Go live, pause, resume or archive
An automation is a draft, live, paused or archived. Here's what each means and which button moves it on.
Every automation has one of four states, shown as a badge next to its name:
- Draft: you’re still building it. Nothing sends and nobody enters.
- Live: running. New people enter through the trigger and move through the steps on their own. To edit the flow, pause it first.
- Paused: stopped for now. Everyone inside stays where they are and their waits stop. You can edit it.
- Archived: retired for good. Everyone still inside leaves, and nobody new can enter.
Go live
Click Go live in the builder or on the automation’s page. EmailFig checks the flow is ready to send, and if it is, you’ll see “It’s live.”
If something’s missing, it stays a draft and a checklist shows what to fix. Items about a step have a Fix email or Fix step link, and the step’s card is marked Needs a fix with the problem in red. Typical items:
- your mailing address isn’t set yet (Settings → Unsubscribes)
- an email is missing an unsubscribe link or your mailing address in its footer
- an email has no subject, no content, or no from address on a verified domain
- the sending domain is verified but still being set up, which usually clears in a few minutes
- a tag step has no tag, or a split isn’t finished
- the list, tag or form in the trigger no longer exists
- a billing or account problem that stops all sending
Items under a Worth a look heading (a dead link, an image with no alt text) are advice and won’t stop you going live.
Occasionally an automation passes the checklist but goes back to draft with “This one can’t go live as-is.” and a note saying what to change in an email. We’ll email you too. Click Edit emails, make the change, and click Go live again.
Pause
On a live automation, click Pause: “Paused. Everyone stays where they are and their timers stop with them.” Click Edit to change the trigger or steps.
Anyone who triggers it while it’s paused doesn’t enter, and isn’t picked up when you resume.
Resume
Click Resume. It runs the same checklist as Go live, so any changes you made have to pass first. Waits pick up where they stopped: someone two days into a three-day wait still has one day to go.
Archive
Click Archive and confirm “Archive this automation? Everyone still in it stops where they are.” You’ll see “Archived. Nobody new will enter it.” In the report, anyone who was still in it shows under The automation was archived.
Archiving is permanent, and it’s also how you get rid of a draft you don’t want. An archived automation keeps its report: open the Archived tab on the Automations page to find it, and Active to return.
Rename
Click Settings, change the Name and click Save. You can rename a live automation without pausing it.
If EmailFig pauses it
If your account can’t send, for example after a failed payment, live automations are paused for you and the page explains why. Once your account can send again, the warning goes away and the automation is simply paused. Resuming is always up to you. See Why my automation isn’t sending.