, the automated Flow will send a preconfigured message in Slack containing the request’s details and a link where we can view it.
Creating a new flow and configuring a trigger
Start by going to Flows in your Knack dashboard.
Create a new flow from scratch.
If you’ve ever built no-code automations in apps like Zapier, Make, or Airtable, then the setup here will be quite familiar.
First, you need to pick a trigger app and event that will prompt your automation to run. In our case, that will happen in Knack - although you can also choose triggers in external apps, too.
The specific event will be “Record created”.
Then you need to pick the Knack app that this flow should be connected to. For us, that’s our “Project Manager” app. In case you missed it, you can see how to build this app step by step in our previous posts (Part 1 | Part 2)
Finally, pick the specific table to watch – “Client requests”.
The exact settings you need to configure will vary for each trigger, but this is typically what you’ll be doing – identifying what information to watch and where to watch for it.
Once your trigger is configured, click “Continue” to begin setting up your first automated action.
Adding an automated action: Send a message in Slack
For the action, select Slack as your destination app and choose "Send a message to a public channel" as the action.
If this is your first time connecting to Slack, you'll need to authorize the connection. Click “Add linked app” to create a new Slack connection.
Give the linked app a name.
Then, click ‘Grant Access’.
This will redirect you to Slack, where you can authorize Knack to access your account. You might see a warning that Knack isn't approved by Slack, but this is normal for integration providers, and isn’t a cause for alarm.
Just choose a default channel to post to, and select “Allow”.
You’ll be redirected back to Knack, where you can now select your linked app and continue to configure your automated action.
Configuring an automated action: combining static and dynamic data
When you set up an automated action in a Knack flow, you’ll usually need to identify where you want to perform the action, and what content you’re going to create or update.
In this case, that means we need to pick a channel and compose a message.
For our example, we’ll go with the “tutorials” channel, and write a message about the newly added request under attachments > Text message.
When configuring automated actions in Knack flows, the key is to make use of both static and dynamic data.
You can use static text to write the templated portions of a message, email, or record.
But you can also pull in dynamic data retrieved by the trigger, or earlier steps in the automation. This means you can pull in the actual client name, project name, and request summary from each newly created request.
Just click anywhere within a text field, and you’ll see dynamic data or variables retrieved from the trigger and each automated step.
We’ll add in dynamic data for the client name (identifier), the project name, and the request summary.
Adding a dynamic URL to the automated action
We’d also like to add a link to the record, but there isn’t a specific piece of data with a record URL. However, that’s not an issue; we can construct a URL based on the record’s ID.
Open your app and sign in as a Project Manager. Then, open the “Edit Client request” page for any record in your Client Requests table. Copy the URL from the beginning through the final forward slash (before a long string of characters).
Paste it into your message, and add the Record ID variable after the slash.
Finally, you can use a bit of Slack markdown syntax to embed the link directly into your message text.
Just use this format:
<URL|your text>
This creates a clickable link that takes project managers directly to the specific request details.
Once your action is all set, click Save.
You can add several automations to a single Flow if you’d like, but we’ll just stick with this one action for now.
Activating and testing your flow
When your automation is all set, click on “Start” to turn it on.
For now, you can only run tests on automations with webhook triggers. In the future, we’d like to see the testing options expanded.
But in the meantime, you can always just run a manual test.
Log in as your test client and submit a new request to trigger the automation.
After a moment, you should receive a new Slack message about the new request, exactly as we configured it.
Clicking on the link should take you right to the new request, which you can easily review, edit, and approve.
Taking your automated flows further in Knack
What we just showed you is only scratching the surface of Knack's automation capabilities.
You could take this much further. For instance, let’s say you’re automating your customer and vendor onboarding.
You could have each vendor submit a form with their company details and tax documents, with Knack validating each submission as it comes in.
Then, your flow could trigger a series of automated actions: sending a welcome email, syncing vendor information to QuickBooks or Xero for invoicing, and even creating a self-service portal account.
