The process flow canvas (classic)

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:

Option	Summary
	Process flow settings Use this option to access general settings for this process flow. 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 manually (rather than waiting for a trigger to be invoked). For more information, please see Running a process flow manually.
	Initialise flow (advanced) Use this option to run the process flow manually with a given payload. This is particularly useful for testing - for example, 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. 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 Toggles the details panel off/on. As the process flow runs, you can view progress in real time; you can also check logs and view payloads at any stage.
	Toggle new canvas If you're currently working with the classic canvas, use this option to switch to the new canvas. You can switch back at any time. Note that if you switch from the new canvas back to classic, any disconnected shapes are NOT displayed in classic flow.

(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!

We're adding new shapes all the time! For information about working with shapes, please see our Process flow shapes section.

(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: