Repeater Tool

The Repeater tool lets you run the next steps in an automation several times without creating duplicate actions manually.

Use it when your workflow needs to perform the same sequence more than once. For example, an automation can receive order data through an HTTP request, then repeat the next steps to update a spreadsheet and send a Slack notification for each item you want to process.

Repeater is useful when you already know how many times the following steps should run, or when this number comes from a previous step.

When to use Repeater

Before choosing Repeater, check how the data arrives in your automation. The right tool depends on whether Albato receives the data as arrays or as individual string values.

Receiving data as arrays

Arrays are a way to store multiple values within a single variable, like a list of items organized in sequence. In other words, they are similar to a folder containing different values inside it, separated into rows.

See an example of what an Array looks like.

In this case, each of these parameters called Test Row Section is an Array.

Within each Array, fields such as Random Number, Random String, Random Date, and others are Strings or individual values stored in each row of the Array.

In other words, the Array acts as a container that groups multiple rows of data, while the fields inside each row represent the values that will be used in the following automation steps.

If your automation receives the desired data in this format and you want the automation steps to repeat according to the number of rows received, the ideal solution is to use the Iterator tool.

You can find more details in the Iterator Tool article. If you are not sure how row sections work in Albato, see the Row Section article.

Receiving data as strings

In most cases, your data will arrive as simple strings. In other words, they are not grouped within a larger parameter or combined with other data.

In this scenario, the Repeater tool will be the best option.

In practice, this tool is equivalent to the Iterator, but instead of relying on a dynamic row section (string section) that changes with each execution to determine how many times the steps should be repeated, the Repeater relies on a fixed value defined when configuring the step.

Let's see how to configure it.

Example workflow

In this example, an automation receives data, sends an HTTP request, and then uses Repeater before the Google Sheets and Slack steps.

The goal is to repeat the Google Sheets and Slack steps according to the number configured in Repeater.

If your scenario also uses HTTP requests, this related guide may help: How to Use HTTP Requests in Albato.

Add the Repeater tool

Click the plus icon before the steps that should be repeated. Then search for Repeater in the list of tools and select it.

Albato will add the tool before the actions that need to run multiple times.

Configure the number of repetitions

In the Number of repetitions field, enter how many times the following steps should run.

For example, if you enter 2, the steps after Repeater will run twice during the same automation execution.

You can enter a fixed number or use a value from a previous step if the number of repetitions depends on incoming data.

Set the start value

The Start value field is optional. It defines the first value of the iteration counter.

For example, if you set Start value to 1, the first run will use 1, the second run will use 2, and so on.

This is useful when the following steps need a number that changes on each repetition, such as a row number, message number, or item position.

Use the iteration number in the next steps

After configuring Repeater, the next steps can use the Iteration number value.

For example, you can map this value into a Slack message, a spreadsheet row, or another field that needs to change with each repeated run.

This lets the following actions know which repetition is currently running.

Check the final automation

Start the automation and test it with a small number of repetitions first. Then check the automation history to confirm that the following steps ran the expected number of times.

In the automation history, you can see that the repeated steps were executed more than once.

The first execution uses the first iteration value.

The second execution uses the next iteration value.

If you configure more repetitions, the same logic continues for each run. For example, if the start value is 10, the next values will be 11, 12, 13, and so on.

The final automation keeps the repeated steps grouped after Repeater.

After the automation runs, the history shows the repeated executions.

Summary

Repeater helps you keep an automation shorter when the same steps must run more than once. Instead of copying actions several times, you add one tool, define the number of repetitions, and use the iteration number when the following steps need a changing value.

Use Repeater for fixed or calculated repetition counts. Use an iterator when the automation needs to process items from a row section or array.