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Roles & Automation Variables

One of the most powerful patterns in SyteOps is the relationship between custom roles and FlowMattic automation. When you define roles and assign users, SyteOps automatically generates and maintains FlowMattic aggregator variables for each role — so your workflows always know who the Managers, Assistants, Reviewers, or any other role are, without you ever touching a workflow definition.

How It Works​

  1. Create a custom role in SyteOps (e.g., "Project Manager")
  2. Assign users to that role
  3. SyteOps generates FlowMattic variables for the role automatically
  4. Use those variables in FlowMattic workflows
  5. When team membership changes — SyteOps updates the variables. Workflows need no changes.

FlowMattic Variables Generated Per Role​

For each custom role, SyteOps creates and maintains:

VariableContains
syteops_std_systm_contact_{slug}_all_namesComma-separated display names of all users in the role
syteops_std_systm_contact_{slug}_all_emailsComma-separated email addresses of all users in the role
syteops_std_systm_contact_{slug}_slackSlack aggregator for direct notification routing
syteops_user_NNN_is_{slug}Per-user boolean: whether user 001–020 holds this role

These are generated and synced automatically. You reference them in FlowMattic — you never write to them manually.

System Roles​

Three built-in single-assignment system roles also generate dedicated FlowMattic variable families:

RoleFlowMattic Family
Site Ownersyteops_user_owner_*
Technical Contactsyteops_user_contact_tech_*
Marketing Contactsyteops_user_contact_marketing_*

System roles are single-assignment — exactly one user holds each role, so the alias variable is always unambiguous.

Practical Example: Team Notification Routing​

You have a workflow that needs to notify all Project Managers when a new estimate arrives.

Without SyteOps: You hardcode individual email addresses in the workflow. When a Manager changes, you open the workflow and edit it.

With SyteOps: Your workflow uses syteops_std_systm_contact_project_manager_all_emails. When you add or remove a Project Manager in SyteOps, that variable updates instantly. The workflow never needs editing.

Practical Example: Role-Based Content Assignment​

An article arrives via ContentPen. The workflow needs to assign it to the correct author based on a role.

  1. The incoming webhook includes metadata about the article type or client
  2. A FlowMattic condition checks the syteops_user_NNN_is_content_lead variable to find the current Content Lead
  3. The article gets assigned to that WordPress author
  4. When the Content Lead changes in SyteOps, the next article routes to the new person automatically

No workflow editing. The role assignment is the source of truth.

Creating Custom Roles​

  1. Navigate to the Users tab in SyteOps
  2. Scroll to the Custom Roles section
  3. Click + Add Role
  4. Fill in:
    • Name — Human-readable role label (e.g., "Project Manager")
    • Slug — Used in FlowMattic variable names (e.g., project_manager)
    • Description — What this role represents
    • Icon and Color — Visual identifier in the UI
  5. Choose an assignment constraint:
    • Unique — Only one user at a time (like system roles)
    • Max Count — Up to N users
    • Unlimited — No limit
  6. Save

The FlowMattic variables for this role are created immediately.

Assigning Users to Roles​

On any user card in the Users tab, custom role checkboxes appear for each defined role. Check a box to assign, uncheck to remove. FlowMattic variables update on save.

Integration with SyteOps Ecosystem Plugins​

SyteOps is designed as the foundation layer for a broader plugin ecosystem. When other SyteOps ecosystem plugins (like SyteHero) are installed alongside SyteOps, they can access your defined roles and user data directly.

For example, a reporting feature in an ecosystem plugin can send reports to "all Managers" by referencing the aggregator variable — without you configuring names or emails in the reporting plugin itself. Add a Manager in SyteOps, they start receiving reports.

Role Aggregator: Slack​

The Slack aggregator variable (syteops_std_systm_contact_{slug}_slack) contains the Slack handle or workspace targeting string for all users in the role. When the Slack integration is enabled and users have Slack IDs configured, this variable gives you a single reference to notify an entire role group in Slack from FlowMattic.

Managing Roles​

Access the full Roles management interface at SyteOps > Roles & Users in the WordPress admin sidebar. This standalone page shows all system and custom roles, their current assignments, user counts, and aggregator status.