Divides
Use a divide when one Wrk Action needs to process many similar items and you want them handled at the same time instead of one after another. Typical cases: enrich every contact in a list, download every attachment, or look up a record for each spreadsheet row. Each item is independent, so waiting for a single sequential pass would only slow the Launch down.
When a dividing Wrk Action receives a list, Wrk creates divided pieces: one parallel execution of that Wrk Action per item. Those pieces run together and finish on their own schedules. That pattern is a form of parallel branching built into specific Wrk Actions. You do not draw separate branches in the Wrkflow Designer; the platform manages the split inside the Action.
Example: A list of 200 contacts arrives in one step. A dividing enrich Wrk Action processes many contacts in parallel instead of enriching them one by one.
What it looks like to you
On a Wrk Action card
Look for two signals when browsing or configuring a Wrk Action:
- Divide icon: shown next to the delivery methods on dividing Wrk Actions
- Description text: many dividing Actions state "This Wrk Action divides."
In the Wrkflow Designer, a dividing Wrk Action still appears as a single card. The parallelism happens at execution time, not as extra connector lines you draw by hand.
During a Launch
When a dividing Wrk Action receives a list (spreadsheet rows, search hits, email attachments, line items from a document), Wrk fans that input out into parallel executions of the same step. Each divided piece completes on its own schedule, which is why large batches finish much faster than strict one-by-one processing.
When to use divides
Good fit
- Each item is independent: enriching contacts, downloading attachments, searching records per row
- You need throughput more than strict ordering across items
- The same Wrk Action logic applies to every element in a list
Poor fit
- Items must be compared or merged before the next step (for example, picking the best of two strategies from combined results)
- Downstream steps expect a single combined payload and you have not yet aggregated results
After parallel work completes, you can bring results back together, for example with an Export Wrkflow data to a file Wrk Action.
Multiple divides in one Wrkflow
You can chain dividing Wrk Actions. Each divide creates its own parallel batch, so a Wrkflow that sends invitations, confirms RSVPs, and prepares welcome packets can divide at every step that supports it.
Divides vs loops
| Divides | Loops |
|---|---|
| Automatic inside qualifying Wrk Actions | Explicit loop + Continue Loop wiring |
| Parallel by default | Sequential unless you design concurrent patterns |
| Less setup in the Wrkflow Designer | More control over order, conditions, and exit |
| Poor fit when a shared browser session is required | Prefer when browser session state must stay shared |
If you need to walk pages of an API in order, stop when a counter reaches a limit, or keep a browser session across steps, see Looping. Divides and loops often appear together in production Wrkflows.