Creating Sequences

This guide walks you through creating sequences that combine actions into ordered workflows.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• At least one action to include
• Understanding of your deployment workflow
• Access to create sequences in Lens

Creating a Sequence

Step 1: Navigate to Sequences

1. Open Lens in your browser
2. Click Sequences in the sidebar
3. Click New Sequence

Step 2: Basic Information

Field	Description	Example
Name	Display name; used to derive the slug	deploy-web-application
Initial Version	Starting semantic version	1.0.0

Step 3: Add Action Steps

1. Click Add Action — a blank action row appears inline (there is no pop-up dialog)
2. Select an action from the row’s dropdown
3. Specify the version requirement in the same row

Repeat to add more actions. Each row has ↑/↓ buttons to set the order.

Step 4: Configure Version Requirements

For each action, set a version requirement:

Requirement	Use Case
^1.0.0	Get compatible updates (recommended)
~1.5.0	Patch updates only
=1.2.3	Exact version (strict)
>=1.0.0	Any version 1.0.0 or newer

Step 5: Order Steps

Use the up/down arrow buttons next to each step to arrange them:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Sequence Steps                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                         │
│  1. [≡] health-check (^1.0.0)           [↑] [↓] [✕]    │
│  2. [≡] stop-service (^1.0.0)           [↑] [↓] [✕]    │
│  3. [≡] deploy-files (^2.0.0)           [↑] [↓] [✕]    │
│  4. [≡] start-service (^1.0.0)          [↑] [↓] [✕]    │
│  5. [≡] smoke-test (^1.0.0)             [↑] [↓] [✕]    │
│                                                         │
│  [+ Add Action]                                           │
│                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 6: Save

Click Save to create your sequence.

Example Sequences

Web Application Deployment

Step	Action	Version	Purpose
1	pre-flight-check	^1.0.0	Verify target is ready
2	backup-config	^1.0.0	Save current configuration
3	stop-application	^1.0.0	Graceful shutdown
4	deploy-files	^2.0.0	Copy new application files
5	update-config	^1.0.0	Apply configuration changes
6	start-application	^1.0.0	Start the service
7	health-check	^1.0.0	Verify deployment succeeded

Database Migration

Step	Action	Version	Purpose
1	backup-database	^2.0.0	Create backup before changes
2	validate-migrations	^1.0.0	Check migration scripts
3	apply-migrations	^1.0.0	Run database migrations
4	verify-schema	^1.0.0	Confirm schema changes

Service Restart

Step	Action	Version	Purpose
1	drain-connections	^1.0.0	Stop accepting new requests
2	stop-service	^1.0.0	Stop the service
3	start-service	^1.0.0	Start the service
4	health-check	^1.0.0	Verify service is healthy

Step Configuration

Reusing Actions

The same action can appear multiple times in a sequence:

Step	Action	Notes
1	health-check	Pre-deployment check
2	deploy-files	Deploy application
3	health-check	Post-deployment verification

Different Versions of Same Action

You can use different version requirements:

Step	Action	Version	Reason
1	deploy-files	=1.0.0	Legacy deployment
2	deploy-files	^2.0.0	New deployment method

Sequence Editor Interface

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Edit Sequence: deploy-web-application                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                         │
│  Name:        [deploy-web-application           ]       │
│  Version:     1.0.0                                     │
│                                                         │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
│                                                         │
│  Steps:                                                 │
│                                                         │
│  ┌─────┬─────────────────────┬────────────┬─────────┐   │
│  │ #   │ Action              │ Version    │ Actions │   │
│  ├─────┼─────────────────────┼────────────┼─────────┤   │
│  │ 1   │ pre-flight-check    │ ^1.0.0     │ [↑][↓][✕]│  │
│  │ 2   │ stop-application    │ ^1.0.0     │ [↑][↓][✕]│  │
│  │ 3   │ deploy-files        │ ^2.0.0     │ [↑][↓][✕]│  │
│  │ 4   │ start-application   │ ^1.0.0     │ [↑][↓][✕]│  │
│  │ 5   │ health-check        │ ^1.0.0     │ [↑][↓][✕]│  │
│  └─────┴─────────────────────┴────────────┴─────────┘   │
│                                                         │
│  [+ Add Action]                                           │
│                                                         │
│                           [Cancel]  [Save]              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Validation

Before saving, Mantis validates:

Check	Description
Actions exist	All referenced actions are available
Versions available	Matching versions exist for requirements
Slug uniqueness	No other sequence with the same slug in this scope (derived from the name unless overridden)

After Creation

Your sequence is ready to:

1. Be added to solutions
2. Be deployed directly
3. Be versioned with updates

Common Patterns

Pre/Post Deployment Hooks

1. pre-deploy-hook     # Notify monitoring systems
2. ... actual deployment steps ...
3. post-deploy-hook    # Update dashboards

Rollback Preparation

1. create-snapshot     # Save current state
2. ... deployment steps ...
3. verify-deployment   # Check success

Tip

Always include a verification step at the end to confirm the deployment succeeded.

Next Steps

• Ordering Actions - Step ordering strategies
• Versioning - Managing sequence versions
• Overview - Return to sequences overview