Make, formerly known as Integromat, is a visual automation platform that connects applications and moves data between them without requiring code. It occupies a useful position between simple trigger-action tools and full programming: powerful enough for branching logic and data transformation, yet accessible to non-developers. This tutorial explains the core concepts and how to assemble a working automation.
1. The central concept: the scenario
In Make, an automation is called a scenario. A scenario is a sequence of connected steps that executes from left to right. Each step performs one operation, and the data produced by one step is available to every step that follows. Designing an automation in Make is therefore a matter of deciding which operations are required and arranging them in the correct order.
2. Modules: triggers and actions
Each step in a scenario is a module, and modules belong to two broad categories:
- Triggers start a scenario. A trigger may run on a schedule or in response to an event, such as the arrival of an email or the submission of a form.
- Actions perform work once the scenario has started — creating a record, sending a message, or retrieving information from a service.
A scenario typically begins with a single trigger followed by one or more actions.
3. Mapping data between modules
The essential skill in Make is mapping: passing the output of one module into the input of another. When configuring a module, the fields produced by earlier steps appear in a panel and may be inserted directly into later fields. This is how information flows through the scenario — for example, taking the sender’s address from a new email and inserting it into a new database record.
4. Adding logic with routers and filters
Real workflows rarely proceed in a straight line. Make provides two tools for control flow:
- A filter placed between modules permits the scenario to continue only when a condition is met, ensuring that subsequent actions run only for relevant data.
- A router splits the scenario into multiple branches, each with its own filter, allowing different actions to occur depending on the data.
Together these tools transform a linear sequence into a system capable of genuine decision-making.
A short demonstration of building a scenario:
5. Test, schedule, and monitor
Before relying on a scenario, it should be executed manually using the “Run once” function, which displays the data passing through each module and makes errors easy to locate. Once verified, the scenario can be scheduled to run automatically. Make records the history of every execution, which is indispensable for diagnosing failures and confirming that the automation behaves as intended.
Conclusion
Make rewards a clear understanding of four concepts: the scenario, modules, data mapping, and control flow through filters and routers. With these in hand, a non-developer can construct automations that eliminate substantial manual work. As requirements grow more complex, the same principles scale to sophisticated, multi-branch systems.