Out of the box Rock ships with a single connection type for Involvement. But that's just a starting point for all the options within connections. Let's walk through the configuration capabilities of the connections features to see what's possible. The first step is to see a listing of all the connection types that have been configured in the system. You can see this screen by clicking the ti ti-settings from the Connections page under People > Connections. Selecting a connection type from the list pictured above will display the details for the type as well as a list of all the connection opportunities that have been defined. Let's start by looking at the configuration options available for a connection type. Trailblazer Enabled Views - Select which views are available when managing requests for this connection type. You must choose at least one of the following: List, Grid or Board.Enabled Features - Choose the features available in the Connections Hub and request detail view. Note that Reminders and Connection Celebrations currently only appear on the List viewFuture Follow-Up - This allows you to pause a request until a specific date. Once that date arrives, the system automatically returns the request to an Active state.Group Placement - When enabled, all opportunities in this connection type can assign people to placement groups once the process is complete.Reminders - This allows staff members to add specific reminders to requests within this connection type.Connection Celebrations - Use this to create reminders tied to individual requests to celebrate milestones in a person's journey.Sequential Status Mode - This forces each status to be completed in the specific order you have configured. More on this below. tb: Connection Request Detail Page - This setting only applies to older versions of Rock that aren't using the Connection Request Board block. You could use this to specify the page for viewing Connection Request Details for this Connection Type. As of Rock v12 this is no longer needed with the Connection Request Board because viewing Connection Request Details no longer takes you to a different page.Requires Placement Group To Complete - If checked, this will prevent the Complete button from activating on a Request unless a Placement Group is set.tb: Show Full Activity List - We also talked about how a request can show activities from other requests made by the same individual. You have the option to disable that functionality on a connection type basis.Enable Request Security - If enabled, connection request blocks will have an additional setting allowing security to be applied to individual requests. A special rule is also applied, which automatically allows an assigned connector to view or edit their requests even if the connector doesn't have security to the connection opportunity or type. Enabling this setting will noticeably impact performance when there are a significant number of requests. If you can't see requests that you should be able to see, be sure to check security at the connection's Request, Opportunity and Type levels.Due Date Calculation Mode - Due dates give your connectors a timeline to follow and keep every request on track. Rock offers three ways to calculate these deadlines so you can choose the approach that best fits your workflow.Fixed Days From Start (Type Level) - Rock calculates the due date by adding a set number of days to the date the request starts. Choose this option when every opportunity within a Connection Type requires the same amount of time to complete — it's simple and easy to manage. You'll define the exact Request Due Duration (In Days) and a Due Soon Window (In Days) right here. Fixed Days From Start (Opportunity Level) - Rock calculates the deadline from the start date, but you define the timeframe individually for each opportunity. Choose this option when some opportunities naturally take longer than others. You can set a Default Request Due Duration and Default Opportunity Due Soon Window here, which will act as a helpful starting point when you create new opportunities later. Duration Per Status - Rock sets a due date for each step in the process. When a staff member moves a request to a new status, the clock resets based on the time allowed for that stage. Choose this option for complex workflows where requests may pause while waiting on outside actions. Here, you define a Default Status Due Duration and Default Status Due Soon Window. You will have the chance to customize these defaults for each individual status in the Statuses section below.Recalculate Due Dates for Existing Requests - If you ever change your calculation mode or durations on an active connection type, check this box only if you want to apply your new logic to all currently open requests. tb: Type Attributes - Here, you add and manage attributes and attribute values that apply to this connection type. Remember, after you add a new attribute, save the connection type before entering its value. To create an attribute that's used for all connection types, use the entity attributes page without adding a Qualifier Field or Qualifier Value.Opportunity Attributes - Here you will define attributes about the opportunities. These attributes are mainly used to power the opportunity search screens. Enabling Allow Search allows the attribute to be filtered on by a person using an opportunity search.Request Attributes - Attributes associated with a connection request will be displayed here. Connection request attributes apply to all of the connection requests in every opportunity of the given connection type.Activity Types - Each connection type allows you to define types of activities that a connector can make on a request. You can apply entity attributes to activity types, to track additional details related to that type of activity.Statuses - You can create as many request statuses as you like for your requests. This is also where you'll configure rules to automate the process of moving individuals from one status to another. See the Automating Status Changes section below for details.Sources - Define the various origins of your connection requests, such as "Website," "Mobile App" or "Connection Card." Categorizing requests by source allows you to track which engagement channels are most effective for your organization.tb: Workflows - We’ll go into all the details about connection request workflows in the Connection Workflows article. For now, the important takeaway is that the workflows you define here will apply to all requests for all of the Connection Opportunities of this Connection Type. That’s a wide net to cast, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need. If not, you can also add workflows at the Opportunity level.Additional Requests to Show - Sometimes it helps to see the bigger picture. Use this section to configure