Automate hiding or showing tasks

What are Visibility Actions?

Visibility actions automatically Show or Hide specific steps in your process based on conditions being met. This is a very common way to make processes change based on answers or situations.

Examples of Visibility Actions

Example 1: Show an extra approval step for large amounts

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

(If the purchase is over $10k, the CFO approval step appears; otherwise, it stays hidden.)

Example 2: Hide steps not relevant to certain customers

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

(Small business customers don’t need the enterprise review step, so it’s hidden for them.)

Example 3: Show different steps based on application type

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

(Only show the mortgage-specific steps if the application type is Mortgage.)

Let’s look at another example:

(In this screenshot example, the rule says IF a specific step is completed, THEN step 2 will be shown.)

How visibility works

• Steps are visible by default unless you hide them.
• You can hide a step initially when building the template (using its settings).
• You can use a Hide visibility action in an automation rule to hide a step based on a condition.
• You can use a Show visibility action in an automation rule to make a hidden step appear when a condition is met.

This lets you build processes that only show the relevant steps at the right time.

Hiding tasks by default in a template

When designing a procedure template, any task you add is visible by default once the process launches. If you intend to control its visibility through automations (e.g., only show it after a prior task is completed), you must first set it to be hidden by default.

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.

Once a step is hidden by default, it will not appear when a process is launched from this template unless an automation rule with a Show action makes it visible.

Enforcing sequential task order

By default, when you launch a process from a procedure template, all non-hidden tasks can be started and completed in any order, effectively allowing for parallel work.

To enforce a specific sequence for tasks (e.g., Task B can only be started after Task A is completed, and Task C only after Task B), you need to use a combination of hiding tasks by default 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

With this setup:

• When the process starts, only Task A is visible.
• Once Task A is completed, Task B becomes visible.
• Once Task B is completed, Task C becomes visible.

This method allows you to build clear, step-by-step procedures where tasks unlock progressively. You can extend this pattern for as many sequential tasks as needed.

Related articles

Tutorials > Create an automation

This tutorial demonstrates how to create automation rules in Tallyfy using conditional logic to dynamically show or hide workflow steps based on form field responses in an employee onboarding process.

Automations > Actions

Automation actions in Tallyfy execute the “THEN” portion of if-this-then-that rules and include four types: assignment actions for changing task responsibility deadline actions for adjusting due dates status actions for reopening completed tasks and visibility actions for showing or hiding steps based on conditions.

Templates > Automations

Tallyfy process automations are smart IF-THEN rules that automatically perform actions like task assignments deadline changes and step visibility based on defined conditions to reduce manual work and ensure consistent process execution.

How To > Automatically track and run complex approval workflows

Tallyfy transforms complex approval workflows into trackable processes with clear visibility and accountability through automated kick-off forms conditional step logic dynamic assignments real-time tracking automated reminders contextual communication and organized archival systems.