# Build Your First Workflow

In this walkthrough, a form submission starts a workflow, the workflow waits 30 seconds, and then it sends a personalized email.

The finished route is **[Form Submitted](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/triggers/form-submitted/) → [Delay](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/flow/delay/) → [Send Email](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/actions/send-email/)**. You need a form with a name field and an email field, plus an address where you can receive the test message. [Here is an export you can use.](/documentation/flowcrafter/downloads/flowcrafter-first-workflow-form.json)

## 1. Create a new form workflow

1. Go to **Forms** and open the form you want to use.
2. Select **Workflows** in the form's toolbar.
3. Select **New Workflow**.

The builder creates **Untitled workflow** and opens it **Inactive**. Rename it from the workflow-name menu, then keep it inactive while you build so a real submission cannot start an unfinished route.

![The workflow name being changed to Follow up on a request, with the workflow still inactive](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/quickstart-rename-workflow.png)

## 2. Add the Form Submitted trigger

Select **Add Trigger**, then choose **Form Submitted**. This trigger starts one run for each new submission to the workflow's selected form.

![Form Submitted on the canvas beside the expanded Triggers category in the Add a node panel](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/quickstart-form-submitted-picker.png)

## 3. Add a 30-second delay

Select the **+** on Form Submitted and add a **Delay** node.

Double-click Delay and set:

| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| **Delay** | Wait a set amount of time |
| **Delay duration** | `30` |
| **Unit** | Seconds |

![Delay configured to wait a set amount of time, with duration 30 and unit Seconds](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/quickstart-delay-settings.png)

Close the settings panel. The short delay makes the first live check quick.

## 4. Add and configure Send Email

Select the **+** on Delay and add a **Send Email** node. Double-click Send Email to open its settings.

Set **Body format** to **Plain text**. Then select **Insert flow tag** beside each supported field to insert values from **Form Submitted**:

- In **To**, select the form's email field.
- In **Subject**, write `A quick follow-up,` and insert the first-name value.
- In **Body**, add a short message and insert the first-name value where you want it.

For example, the resolved message can read:

```text
Hi Merlin,

Thanks for getting in touch. We received your inquiry and will follow up with the next steps.
```

![Send Email with a recipient flow tag, a personalized subject and greeting, and the complete plain-text example message](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/quickstart-send-email-settings.png)

## 5. Check the nodes while inactive

Select **Save**. Fix anything listed under **Issues** before continuing.

![The saved three-node workflow, with a 30-second Delay and Inactive status](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/quickstart-ready-workflow.png)

Use the builder's node test controls to confirm that Delay accepts its settings and Send Email resolves the expected recipient and message. A test can have real effects, including sending an email, so review the test summary before approving it.

See [Testing Before You Go Live](/documentation/flowcrafter/building/testing-workflows/) if you want to see the complete test procedure.

## 6. Activate and submit the form

Select the **Inactive** pill beside the workflow name to activate it. You already saved the workflow, so the status changes immediately. Open the form in another tab and submit it using an email address you can check.

Return to the builder and switch **Builder → Runs**. The newest run opens automatically. Before the delay ends, its path should show the trigger complete, Delay waiting, and Send Email not yet complete.

![A real run showing Form Submitted complete, the 30-second Delay waiting, and Send Email not yet run](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/quickstart-delay-waiting-run.png)

After the delay ends and the site’s background queue finishes processing, the run completes and the message arrives.

:::tip[If the email does not arrive]
Open Send Email in the run and read its result first. If the node completed successfully, check spam and your site's WordPress email delivery configuration.
:::

## 7. Turn it back off before editing

Return to **Builder**, then select the **Active** pill and confirm that you want to deactivate the workflow while you make further changes.

Change Delay to the interval you actually want, such as one day. Save, review the route, and reactivate the workflow.

Runs that already started keep the workflow settings they began with. Changing the delay affects new runs only.

## Optional: check the entry again after the delay

A delayed follow-up often needs one more decision. For example, your team might update a **Follow-up Status** field to **Complete** before the delay ends.

Insert a [Condition (entry)](/documentation/flowcrafter/nodes/logic/condition-entry/) node between Delay and Send Email by hovering over the path connecting them and clicking the **+**. Configure the **Yes** path to continue only when follow-up is still needed. Leave the other path without another node if it should simply finish.

![The optional workflow checking whether follow-up is still needed after the delay, with an email only on Yes](/documentation/flowcrafter/screenshots/quickstart-conditional-follow-up.png)

When Condition (entry) executes, it reloads the Gravity Forms entry. It sees changes made during the delay instead of relying on the values captured at submission time.

## What you built

Each matching submission now creates a **run**. The submitter receives the normal Gravity Forms confirmation immediately, while Flowcrafter continues the delayed work in the background.

Next, read:

- [A Tour of the Builder](/documentation/flowcrafter/getting-started/editor-tour/)
- [Using flow tags](/documentation/flowcrafter/building/using-flow-tags/)
- [Running & Monitoring Workflows](/documentation/flowcrafter/building/running-and-monitoring/)