which related connection requests appear alongside the current one to provide extra context for your staff members. This will show up in the Docked View (Connection Request Detail), allowing you to navigate between related requests easily.Communication Templates & Snippets - This section helps you maintain a consistent voice across your organization. Define which categories of email templates and SMS snippets your team can access when reaching out to people through this connection type.tb: AI Insights Prompt - Think of this as a set of instructions for your AI assistant. Use this field to tell the AI what it should focus on when generating the summary for the Connection Request Detail page. If you leave this blank, the AI summary feature will stay hidden.AI Summary Trigger - Choose how the system generates the AI summary. Selecting On Page Load provides an instant overview as soon as you open the request, while Manual allows staff to trigger the generation only when needed.AI Summary Cache Duration - Specify how long the system stores a generated summary before refreshing it. A shorter duration ensures the information stays current with recent interactions, while a longer duration improves page performance by reducing the frequency of AI requests. After setting up a connection type, you can duplicate it to create additional types. To duplicate an entire connection type, click the ti ti-copy button on the Connection Type Detail screen. Once copied, the duplicated connection type is displayed in the Connection Types screen. From there you can edit its settings in the Connection Type Detail screen. Note, if you need to delete the duplicated connection type, you'll need to first delete all of the Connection Opportunities listed in its Connection Type Detail screen. Statuses Defining clear statuses helps your staff members track exactly where each person is in the connection process so no one gets left behind. Automating Status Changes As noted above, the Connection Type is where you define the Statuses that are available for connection requests. For instance, you might have statuses like "In Progress" or "Pending Interview" to track different stages as the connection request moves through your process. Statuses can be manually assigned by editing a request, but in many cases, you might find it's more efficient to automatically move a connection request from one status to another. To set up rules for automating status changes, edit the Connection Type and access the Statuses section. By either updating a status or adding a new one, you can access the list of status automations. Click the ti ti-circle-plus icon to add a new automation, or the ti ti-pencil icon to edit an existing automation. Set as Default Status - When this is enabled, the system automatically assigns this status to all new connection requests.Note Required on Completion - This requires a staff member to enter a note before they can mark a request as complete while it is in this status. It is a great way to ensure important details are captured before a process ends.Automatically Set State to Inactive - Selecting this status automatically changes the request state to Inactive. This is typically used for statuses like "Completed" or "Dropped" where no further action is needed.Status Date Settings - These settings define how the system tracks time for requests in this status:Status Due Duration - This defines how many days a request can stay in this status before it is considered due.Due Soon Window - Specify how many days before the due date a request should start appearing as "due soon."Future Follow-Up Duration - This defines how long a request stays in the Future Follow-Up state before it becomes active again. Data View - This is where you select the data view that will identify which connection requests the automation should apply to. For instance, you might create a data view that returns connection requests where a specific Activity has been completed. Only data views with an "Applies To" setting of Connection Request will be listed here. For more information about building data views, see our Reporting guide.Group Requirements Filter - These options apply to connection requests that have a specified Placement Group. The group (and/or group type) requirements will be checked according to the following logic. For more information about group requirements, see our Groups guide.Ignore: If this is selected, any group requirements are not considered when deciding if the automation should be performed.Must Meet: If this is selected, all group requirements must be met by the connection request's Placement Group, then the automation will be performed.Does Not Meet: If this is selected, the automation will be performed only if there are group requirements that the Requestor does not meet. If there are no group requirements for the Placement Group, then the automation will not be performed. Move To - This is the new status that the connection request will be updated to if it's returned by the selected data view and if the conditions of the Group Requirements Filter are met. In the example above, the connection requests returned by the data view would automatically be updated from a status of No Contact to a new status of In Progress. The automations you configure will be performed after saving a connection request, or when the Connection Requests Automation job is run. Keep in mind that the automations are performed in the order that they're listed. If you need to change the order, click the ti ti-menu-2 icon and drag the automation to the desired location. Once an automation criterion is matched, no further automations will be processed for that status. NoteHighlight Color is EssentialWhile the Highlight Color may seem like a minor aesthetic choice, these colors are vital visual cues for your team. Using indistinct or non-intuitive colors can make the connection process more difficult. For clarity, stick to standard conventions: use green for positive or "healthy" statuses and red for negative or "dropped" statuses. Choosing a green highlight for a negative status is just confusing for connectors. Sequential Status Mode Sequential Status Mode enforces a strict, linear workflow for your connection requests. When this setting is enabled, staff members must move through statuses in the exact order they are configured in the connection type. This prevents "skipping ahead" and ensures every step of your established process is followed consistently. For example, in this mode, you cannot drag a request on the Connection Board ahead two statuses, only one at a time. NoteAny Request currently on its final status will be marked as Complete when you mark its Status as "Complete". So, there is the Connection Type. Next let's look at creating and editing Connection Opportunities within this Connection Type.