A flow can be started in multiple ways depending on how and when you want contacts to enter it. You can start flows manually, automatically via campaigns, or automatically via triggers and events—so you can launch flows immediately, on a schedule, or in response to contact activity.
Introduction: If you store contact or case data in Airtable, you can use a webhook to look up information during a conversation. The flow collects an input (like a name or ID), sends it to your webhook endpoint, then uses the JSON response to personalize messages or route the contact automatically. 8–12 min read Flows […]
Sending messages is one of the most common actions in RapidPro.app flows. You can send text, attach media, provide quick reply buttons (on supported channels), and control which contact addresses should receive the message. Getting these details right improves completion rates and reduces delivery issues.
A flow is the engine that powers automated conversations in RapidPro.app. It lets you design step-by-step logic—messages, questions, decisions, and updates—that contacts move through once they enter. Understanding how flows are structured, and how contacts enter and exit, helps you build reliable automations that scale. In this guide, you’ll learn what flows are made of […]
Global variables (“globals”) are shared values you can reuse across your workspace—inside flows, broadcasts, and campaigns—by referencing them as @globals.value_name. Globals are ideal for constants you repeat often (URLs, IDs, organization names, authorization strings), because you can update them once and apply changes everywhere they’re used.
When a contact stops responding mid-flow, you don’t have to leave them “stuck.” Timeouts let you define how long you’ll wait for an answer, then automatically route the contact to a follow-up path (reminder, exit message, escalation, tagging, and more).
Flow types define how a flow behaves and which channels it can run on. RapidPro.app offers different flow types depending on what your connected channels can do (text messaging, voice calls, or background actions). Choosing the right type early helps you avoid broken testing, missing options (like IVR), or flows that interrupt contacts unexpectedly. In […]
As your automation grows, you’ll often want to break one long flow into smaller, reusable flows. The Enter Another Flow action lets you move a contact from the current flow into a new one—cleanly and intentionally—so you can keep logic modular and easier to maintain.
Contacts can only be active in one Messaging flow at a time. Background flows solve this limitation by letting you run automation without interrupting an active conversation. They are ideal for behind-the-scenes work like updating contact fields, moving contacts into groups, triggering integrations, or running scheduled processing. In this guide, you’ll learn how to create […]
Introduction: If you support multiple languages, translating every message node manually can slow you down. With an LLM (like ChatGPT or Anthropic) connected to RapidPro.app, you can auto-translate your flow in one pass—then review and publish faster. 7–10 min read Flows Updated on: 18/12/2025 Auto-translate your flow (then review fast) If you just need the […]
