Skip to main content

Create a Flow

To create a flow, go to the snap-in pane and select the “Flows” snap-in.

  1. At the top, under Flows, click the “New Flow” button.
  2. Enter a name. The name must be unique within the project.
  3. Press Enter to confirm.

The newly created flow appears in the directory tree and opens as a tab in the main window

The flow is now created and open in the main window. You can open existing flows by double-clicking them in the directory tree. The currently selected item is displayed in bold in the directory tree.

If you want to create multiple similar flows, it’s better to use templates and instances rather than creating many individual flows.

Creating Flow Groups​

A flow group combines multiple flows. Flow groups can be nested as desired, similar to folders in Windows Explorer. Enabling or disabling a flow group enables or disables all contained subgroups and flows. You can also, for example, disable a flow group and re-enable individual flows within it (see below).

To create a flow group, go to the “Flows” snap-in.

  1. At the top under "Flows," click the “New folder” button.
  2. Enter a name. The name must be unique within the project.
  3. Press Enter to confirm.

The newly created flow group appears as a folder in the directory tree

Managing Flows and Flow Groups​

You can copy, delete, rename, and move flows and flow groups—again, much like files in Windows Explorer—but only one object at a time. Multiple selections are not possible here.

  1. Select the desired flow (or flow group).
  2. Select the desired action
    • from the menu “Flows”
    • from the context menu (right-click) of the corresponding flow (or flow group)
  3. The following actions are available:
    • Copy: To copy flow groups, flows, templates, and template instances, right-click and select “Copy” and “Paste.” For information on how to use the template tree and what applies when copying between the flow and template views, see “Manage Templates.”
    • Delete: Right-click on the flow, select the action “Delete”,” and confirm by clicking “Enter”.”
    • Rename: Right-click on the flow, select the action “Rename”,” and enter a new name. Confirm your entry by clicking “Enter”.”
    • Move: You can easily move individual flows to another folder using drag-and-drop. Entire flow groups can also be moved to other folders. Within a structure, the folders are sorted alphabetically.

If you right-click on a parent folder in the tree structure and select the property “Expand All” or “Collapse All” from the menu, all subfolders and their flows will be shown or hidden, respectively.

Pop-up Menu​

Above the flows area, you’ll find another pop-up menu:

Toolbar above the configuration area with the Settings flyout open: Status Data Storage, Transfer Priority, Connection Timeout, Trigger Link, and Store and Forward

  • Click the “Make Flow productive” button to activate the selected flow.
  • Click the “Trigger shortcut” button to choose whether the flow’s triggers are linked using "AND" or "OR." The meaning of both link types is explained under "Settings for Flows and Templates."
  • Use the “Settings” button to open the flow’s properties: Status Data Storage, Transfer Priority, Flow Timeout, Trigger Linkage, and Store and Forward. The meanings of the individual properties are explained under “Settings for Flows and Templates.”
  • Use the “Zoom” button to zoom in or out on your flow.
  • Use the “Export view” button to export your flow as an image file or copy it to the clipboard as an image or XML. Images can be saved in Bitmap, PNG, JPEG, or GIF format.
  • Using the “Draw Item Links” button, you can create single or multiple item links. Item links are used to establish a connection between source and target objects. If you create multiple item links at once, the system will attempt to logically connect all data points from the target and source objects based on their data point names. The icon changes depending on which mode you have selected.
    1. “Create Individual Item Link”: This is the default selection. In this mode, you drag only a single item link. If you hold down the “Ctrl” key and drag an item link in this mode, multiple item links are created at once.
    2. “Create Multiple Item Links”: In this mode, multiple item links are dragged. While dragging an item link, only one item link is displayed. As soon as the arrowhead is placed on a transfer object, the additional item links are automatically generated. If the arrowhead points to an input transfer object item and either the source transfer object item or the destination transfer object item does not receive an automatic item link, this item link is also added, even if the objects do not actually match. This can be prevented by dragging the item link to the header area of a transfer object.
    3. “Create Multiple Item Links Once”: Behaves like the “Create Multiple Item Links” mode. After an item link has been dragged, the system switches back to “Create Individual Item Link” mode.
  • Use the “Item Sorting” button to enable automatic sorting of item links. This causes the system to attempt to arrange the item links so that they do not overlap as much as possible. This is merely a display option. The items are not “actually” moved, but are simply displayed in a different position. You can therefore enable and disable this option without any concerns. This option has no effect on how the flow is processed.