# Workflow Triggers > What workflow triggers are, how they attach to workflow actions, and a reference list of every pre-defined trigger in Cascade CMS. URL: https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/index.html category: Content Management article-type: concept content-kind: article release-availability: all tags: workflows updated: 2026-10-06 A workflow trigger is a plugin that runs code as a workflow transitions from one step to the next, letting a workflow do work beyond simply moving between steps. ## Overview Triggers attach to a workflow **action** and fire when that action is selected. They encapsulate system logic that isn't itself part of the workflow — versioning an asset, publishing it, assigning the next step, or sending an email. An action can carry more than one trigger. Cascade CMS ships with the pre-defined triggers listed below, and custom plugin triggers can be added to run your own code during a step transition. Most triggers accept **parameters** — optional elements that narrow what the trigger does, such as naming the Destination a Publish trigger should target. Each trigger's own page documents the parameters it supports. > **Order matters** > > When a workflow uses the Version, Merge, and publish triggers together, they must appear in that order for all three to be recorded correctly. ## Assignment triggers These decide who owns the next step, overriding the step's default assignment. - [Assign Step If User](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/assign-step-if-user-trigger.html) — Advances to a specified step when the previous step was completed by a particular user. - [Assign To Content Owner of Asset](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/assign-to-content-owner-of-asset-trigger.html) — Assigns the next step to the asset's content owner. - [Assign To Group Owning Asset](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/assign-to-group-owning-asset-trigger.html) — Assigns the next step to the group with write access to the asset's parent folder. - [Assign to Specified Group](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/assign-to-specified-group-trigger.html) — Assigns the workflow to a named group. - [Assign To Workflow Owner](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/assign-to-workflow-owner-trigger.html) — Assigns the next step to whoever started the workflow. - [Preserve Current User](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/preserve-current-user-trigger.html) — Keeps the acting user when a workflow is submitted to a group rather than an individual. ## Publishing triggers These publish or unpublish content as the workflow advances. - [Publish](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/publish-trigger.html) — Publishes the asset in workflow to every enabled Destination. - [Publish Parent Folder](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/publish-parent-folder-trigger.html) — Publishes the asset's parent folder. - [Publish Set](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/publish-set-trigger.html) — Publishes every asset in a named Publish Set. - [Publish Containing Publish Set](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/publish-containing-publish-set-trigger.html) — Publishes the Publish Sets the asset belongs to. - [Unpublish and Delete](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/unpublish-and-delete-trigger.html) — Unpublishes the asset and deletes it in one step. ## Asset triggers These act on the asset itself or on the folder around it. - [Version](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/version-trigger.html) — Stores a version of the asset in its version history. - [Merge](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/merge-trigger.html) — Merges the working copy back into the current version. - [Delete](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/delete-trigger.html) — Deletes the asset in workflow. - [Delete Parent Folder](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/delete-parent-folder-trigger.html) — Deletes the asset's parent folder and everything in it. - [Copy Folder](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/copy-folder-trigger.html) — Copies the asset's parent folder to a designated location. ## Notification and workflow triggers - [Email](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/email-trigger.html) — Sends a notification or completion email about the following step. - [Create New Workflow](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-triggers/create-new-workflow-trigger.html) — Starts workflows for analogous assets, supporting translation and cross-site synchronization. ## Related links - [Workflows](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/index.html) - [Workflow XML Schema Reference](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/content-management/workflows/workflow-xml-schema-reference.html)