📚 JAutomations — Documentation (v1.3.2)

Workflow Automation for Joomla 5 & Joomla 6

JAutomations is a modern workflow automation platform for Joomla. It allows you to turn Joomla events into automated, multi-step workflows and connect your website with messaging services, email, external APIs, and supported integrations.

JAutomations v1.3.2 introduces a Unified Free & Pro Architecture while keeping the same powerful automation engine across both editions.

The platform supports:

Multi-Step Workflows
Smart Conditions & Filters
Delayed Actions
Queue Processing
Retry Handling
Email Notifications
Telegram Integration
Webhooks & API Connections
WhatsApp Cloud API — Pro
Convert Forms Integration — Pro
Execution Logs & Monitoring
Background Processing

JAutomations is designed to make workflow automation a native part of your Joomla website, without requiring custom automation code for every recurring task.

🧠 1. Introduction

What is JAutomations?

JAutomations is a native Joomla automation engine designed to automate tasks, execute actions, and connect Joomla with external services using event-driven workflows.

It allows Joomla administrators and developers to:

Automate repetitive operations
Respond automatically to Joomla events
Create multi-step workflows
Apply conditions before executing a workflow or step
Delay actions when required
Process queued jobs in the background
Connect Joomla with external APIs
Send automated notifications
Monitor workflow executions and logs

Unified Free & Pro Architecture

Starting with v1.3.2, JAutomations uses one unified package and one automation engine for both Free and Pro editions.

The installed JAutomations runtime is the same. The available capabilities and limits are determined by the active edition and its entitlements.

Free Edition: available without a Pro license.
Pro Edition: activated and managed through the JAutomations Platform (JAP) with the corresponding license and entitlements.

🎯 Core Concept

JAutomations is built around a simple automation model:

Trigger → Conditions → Workflow → Actions

Trigger

A Joomla event or supported integration event that starts an automation.

Examples include:

Article Created
Article Updated
User Registered
User Updated
Form Submission through supported integration

Conditions

Conditions determine whether the automation or an individual workflow step should execute.

Workflow

A workflow is a sequence of one or more steps executed according to the configured logic.

Actions

Actions perform the actual work, such as sending a message, email, webhook request, or WhatsApp notification.

JAutomations v1.3.2 dashboard, workflow and integrations overview

🚀 2. Why JAutomations?

JAutomations was designed specifically for Joomla websites and provides an automation layer directly inside Joomla.

Key Advantages

✔ Native Joomla integration
✔ Unified Free & Pro architecture
✔ Multi-Step Workflow engine
✔ Smart conditions and filters
✔ Delayed actions
✔ Queue-based background processing
✔ Retry handling
✔ Detailed execution logs
✔ Email, Telegram and Webhook actions
✔ WhatsApp Cloud API integration — Pro
✔ Convert Forms integration — Pro
✔ Joomla 5 & Joomla 6 compatibility

⚙️ 3. Requirements

Before installation, ensure that your Joomla website meets the following requirements:

Requirement	Recommended / Supported
Joomla	5.x or 6.x
PHP	8.1+
Database	MySQL / MariaDB
Server CLI / Cron	Required for queue/background processing
SMTP	Joomla mail configuration for Email Actions

📦 4. Installation

Step 1: Install the Unified Package

In Joomla Administrator, go to:

System → Install → Extensions

Upload the JAutomations v1.3.2 Unified Package:

pkg_jautomations_v1.3.2.zip

Joomla will install the required JAutomations components and plugins as part of the unified package.

Step 2: Verify the Installation

Open:

Components → JAutomations

Also verify the system plugin:

System - JAutomations

Step 3: Enable the Core Plugin

Go to:

System → Plugins

Search for:

System - JAutomations

Make sure the plugin is Enabled.

Step 4: Queue / Background Processing

If your workflows use queue-based or delayed background processing, configure a server Cron Job to execute the JAutomations queue worker.

Example:

* * * * * /usr/local/bin/lsphp /home/USERNAME/public_html/cli/jautomations_queue.php

Alternative:

* * * * * php /home/USERNAME/public_html/cli/jautomations_queue.php

Replace the PHP executable and Joomla installation path with the values used by your server.