The entire process integrates with tools you already use - email platforms, accounting software, payment processors like Stripe, and team communication tools like Slack.
This is the real power of Knack - connecting your data, forms, and business logic in one seamless system
Build Knack apps and automations with XRay.Tech
Need help building automated systems for your company but don't have the time to do it yourself? XRay specializes in creating custom solutions with Knack and dozens of other no-code platforms.
We've helped businesses of all sizes build powerful tools that save thousands of hours of manual work.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to get started. We'll discuss your specific challenges, and determine your best options for automating and optimizing your company’s workflows.
Automating simple actions and notifications with “Tasks”
Let’s wrap up this guide by building an automated Task connected to this app.
In Knack, a Task is different from a Flow. While Flows can connect to other apps – and don’t necessarily have to include a Knack app at all – Tasks will only automate actions with Knack, or send an email.
They’re also triggered on a set schedule, rather than running based on specific events.
As an example, let’s build a task that sends out reminders once a week for any task that has not yet been started.
We’ll just quickly make sure to add a “Not Started” status to the Tasks table first.
Creating a new automated Task
To create a new automated Task in Knack, select “Tasks”, then add a new task.
Give your task a name, and choose a schedule for it to run on.
Then, choose an action to perform. We’ll choose “Send a custom email”. You can also use Tasks to update or insert records in Knack.
Configure the email with the sender’s name, and a recipient. By selecting “Field” instead of “Custom”, you can dynamically assign a recipient retrieved from each record.
You’ll see any valid email address fields in the table show up in the dropdown. We’ll pick the team member’s email address. This way, the alert will be sent to the assignee for the task.
Then, we’ll enter a brief subject, pulling in some data from the record by clicking on the brackets.
Next, we’ll compose a message, using some more dynamic data retrieved from the record.
Finally, under “Conditions”, you can set specific criteria that the task will run for. In our case, we’ll only run this for records whose “Status” is set to “Not started”.
Once you’re all set with your task, click “Save”.
Testing your task
The task will run automatically on the next scheduled day and time.
But if you’d like to try it out right away, you can just click on the Task menu, select “Run”, and click on “Run this task”.
When you check your email inbox, you should see a new alert about a task that hasn’t been started yet.
Building up an automated infrastructure over time
Knack's automation capabilities transform what would otherwise be a static database into a dynamic, responsive system that works for you around the clock. Whether you're using Flows to connect your app with external tools like Slack, QuickBooks, and HubSpot, or implementing scheduled Tasks to handle routine operations, these no-code automation tools put enterprise-level functionality within reach of any team.
The examples we've shown are just the beginning—as you become more familiar with these features, you'll discover countless ways to optimize your workflows, reduce manual intervention, and create a more efficient operation. Start small with simple notification automations like we demonstrated, then gradually expand your automation ecosystem as you see the benefits unfold. With Knack's no-code approach, powerful automation is finally accessible to everyone, regardless of technical background.
To get started with Knack, just check out go.xray.tech/knack
Need help building custom Knack solutions for your business? Schedule a free consultation call with our team of no-code experts.
Looking for short-term support or collaboration on your low-code project? With LowCodeEngineers, you can learn and build with vetted experts on a flexible hourly basis.
Learn more about LowCodeEngineersNot sure where to start?
Case Studies
FMSC engaged XRay.Tech to streamline and improve their organization’s Airtable implementation. They needed a partner portal to allow direct communication about logistics, and they needed a simplified system that their team could manage and update themselves without requiring long-term support.
See the ROIXray Blog
Automation is no longer a luxury—it's essential for staying competitive in a fast-paced business environment.
This guide concludes our three-part series on maximizing Knack's potential for your business. In Part 1, we showed you how to quickly create a custom app using Knack's templates, establishing the foundation for your project management system. Part 2 expanded on this by demonstrating how to build a client-facing portal, giving your customers direct access to submit requests and view project updates.
