The process flow canvas
Introduction
The process flow canvas is where you build and test your process flows in a smart, visual way. This is where you define if, when, what, and how data is synced.
Finding your way around the process flow canvas
The process flow canvas has four main elements - a title, an actions bar, a shapes area, and a (hidden unless activated) options panel:
(A) The process flow title bar
The process flow title bar shows the name of the process flow, as specified when it was created. The number above the title is the process flow id and the number below is the version number. To change this title, use the settings option from the actions bar.
The copy link with current company id icon to the right of the title can be used to copy a link to this process flow, which includes the id for your company profile:
This is useful if:
You use our partner features bolt-on to manage multiple Patchworks profiles. Sharing this link with other team members (who have sufficient permissions) means they can access the process flow directly, seamlessly switching to the relevant company profile.
You need to raise a support query regarding a process flow. Including this link in your support ticket means that a member of our Support team can access the flow more efficiently, seamlessly switching to the relevant company profile.
(B) The actions bar
Options in the actions bar are summarised below:
Process flow settings
Use this option to access settings for this process flow - these are used to manage settings for this process flow as a whole. For more information please see Process flow settings.
Return to trigger
If you're working on a longer process flow, use this option to quickly jump back to the start (i.e. back to the trigger shape).
Initialise flow now
Use this option to run the process flow immediately. For more information please see Running a process flow manually.
Initialise flow (advanced)
Use this option to provide a payload to be passed in before the process flow initialises. This is particularly useful if you want to test how a flow will run with expected data from a Patchworks API request. If the virtual environments feature is enabled for your company profile, you can also use this option to test a process flow against a given virtual environment.
Stop the current run
If a process flow is running, you can use this option to stop the current run. Stopping a run in this way triggers the flow to stop at its next step however, if an API call or script has already been triggered, the process flow will stop after these have completed. With this in mind, it's important to check any target connections to clarify what (if any) updates have been made after a process flow has been stopped.
Logs & payloads
As a process flow runs, you can view progress in real time; you can also check logs and view payloads at any stage.
(C) The shapes area
The main 'shapes area' is where you build your process flow. Start by clicking the + sign associated with the trigger shape, then choose the required shape for your next step, and start building!
(D) The settings drawer
When you access process flow settings or to configure a shape in your flow, available settings are displayed in a panel on the right-hand side. For example, when we choose to access settings for a trigger shape, available trigger options are displayed:
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