# WhatsApp Business

<!-- meta: type=whatsapp-business-message; location=Messaging › Social; category=Step (action); platforms=Joomla and WordPress (where applicable) -->

## Overview

WhatsApp Business is a **Step (action)** in **Messaging › Social**. Sends a WhatsApp text message via Meta WhatsApp Business Cloud API.

When the flow reaches this step, JOrchestrator executes **WhatsApp Business** against your linked site or an external integration, using the field values you set on **General** and **Design**. Downstream steps can read the output payload fields defined for this node.

## Why use this node

WhatsApp Business is a **action step** in the **Messaging › Social** group. Action steps run in the middle or end of a flow. They perform work on your CMS, call external services, or transform data for the next step.

Typical reasons teams add **WhatsApp Business** to a flow:

- Automate "WhatsApp Business" as part of a larger Joomla or WordPress workflow
- Replace manual social work with a repeatable, logged flow step
- Chain with triggers, logic, and messaging nodes on the same canvas

## Example workflows

Common patterns on the canvas:

1. **Trigger or Webhook** → upstream steps → **WhatsApp Business** → **Send Email** or CMS update
2. **Scheduled trigger** → **WhatsApp Business** → **Debug** (while testing) → production action

## How to set it up

Phone Number ID and access token from Node Configuration → WhatsApp Business. To and Message are required on the Design tab.

## Good to know

Recipients must have opted in to your WhatsApp Business number. Use E.164 digits (country code + number, no +).

## Properties panel

The designer shows these tabs for this node:

| Tab | Purpose |
|-----|---------|
| **Info** | Plain-language description and output payload fields for downstream steps |
| **General** | Canvas label and read-only node ID |
| **AI** | Optional assistant to help draft settings from plain language |
| **Design** | Node-specific configuration fields |

### System (automatic — not edited by the user)

These fields are managed by the designer or runtime — you do not type into them directly:

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `_nodeId` | Node ID | `node-id` | No | — | — |
| `_payloadFields` | Available Fields | `payload-panel` | No | — | — |

### User-configured — General tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `label` | Label | `text` | No | — | Node label |

### User-configured — Design tab

| Property key | Label | Type | Required | Visible when | Notes |
|--------------|-------|------|----------|--------------|-------|
| `to` | To | `payload-text` | **Yes** | — | 15551234567 (E.164 digits, country code + number) |
| `body` | Message | `textarea` | **Yes** | — | WhatsApp text or {{node_id.field}} |
| `previewUrl` | Link previews | `select` (`true` \| `false`; default: `true`) | No | — | When enabled, WhatsApp may show a preview card for URLs in the message body. |

### CMS site configuration (not on this node's properties panel)

Credentials, API keys, mailers, SMTP, and integration defaults are configured in the CMS plugin under **Node Configuration**, not per step on this node. Link the flow to a domain before testing CMS-backed fields.

## Output payload fields

After this step runs, later nodes can reference these fields using placeholders such as
`{{whatsapp_business.success}}`.

| Field key | Type | Description |
|-----------|------|-------------|
| `success` | boolean | Whether the operation completed successfully. |
| `messageId` | string | Provider message or email identifier. |
| `waId` | string | Text value from this node's output. |
| `to` | string | Recipient address or user. |
| `body` | string | Raw content — response text, file bytes (often base64), or message body. |
| `message` | string | Human-readable status, error, or result summary. |

## Validation rules

- **To** (`to`) must be filled before the flow can be saved.
- **Message** (`body`) must be filled before the flow can be saved.

## Related nodes

Other steps in the same area of the palette:

- **Discord Message** (`discord-message`) — Messaging › Social
- **Slack Message** (`slack-message`) — Messaging › Social