A workflow is the route a collection order follows, drawn on a canvas. Each card on the canvas is a node that does one thing (send an email, wait, check a condition). The lines between them (edges) decide which outcome leads to which next step. Workflows replace the classic flows.
The building blocks
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Canvas | The drawing area where you build the workflow |
| Node | One step: a card with a title and settings |
| Input | The connection point on the left of a node; every node has one |
| Port (exit) | A connection point on the right of a node, with a label that names the outcome, for example "paid" or "no response after 7 days" |
| Edge | The line from a port to the input of a next node |
| Starting point | Where every collection order starts |
| Collection order (run) | The run of the workflow for one collection order |
How a collection order travels through a workflow
- A collection order starts at the starting point, for example right after it is delivered.
- Each node carries out its action and activates one or more ports.
- The collection order follows the edge on that port to the next node.
- This goes on until there is no next node, the collection order is paid, or a node ends the collection order (for example Switch workflow).
Several paths at the same time
A message node reports Executed right away and lets that path continue, while the outcomes (paid, no response, not sent) can still fire later. So a collection order can follow several paths at the same time. To keep this manageable, a port can mute the other ports of the same node: if "paid" fires, "no response" does nothing anymore. See Nodes and ports: how outcomes work.
Events outside the canvas
A payment, a bounce or a changed status happens outside the canvas. The system picks up these events and fires the right port. This way a workflow responds to what really happens, not just to time passing.
Variables everywhere
Every input field in a node accepts a fixed value, but also a variable of the collection order, for example the amount, the language or a free variable from your delivery. See Variables in workflows.
Test and production
You build workflows in the test environment. Publishing puts a version into production; you can roll back to an earlier version. See Publishing a workflow, versions and rolling back.
Workflow versus classic flow
| Classic flow | Workflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | List of steps with a fallback column | Canvas with nodes, ports and edges |
| Outcomes | Separate steps and checks | Ports on the node itself |
| Paths | One path at a time | Several paths at the same time |
| Changes | In the old portal | In the new portal, in the test environment |
| Logic | Many specific steps | Twelve core nodes, including Logic and Calculate |
Existing classic flows keep running until they are migrated. See Migrating classic flows to workflows.