Flow properties

The flow properties contain information about your flow. In the main header, select Properties to view or edit your flow's properties.

Triggers

The trigger specifies the conditions that start running the flow. When the trigger conditions are met, the system starts running the flow.

Flow Designer supports record-based, schedule-based, and application-based trigger types. For more information, see Flow trigger types.

Flow actions

Within Actions, flow designers can add actions, flow logic, and subflows to their flow.

Each flow action is a set of reusable Now Platform logic that produces specific outputs when provided with its inputs. Flow designers sequence flow actions within a flow and specify any required input values. As a flow runs, flow actions generate output values that become available as data pills, which can then be used as inputs for other flow actions that appear later in the flow.

Action numbering

Sequential numbers appear next to each flow action in the Flow Designer interface. Flow action numbers start with 1 and then increment by 1 as you add more flow actions to your flow.

Note: If you used legacy flow action numbering in any of your inline scripts, you have the option to automatically update the flow action numbers in your scripts according to the new numbering method.

Core actions

Your instance comes with a collection of core actions, or frequently used Now Platform operations, that can be added to any flow.

Spoke actions

Some applications include spokes which add application-specific actions. Spoke actions are typically read-only but can be copied and customized.

Custom actions

Developers may also create their custom actions from the Action Designer interface.

Data pane

Flows store any data gathered or generated as variables in the Data pane. Each variable has its own pill that Flow designers can use to drag the variable value to an action input or output. Flow Designer generates the pill name based on the contents and its data type. The system specifies the variable data type next to the pill.

Testing flows

After adding a trigger and one or more actions, flow designers can test a flow. Testing a flow sets the trigger conditions to true and runs all actions. For flows that have record-based triggers, flow designers may specify an existing test record to use as input. Flow designers should always test flows on non-production instances containing relevant demonstration data since testing a flow creates or changes records on the instance.

Flow execution details

The system generates flow execution records, log messages, and reports for each flow run. The flow context is a related record containing the current state and runtime values of the flow. The system generates a context record each time a flow is run.

Printing flows

Flow Designer supports multipage printing for flows, subflows, actions, and flow execution details. For a list of supported browsers, see Browser support.

Roles

Design considerations

Create flows when you require the trigger data as a flow input

Since flows always run whenever their trigger conditions are met, make sure your flow needs a trigger. Triggered flows always provide the same trigger data as a flow input. If you need variable flow input data, create a subflow instead.

Create subflows when you want to reuse business logic

A subflow allows you to configure its input values differently each time you call it. For example, design a subflow to accept different record types as an input. Reuse this generic record subflow instead of writing a specific flow for each record type.

Grant flow roles to access role-protected data and preserve user information

Instead of running a flow as the system user, use flow roles to preserve user information and grant access to data. Adding flow roles allows a user-initiated flow access to data it would not otherwise have. The roles granted only apply to the flow. They do not apply to the user who initiated the flow.

Use flow logic or a schedule-based trigger to control flow timing

To pause a flow for a specific duration, use Wait for a duration flow logic. To run a flow at a specific time, use a schedule-based trigger. Avoid using the gs.sleep() method to wait within a flow.

More Actions

Click the More Actions () button to access additional options for the flow.

Stages

Access the stages for a flow.

Manage flow catalog variables

Manage the catalog variables available to Service Catalog-triggered-flows.

Copy flow

Create a copy of the open flow in an application you specify.

Configurations

Enable or disable the Show draft actions, Show triggered flows, Show store spokes, and Show inline script toggle options.

Code Snippet

Generate a code snippet to call a specific flow, subflow, or action.

Manage security

Enable or disable the Callable by Client API option.

Manage natural language title

Create or edit a flow title with styled or dynamic text. For more information, see Create a natural language title.