This topic is for application designers who want to know how to configure actionflows.Introduction to actionflows

Overview

Actionflows are diagrams in which you create the functionality of your application. Actionflows are wired onto the screen using connectors:

• either to a component such as a button
• or to data views and their attributes.

When the user triggers an action with a mouse-click or keyboard-press, PhixFlow processes the actionflow. Actionflows can affect data, for example by making  changes to records, such as update or delete.

Actionflows can also move the user through their task, by validating input or opening the next screen.

For example, a CRM system includes a screen where the user enters details of a new customer. When the user clicks the update button, PhixFlow runs the actionflow to:

1. Check the input provided is appropriate
2. Add the new customer record to the CRM database
3. Provide a confirmation message.

Actionflow Diagrams

In an actionflow diagram, each smallest action that PhixFlow can perform is represented as a circle, called a node. Nodes can be:

• data interactions - save, delete, add
• data calls and calculations - connecting to data to look-up, use or process records
• screen interactions - to open or close screens in the application
• another actionflow - this means you can represent a complex step as a single node
• gateways - decision points with logic to determine which path PhixFlow takes next.

As you add nodes to the actionflow, you wire the output connector of one node to the input  connector on the next. In this way, you are create the logical steps needed to complete a specific piece of functionality. Todo UPDATE picture

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Reusing Actionflows

You can resuse an actionflow throughout your application. This means you only need to create one actionflow for functionality that occurs on different screens or layouts, such as to save or update records. You can also include an actionflow as a node within another actionflow.

For each instance of an actionflow, you specify which data the actionflow takes using the wiring to connectors. This means you can connect to attributes with any name.

The picture below shows an actionflow that validates the format of data to ensure it is a valid area code. It's input connection is called Area Code.

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The actionflow is reused by two applications, shown on the left. Each application has separate data with different fields. The actionflow takes data from:

• Postcode data in the Contact App
• Zip Code in the Asset Manager App. 

This illustrates that an actionflow can take its input from an attribute with any name. It also illustrates the 2 instances of the actionflow:

• Instance 1 is the actionflow with input from Postcode 
• Instance 2 is the actionflow with input from Zip Code.

Actionflow Creation

Creating an Actionflow:

1. Right Click on any button on a dashboard and select Add Actionflow.
   1. This will create the Actionflow and assign it to the button.
2. In the repository browser go to Actionflows expand tree and click Add New.
   1. This will create the Actionflow, which can then be dragged onto the required button.

Actionflow Window

The key concepts of an Actionflow are illustrated below:

1. Toolbar: Contains all the items necessary to build and configure an Actionflow. For example, users can drag a calculate action directly onto the canvas.
2. Source: relates to Actionflow instances only. The source indicates where the Actionflow is being called from e.g. "My Button" or a double click on a grid. If this is empty then the user is editing the Actionflow directly.
3. Options: These are options that relate o the entire workflow, such as hiding the loading spinner. 
4. Inputs: There are two kinds of input that can be connected / mapped into a Actionflow DRIVING AND REQUEST?
   1. Event: This is a user or system triggered action such as a user clicking on a button. Event information can be used to start an Actionflow. This event node has information available to the user such as where the click came i.e. which button was clicked.
   2. View (of he data): This is the data available to the Actionflow, specifically the data bound objects e.g. grid or form fields. The event calling the Actionflow e.g. a button click, has access to data in the same area as itself or to areas embedded within the same area.  
5. Input Connection Points: These define fixed data and events that are expected by the Actionflow. They remain consistent for all instances of the Actionflow. Each instance of an Actionflow then define what data is mapped onto these connection points. Connection points collect data, pass data back to the calling object and perform lookups on data. This will be covered in more detail later on this page 
6. Action Nodes: The Action Nodes are used to carryout the actions against the information passed in from the connection points or to perform lookups to other sources of data.

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The pages in this topic are:

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