Now, in this final installment, we'll elevate your Knack app to its full potential by implementing powerful no-code automations. You'll discover how to transform your meticulously designed app into an intelligent system that connects seamlessly with tools your team already uses—all without writing a single line of code.
Let's explore how Knack's built-in automation tools can streamline workflows, eliminate repetitive tasks, and create a truly dynamic business solution.
Knack Flows: versatile automations connected to hundreds of apps
First, let’s explore Flows. With Flows, you can build custom automated workflows that connect your Knack app with hundreds of popular SaaS tools, including HubSpot, Jira, Slack, and Quickbooks.
You can see a full list of Knack’s integrations here.
To get started with Flows, we’ll build a simple automation connected to Slack.
When a client submits a new request, the automated Flow will send a preconfigured message in Slack containing the request’s details and a link where we can view it.
Creating a new flow and configuring a trigger
Start by going to Flows in your Knack dashboard.
Create a new flow from scratch.
If you’ve ever built no-code automations in apps like Zapier, Make, or Airtable, then the setup here will be quite familiar.
First, you need to pick a trigger app and event that will prompt your automation to run. In our case, that will happen in Knack - although you can also choose triggers in external apps, too.
The specific event will be “Record created”.
Then you need to pick the Knack app that this flow should be connected to. For us, that’s our “Project Manager” app. In case you missed it, you can see how to build this app step by step in our previous posts (Part 1 | Part 2)
Finally, pick the specific table to watch – “Client requests”.
The exact settings you need to configure will vary for each trigger, but this is typically what you’ll be doing – identifying what information to watch and where to watch for it.
Once your trigger is configured, click “Continue” to begin setting up your first automated action.
Adding an automated action: Send a message in Slack
For the action, select Slack as your destination app and choose "Send a message to a public channel" as the action.
If this is your first time connecting to Slack, you'll need to authorize the connection. Click “Add linked app” to create a new Slack connection.
Give the linked app a name.
Then, click ‘Grant Access’.
This will redirect you to Slack, where you can authorize Knack to access your account. You might see a warning that Knack isn't approved by Slack, but this is normal for integration providers, and isn’t a cause for alarm.
Just choose a default channel to post to, and select “Allow”.
You’ll be redirected back to Knack, where you can now select your linked app and continue to configure your automated action.
Configuring an automated action: combining static and dynamic data
When you set up an automated action in a Knack flow, you’ll usually need to identify where you want to perform the action, and what content you’re going to create or update.
In this case, that means we need to pick a channel and compose a message.
For our example, we’ll go with the “tutorials” channel, and write a message about the newly added request under attachments > Text message.
When configuring automated actions in Knack flows, the key is to make use of both static and dynamic data.
You can use static text to write the templated portions of a message, email, or record.
But you can also pull in dynamic data retrieved by the trigger, or earlier steps in the automation. This means you can pull in the actual client name, project name, and request summary from each newly created request.
Just click anywhere within a text field, and you’ll see dynamic data or variables retrieved from the trigger and each automated step.
We’ll add in dynamic data for the client name (identifier), the project name, and the request summary.
Adding a dynamic URL to the automated action
We’d also like to add a link to the record, but there isn’t a specific piece of data with a record URL. However, that’s not an issue; we can construct a URL based on the record’s ID.
Open your app and sign in as a Project Manager. Then, open the “Edit Client request” page for any record in your Client Requests table. Copy the URL from the beginning through the final forward slash (before a long string of characters).
Paste it into your message, and add the Record ID variable after the slash.
Finally, you can use a bit of Slack markdown syntax to embed the link directly into your message text.
Just use this format:
<URL|your text>
This creates a clickable link that takes project managers directly to the specific request details.
Once your action is all set, click Save.
You can add several automations to a single Flow if you’d like, but we’ll just stick with this one action for now.
Activating and testing your flow
When your automation is all set, click on “Start” to turn it on.