A frequency of approximately every minute is suitable for regular queue processing where near-real-time execution is desired.

🧩 5. Quick Start — Your First Automation

🎯 Example: Notify Telegram when a new article is created

Step 1: Create an Automation

Open:

JAutomations → Automation Manager

Click:

New Automation

Step 2: Select the Trigger

Select the event that should start the workflow:

Article Created

Depending on the desired workflow, an article update event can also be used.

Step 3: Add Conditions — Optional

For example, only process articles in the News category:

Field	Operator	Value
Category	equals	News
State	equals	Published

Step 4: Add an Action

Add a workflow step and select:

Telegram Notification

Step 5: Configure Telegram

Configure the required Telegram connection information and message content.

Example message:

📰 New Article Published

Title: {{title}}

Author: {{author}}

🔗 {{url}}

Step 6: Save and Test

Save the automation.
Create or update the relevant Joomla content.
Verify the action result.
Check the execution logs.
If the workflow is queued, verify the queue processing.

🔔 6. Events & Triggers

Events are the starting points of JAutomations workflows. When a supported event occurs, JAutomations evaluates the matching automation and its conditions before executing the workflow.

Joomla Events

Article Events

Article Created
Article Updated

User Events

User Registered
User Updated

Integration Events

Form Submission through supported integrations

Available events may expand as JAutomations evolves. Always use the event list shown in your installed version when creating a workflow.

🔁 7. Workflows

Multi-Step Workflows

A workflow can contain multiple actions and processing steps. This allows one Joomla event to trigger a complete sequence instead of a single isolated action.

Example

Article Created
Check Conditions
Send Email
Wait / Delay
Send Telegram Notification
Trigger Webhook
Send WhatsApp Notification — Pro

Step Execution

Each workflow step is processed according to its configuration and conditions. Queued workflows can continue through their remaining steps after the current step is completed.

Delayed Actions

Delays allow you to separate workflow steps in time. This is useful for notification sequences, follow-up messages, scheduled processing, and integrations that should not execute immediately after the trigger.

Retry Handling

When a queued action encounters a retryable failure, the execution can be processed again according to the workflow's execution and retry behavior.

⏱️ 8. Queue & Background Processing

How Queue Processing Works

JAutomations can use background queue processing for workflow jobs that should execute asynchronously or continue through delayed and multi-step processing.

The queue worker processes pending jobs and updates their execution state.

Typical Processing Flow

Joomla event is triggered.
The matching automation is evaluated.
Conditions are checked.
A queued job is created when background processing is required.
The queue worker processes the job.
Workflow steps execute according to their configuration.
Execution results and logs are updated.

Why Queue Processing Matters

Queue processing helps separate longer-running or delayed tasks from the immediate Joomla event and provides a controlled execution path for multi-step workflows.

✔ Background execution
✔ Delayed processing
✔ Multi-step continuation
✔ Retry handling
✔ Execution monitoring

🔌 9. Actions & Integrations

1. Email Actions

Send automated email messages as part of a workflow using Joomla's mail configuration.

Typical uses include:

Article notifications
User notifications
Workflow alerts
Follow-up messages

2. Telegram Integration

Send automated Telegram notifications using a Telegram Bot configuration.

Typical configuration includes:

Bot Token
Chat ID
Message content

Dynamic workflow data can be used in message content where supported by the action.

3. Webhooks & API Connections

Webhooks allow JAutomations to send workflow data to external services and APIs.

Typical uses include:

External APIs
CRM systems
Integration platforms
Custom web services

Typical webhook capabilities include:

HTTP POST requests
JSON payloads
Dynamic workflow data
External service integration

4. WhatsApp Cloud API — Pro

JAutomations Pro can send WhatsApp messages through the Meta WhatsApp Cloud API.

Typical configuration includes the WhatsApp Cloud API credentials and identifiers required by Meta.

Typical uses include:

User notifications
Article notifications
Workflow alerts
Automated customer communication

5. Convert Forms Integration — Pro

JAutomations Pro integrates with Convert Forms to trigger workflows from supported form submissions.

Convert Forms is an external Joomla extension and is not bundled or distributed with JAutomations.

