Polling Triggers

Triggers kick off the entire Automation by responding to a specific event or condition. When the trigger event or condition occurs, viaSocket detects it.

When setting up triggers on viaSocket, it connects to the API of the respective application to retrieve information about trigger events. viaSocket relies on the capabilities provided by that API. The type of trigger available (whether polling or instant) is determined by how the application's API is designed.

While Instant Triggers excel in real-time event-driven automation, Polling Triggers offer a different approach, particularly suitable for scenarios where real-time updates are unnecessary or impractical. Polling Triggers involve periodically querying an external data source, typically through APIs, to check for updates or new information.

Polling triggers involve regularly checking for updates or changes within an application at predefined intervals. Instead of responding immediately to events, these triggers periodically scan for new data or changes.

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) serve as the bridge between different software applications, allowing them to communicate and exchange data. With Polling Triggers, viaSocket interacts with external systems through their APIs, retrieving relevant information at predefined intervals.

How Polling Triggers Work in viaSocket:

1. In a typical scenario, you will find Polling triggers of applications. For example, such as Notion, to trigger a workflow whenever a new item in the database is created.

2. At a regular interval of 15 mins, viaSocket sends API requests to the designated endpoints of the Notion, querying for updates or new data since the last query.

3. Upon receiving the API response, viaSocket processes the retrieved data, identifying any new orders or relevant changes.

4. Based on the processed data, viaSocket triggers the workflow that you set up, such as updating inventory records or sending order confirmation emails to customers.

📌 More example:

Checking an RSS feed every 15 minutes for new blog posts and triggering an action when new content is detected.
Polling an e-commerce platform every hour to update inventory levels and trigger notifications when stock reaches a certain threshold.
Monitoring a social media account every 30 minutes for new mentions or messages and triggering automated responses.

In essence, viaSocket adheres to the capabilities provided by each application's API to determine the type of triggers available for automation. If an application supports webhooks, viaSocket can leverage instant triggers for real-time automation, whereas applications without webhook support will rely on polling triggers to periodically fetch updates.

By understanding the nuances of Instant and Polling Triggers and how they interact with webhooks and APIs, businesses can harness the full potential of workflow automation to streamline operations and drive growth.