For now, you can only run tests on automations with webhook triggers. In the future, we’d like to see the testing options expanded.
But in the meantime, you can always just run a manual test.
Log in as your test client and submit a new request to trigger the automation.
After a moment, you should receive a new Slack message about the new request, exactly as we configured it.
Clicking on the link should take you right to the new request, which you can easily review, edit, and approve.
Taking your automated flows further in Knack
What we just showed you is only scratching the surface of Knack's automation capabilities.
You could take this much further. For instance, let’s say you’re automating your customer and vendor onboarding.
You could have each vendor submit a form with their company details and tax documents, with Knack validating each submission as it comes in.
Then, your flow could trigger a series of automated actions: sending a welcome email, syncing vendor information to QuickBooks or Xero for invoicing, and even creating a self-service portal account.
The entire process integrates with tools you already use - email platforms, accounting software, payment processors like Stripe, and team communication tools like Slack.
This is the real power of Knack - connecting your data, forms, and business logic in one seamless system
Build Knack apps and automations with XRay.Tech
Need help building automated systems for your company but don't have the time to do it yourself? XRay specializes in creating custom solutions with Knack and dozens of other no-code platforms.
We've helped businesses of all sizes build powerful tools that save thousands of hours of manual work.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to get started. We'll discuss your specific challenges, and determine your best options for automating and optimizing your company’s workflows.
Automating simple actions and notifications with “Tasks”
Let’s wrap up this guide by building an automated Task connected to this app.
In Knack, a Task is different from a Flow. While Flows can connect to other apps – and don’t necessarily have to include a Knack app at all – Tasks will only automate actions with Knack, or send an email.
They’re also triggered on a set schedule, rather than running based on specific events.
As an example, let’s build a task that sends out reminders once a week for any task that has not yet been started.
We’ll just quickly make sure to add a “Not Started” status to the Tasks table first.
Creating a new automated Task
To create a new automated Task in Knack, select “Tasks”, then add a new task.
Give your task a name, and choose a schedule for it to run on.
Then, choose an action to perform. We’ll choose “Send a custom email”. You can also use Tasks to update or insert records in Knack.
Configure the email with the sender’s name, and a recipient. By selecting “Field” instead of “Custom”, you can dynamically assign a recipient retrieved from each record.
You’ll see any valid email address fields in the table show up in the dropdown. We’ll pick the team member’s email address. This way, the alert will be sent to the assignee for the task.
Then, we’ll enter a brief subject, pulling in some data from the record by clicking on the brackets.
Next, we’ll compose a message, using some more dynamic data retrieved from the record.
Finally, under “Conditions”, you can set specific criteria that the task will run for. In our case, we’ll only run this for records whose “Status” is set to “Not started”.
Once you’re all set with your task, click “Save”.
Testing your task
The task will run automatically on the next scheduled day and time.
But if you’d like to try it out right away, you can just click on the Task menu, select “Run”, and click on “Run this task”.
When you check your email inbox, you should see a new alert about a task that hasn’t been started yet.
Building up an automated infrastructure over time
Knack's automation capabilities transform what would otherwise be a static database into a dynamic, responsive system that works for you around the clock. Whether you're using Flows to connect your app with external tools like Slack, QuickBooks, and HubSpot, or implementing scheduled Tasks to handle routine operations, these no-code automation tools put enterprise-level functionality within reach of any team.
The examples we've shown are just the beginning—as you become more familiar with these features, you'll discover countless ways to optimize your workflows, reduce manual intervention, and create a more efficient operation. Start small with simple notification automations like we demonstrated, then gradually expand your automation ecosystem as you see the benefits unfold. With Knack's no-code approach, powerful automation is finally accessible to everyone, regardless of technical background.
To get started with Knack, just check out go.xray.tech/knack
Need help building custom Knack solutions for your business? Schedule a free consultation call with our team of no-code experts.