Example workflow:

Convert Forms Submission
        ↓
Check Conditions
        ↓
Send Email
        ↓
Send Telegram
        ↓
Trigger Webhook

🔀 10. Conditions & Smart Logic

Conditions allow workflows to make decisions before executing an automation or a specific step.

Automation-Level Conditions

These conditions determine whether the overall automation should execute.

Examples:

Category equals News
State equals Published
Author matches a specific user

Step-Level Conditions

Individual workflow steps can have their own conditions, allowing different actions to execute only when their specific criteria are satisfied.

Examples:

Send Telegram only for Featured articles.
Trigger a Webhook only for selected categories.
Send a specific notification only when a required value is present.

Common Operators

equals
not equals
contains
starts with
ends with
empty
not empty

📊 11. Execution Logs & Monitoring

JAutomations provides execution information to help administrators understand what happened during workflow processing.

Execution Information

Success / Failed status
Error information when available
Execution timestamps
Action and step information
Retry information where applicable
Response information for supported integrations

Dashboard

The dashboard provides an overview of workflow activity, including execution statistics and status information.

Typical dashboard information includes:

Total executions
Successful executions
Failed executions
Pending jobs
Recent executions
Execution status

💎 12. Free vs Pro Edition

Feature	Free Edition	Pro Edition
Unified Automation Engine	✔	✔
Basic Automations	✔	✔
Multi-Step Workflows	Limited	Unlimited
Conditions & Filters	✔	✔
Email Actions	✔	✔
Telegram Integration	✔	✔
Webhooks	✔	✔
WhatsApp Cloud API	❌	✔
Convert Forms Integration	❌	✔
Workflow / Automation Limits	Limited	Unlimited
Advanced Automation Capabilities	Limited	✔

Important: JAutomations Free does not require a Pro license. Pro capabilities are enabled through the corresponding Pro entitlement.

🆔 13. JAutomations Platform (JAP)

What is JAP?

The JAutomations Platform (JAP) provides centralized management for JAutomations editions, Pro licensing, and feature entitlements.

Free Edition

JAutomations Free can be used without purchasing or activating a Pro license.

Pro Licensing

JAutomations Pro is activated and managed through JAP using the corresponding Pro license. The available Pro capabilities are controlled by the license and its entitlements.

Entitlements

Entitlements determine which Pro capabilities are available to an installation. This allows JAutomations to use the same unified runtime while providing the appropriate capabilities for the active edition.

License Switching

Where supported by the installation and license status, a JAutomations installation can change its active Pro license through the licensing interface.

In simple terms: JAP manages licensing and entitlements, while JAutomations executes the workflows inside Joomla.

🔄 14. Updating to v1.3.2

New Installation

New installations use the Unified JAutomations package:

pkg_jautomations_v1.3.2.zip

After installation, the appropriate edition is determined by the available JAutomations configuration and entitlements.

Free → Unified v1.3.2

Existing Free installations can be updated to the Unified v1.3.2 package through the normal Joomla Update System.

Pro → Unified v1.3.2

Existing Pro installations can also be upgraded to the Unified v1.3.2 package. The update moves the installation to the unified runtime while Pro capabilities are managed through JAP and the corresponding license.

Migration Note

During the transition from the legacy Pro package to the Unified package, Joomla may temporarily retain the old legacy Pro package/update-site entry after a successful upgrade.

If the Unified v1.3.2 package is installed and working correctly, the legacy pkg_jautomations_pro package can be removed from Joomla when it is no longer required.

After migration, future updates should use the Unified JAutomations update stream.

