Making Raven work for You

Customization, Automation/Workflow

Raven Macros allow Enterprise customers to add features specific to their needs and automate actions. For example:

1. Special validation rules
   "If the Category includes 'Vacation Request' then the Notes field should contain special substrings that indicate the start date and end date (e.g. '#start:01/20/2022', '#end:01/25/2022')";
   
   
2. Execute helpful actions
   "When a Topic whose Category includes 'Client Meeting' is saved, create an Update, and attach the 'Expense Claim.pdf' file."
   

Macros can be computed internally or by an externally-programmed plugin:

1. Internal
   These use built-in functions that have been coded into the Raven application by its developers.
   
   
2. Plugin
   These are run by the RavenPlugin. The client can modify the RavenPlugin to perform custom actions. One possible sequence of actions:
   

1. When a Record has been saved successfully, the Raven Macro sends data about the Record to the RavenPlugin.
   
   
2. The RavenPlugin assess whether to take action. For example, the Record might match the rule: "if the Topic contains the tag '#PrepareContract', initiate a credit check by sending a message to the credit check application.
   
   
3. After sending the message, the RavenPlugin returns control to Raven and the overall save operation will be completed.
   

1. A RavenPlugin template (with extensively documented code) is available for Enterprise users.