Automate hiding or showing tasks

Visibility actions explained

Visibility actions in Tallyfy let you Show or Hide specific steps based on conditions. Think of them as smart switches - they make sure users see exactly what they need, when they need it. Nothing gets missed.

Examples of visibility actions

Example 1: Need CFO approval for big purchases?

IF (Purchase Amount field) is ">$10,000"
THEN SHOW step "Approval by CFO"

Result: The CFO approval step pops up automatically for purchases over $10k. No more chasing signatures or wondering if you missed something.

Example 2: Small business customers don’t need enterprise-level reviews

IF (Customer Type field) is "Small Business"
THEN HIDE step "Enterprise Security Review"

Result: Your small business customers skip the enterprise security review - it’s hidden because they simply don’t need it. The process stays clean and relevant.

Example 3: Let the process adapt to what users tell you

IF (Application Type field) is "Mortgage"
THEN SHOW steps "Credit Check", "Property Valuation", and "Underwriting"

Result: When someone selects “Mortgage”, boom - all the mortgage-specific steps appear. Credit checks, property valuation, underwriting. Everything they need.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

See how completing one step makes the next one appear? That’s visibility automation at work.

How visibility works

• Steps are visible by default unless you hide them.
• You can hide a step initially when building the template (just toggle it in the settings).
• Use a Hide visibility action to make steps disappear based on conditions.
• Use a Show visibility action to reveal hidden steps when the time is right.

The beauty of this approach? Every step gets considered - it’s either shown when needed or deliberately hidden when it’s not. Simple.

Hidden steps and completion

Here’s the catch: hidden steps can’t be completed. They’ll sit there, incomplete, forever. If you’ve got an automation checking “if step is complete” on a hidden step - it won’t trigger. Ever. (Unless another rule makes that step visible first.)

The fix? Only create completion-based automations for steps users can actually see. Need a quick workaround? You can manually show or hide steps using the “three dots” menu on any task.

Default behavior: Parallel execution in procedure templates

Important: Procedure templates in Tallyfy show all steps at once by default. People can work on them in any order - true parallel processing¹. This is a fundamental design choice that speeds up process completion by 40% on average.

Sequential vs parallel workflows: While the default is parallel (all tasks visible simultaneously), you can enforce sequential order by hiding steps initially, then using automation rules to show them when previous steps complete. This gives you full control over task dependencies while maintaining the flexibility of parallel work where possible.

Hiding tasks by default in a template

When you’re building a procedure template, all tasks show up automatically when someone launches the process. But what if you want certain tasks to stay hidden until the right moment? You’ll need to hide them first.

1. Open your procedure template in the editor.
2. Click on the specific step (task) you want to hide initially.
3. In the step’s configuration panel (usually on the right), look for an option like Hidden by default or Hide this step when the process starts and enable it.
4. Save the changes to your step.

That’s it. Hidden steps stay out of sight until a Show automation brings them back.

Enforcing sequential task order

Remember how Tallyfy shows all tasks at once? Sometimes that’s not what you want. Maybe Task B shouldn’t start until Task A is done. Or Task C needs to wait for Task B.

Here’s the thing - you can force tasks to appear in sequence. It’s like creating a relay race where each runner waits for the baton². You’ll use a mix of hidden tasks and Show visibility actions in your automations.

Here’s how to set up a simple sequence:

1. Task A: This is your first task in the sequence. Leave it visible by default.
2. Task B: In the template editor, set Task B to be hidden by default.
3. Task C: In the template editor, set Task C to be hidden by default.
4. Create Automation Rule 1 (Show Task B):
   • IF (Step Status) for Task A is Completed
   • THEN (Visibility) SHOW Task B
5. Create Automation Rule 2 (Show Task C):
   • IF (Step Status) for Task B is Completed
   • THEN (Visibility) SHOW Task C

Here’s what happens:

• Process starts → only Task A shows up
• Complete Task A → Task B appears
• Complete Task B → Task C appears

Perfect sequence. No jumping ahead, no confusion. You can chain as many tasks as you need this way - 5, 10, even 20 steps in perfect order.

Related articles

Automations > Conditional visibility

Tallyfy’s conditional visibility feature allows you to show or hide entire tasks based on form field selections creating dynamic workflows where only relevant tasks appear to users through IF-THEN automation rules.

Tasks > Manually show or hide tasks

Learn how to manually show or hide tasks in running processes to handle conditional workflows when selections change or to temporarily remove tasks that are no longer needed while maintaining workflow flexibility.

Automations > Actions

Automation actions in Tallyfy serve as the “THEN” component of conditional rules that automatically execute specific behaviors like task assignments deadline modifications status changes and step visibility when predefined conditions are met to streamline workflows and eliminate manual interventions.

Tutorials > Create an automation

Tallyfy automates processes through intelligent if-this-then-that conditional logic that dynamically adapts workflows based on specific conditions like form field values task completions and approval decisions eliminating manual adjustments and reducing administrative overhead.

Footnotes

1. All visible tasks can be completed simultaneously by different assignees without waiting ↩

2. Sequential dependency ensures tasks complete in order, preventing race conditions ↩