🔐 15. Security & Best Practices

Security

For secure operation:

✔ Keep API credentials private
✔ Use HTTPS when communicating with external services
✔ Restrict administrator access
✔ Protect server Cron / CLI access
✔ Review execution logs regularly

Best Practices

✔ Start with simple workflows
✔ Test workflows before production use
✔ Use conditions to avoid unnecessary executions
✔ Use delays where appropriate
✔ Monitor failed executions
✔ Keep workflows logically organized
✔ Review external API credentials periodically

🛠️ 16. Troubleshooting

❌ Automation Not Triggered

Check:

✔ The JAutomations system plugin is enabled
✔ The correct event is selected
✔ The automation is enabled
✔ Conditions are satisfied

❌ Queue Not Processing

Check:

✔ The server Cron Job is active
✔ The CLI path is correct
✔ The configured PHP executable is valid
✔ The queue worker can execute successfully

❌ Telegram Not Sending

Verify:

✔ Bot Token
✔ Chat ID
✔ Telegram configuration
✔ Server internet access

❌ Email Not Sending

Check:

✔ Joomla mail settings
✔ SMTP configuration where applicable
✔ Sender configuration
✔ Execution logs for the failed action

❌ WhatsApp Not Sending

Verify:

✔ Meta Access Token
✔ Phone Number ID
✔ WhatsApp Cloud API configuration
✔ Execution logs

❌ Convert Forms Workflow Not Triggering

Check:

✔ Convert Forms is installed and working
✔ The JAutomations Convert Forms integration is available and configured
✔ The correct form event is selected
✔ The automation is enabled
✔ Conditions are satisfied

🧪 17. Examples & Workflow Recipes

Recipe 1 — New Article Notification

Article Created
      ↓
Check Category
      ↓
Send Email
      ↓
Send Telegram

Recipe 2 — New User Welcome Workflow

User Registered
      ↓
Check User Conditions
      ↓
Send Welcome Email
      ↓
Send Telegram Notification

Recipe 3 — Convert Forms Lead Notification

Convert Forms Submission
      ↓
Check Conditions
      ↓
Send Email
      ↓
Send Telegram
      ↓
Trigger Webhook

Recipe 4 — Pro WhatsApp Notification

User Registered
      ↓
Check Conditions
      ↓
Send Email
      ↓
Send WhatsApp Message
      ↓
Send Telegram

Recipe 5 — Delayed Multi-Step Workflow

Article Created
      ↓
Send Telegram
      ↓
Delay
      ↓
Send Email
      ↓
Trigger Webhook

❓ 18. FAQ

Can I use JAutomations without a Pro license?

✅ Yes. JAutomations Free can run without a Pro license.

Can I build multi-step workflows?

✅ Yes. Multi-Step Workflows are supported, with limits depending on the active edition.

Can I connect Joomla with external APIs?

✅ Yes. Webhooks can be used to connect JAutomations workflows with external APIs and services.

Is WhatsApp available in the Free Edition?

❌ WhatsApp Cloud API is a Pro capability.

Does JAutomations integrate with Convert Forms?

✅ Yes. Convert Forms Integration is available in the Pro Edition.

Is Convert Forms included with JAutomations?

❌ No. Convert Forms is a separate Joomla extension. JAutomations provides the integration.

Do I need Cron?

Queue and background processing require scheduled CLI execution. If your workflow uses queue-based or delayed processing, configure the JAutomations queue worker on your server.

Where can I see failed executions?

Use the JAutomations Dashboard and Execution Logs to review workflow activity and failures.

🚀 19. Support & Resources

📘 Documentation

You are reading the current JAutomations v1.3.2 documentation.

🚀 Live Demo

https://jautomations.mehada.net/

💎 JAutomations Product Page

https://ai.mehada.net/en/joomla-extension/jautomations

🧩 Joomla Extensions Directory (JED)

https://extensions.joomla.org/extension/jautomations-workflow-automation-for-joomla/

🛣️ 20. Future Direction

JAutomations continues to evolve as a Joomla-native workflow automation platform.

Future development may include:

Additional Joomla Events
More Action Providers
Additional third-party integrations
Workflow Templates and Recipes
Advanced workflow capabilities
Improved analytics and monitoring
AI-assisted workflow features

Future integrations and capabilities will be shaped by product development priorities and feedback from the Joomla community.

❤️ Final Notes

JAutomations v1.3.2 provides a unified foundation for Free and Pro workflow automation on Joomla 5 and Joomla 6.

Whether you need article notifications, user workflows, form-driven automation, external API connections, delayed actions, or multi-step processing, JAutomations provides a flexible way to automate recurring tasks directly from your Joomla website.

Automate. Integrate. Grow.