Canvas basics

The canvas is where you build a workflow. Each box is a step, and each line carries the output of one step into the next. This page covers the parts of the editor you use every day.

Create a workflow#

1. Open Workflows in the sidebar and click Add new Workflow.
2. In the Create new workflow dialog, describe what the workflow should do in the box that says Describe what it should do, or search templates. Matching templates appear under Closest templates, and Use template copies one.
3. If none fit, click Start from scratch. You can also import an exported workflow from the same dialog.
4. Give the workflow a name and description and click Create workflow. The canvas opens.

The editor at a glance#

The top bar has, from left to right:

• A Workflows button that takes you back to the list.
• The workflow name with a small arrow. Hover it to open a menu with the version number, Edit details, Templates, Import, Export and Share.
• A switch between Edit, Run and Batch. See Testing and run logs.
• A History button with the current version number, a Saving… or Saved indicator, and Publish. See Publishing and versions.

Inside the canvas, the Components button and the undo and redo buttons sit in the top left corner.

Add a step#

Every step is a component. There are three ways to add one:

• Click Components in the top left corner of the canvas.
• Select a step and click the plus button on the dashed line below it. The new step is connected to the one you selected.
• Click the plus on a line between two steps to insert a step between them.

The Add Component dialog has a search box and a category list with All at the top. If a step you need is missing, Request New Component opens the FlowHunt contact page. Every step is described in the step reference.

Steps that need an external account, such as Gmail or Slack, tell you when the account is missing. A dialog says that the integration is required and shows its card so you can connect it. See Connecting accounts.

Connect steps#

Drag from the output handle of one step to the input handle of another. To remove a connection, select the line and use the delete button in its toolbar. A step receives data from the steps connected before it.

To remove a step, select it and use Delete in the small toolbar that appears above it. That toolbar also has Copy and Duplicate. The keyboard works too: Ctrl or Cmd with C, X and V copy, cut and paste, and Delete or Backspace removes the selection.

Configure a step#

Click a step to open its settings in the panel on the right. The panel header has a Docs link to the reference page for that step. Settings that most people leave alone are grouped under Advanced. If a step has problems, such as a required field left empty, the panel lists them.

A step that needs an account shows Integrated in the header once the account is connected.

Pass data with variables#

Text fields can use values produced earlier in the workflow. Type / in a text field to open the variable list, which shows:

• Built-in variables such as Current Date, Current Time, Current DateTime, Workflow Input, Flow Input, Previous Output, Chat History and Session ID.
• The outputs of the steps connected before this one.

Previous Output is the merged output of all steps connected into the current one. Workflow Input is the original input the workflow started with.

Undo a mistake#

Use the undo and redo buttons next to Components. Changes also save automatically as a draft. To go back to an earlier saved version, open History.