Customizing an Existing Flow

Scenario

In the following scenarios, you can create a flow based on an existing flow:

• Scenario 1: Creating a version based on an existing flow

  If you need to change the flow functions, modify the original flow and save it as a new version. In this scenario, the original flow automatically becomes invalid.

• Scenario 2: Creating a flow based on an existing flow

  You can modify an existing flow and save it as a new flow. In this scenario, the original flow is still valid. The new and old flows are independent of each other.

Creating a Version Based on an Existing Flow

If you need to change the flow functions, modify the original flow and save it as a new version. In this scenario, the original flow automatically becomes invalid.

1. Log in to the application designer by referring to Logging In to the Application Designer.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Logic.
3. Move the cursor to of the corresponding flow and choose Edit. The flow design page is displayed.
4. In the upper part of the flow design page, click .
5. Set Type to New Version, set the flow label, and click Save.
   Figure 1 Saving a flow as a new version
   

   Table 1 Parameters for saving a flow as a new version

   Parameter	Description
   Label	Flow label of the new version, which is displayed on the page and can be modified after being created. Value: 1–64 characters.
   Name	Flow name, which must be the same as that in the baseline version and cannot be changed.
   Type	Select a type from the drop-down list. New Version: A new version of the flow is created based on the original flow. After the creation, the original flow automatically becomes invalid. New Flow: A new flow is created based on the original flow. After the new flow is created, the original flow is still valid. The new and old flows are independent of each other. Default value: New Version. Use the default value.
   Flow Type	The value is inherited from the type configured during basic flow and is uneditable.
   Interview Label	Display label of the flow instance, which is automatically set by the system to Label value {!$Flow.CurrentDateTime}. After the setting, click the blank area on the flow design page and click . The label is displayed in the basic information area.
   Description	Description of the new version. Value: 1–255 characters.

6. On the flow design page, customize and modify the flow.
   On the flow design page, the current version of the flow is 1.0.2, which is automatically incremented by 1 from the previous version.

   Figure 2 Flow of the new version
   

7. After the configuration is complete, click in the upper part of the page to save the flow.
8. Click to run the flow and check whether the running result meets your expectation.
9. Click in the upper part of the editor to activate the flow of the new version.

   In this mode, when the baseline version is upgraded, the system automatically enables and uses the customized flow. The original diagram elements in the baseline flow are updated due to the upgrade, and the customized flow inherits these changes. However, the customized flow does not inherit any new diagram elements added to the baseline flow as a result of the upgrade.

Creating a Flow Based on an Existing Flow

You can modify an existing flow and save it as a new flow. In this scenario, the original flow is still valid. The new and old flows are independent of each other.

1. Log in to the application designer by referring to Logging In to the Application Designer.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Logic.
3. Move the cursor to of the corresponding flow and choose Edit. The flow design page is displayed.
4. In the upper part of the flow design page, click .
5. Set Type to New Flow, set the flow label, and click Save.
   Figure 3 Saving as a new flow
   

   Table 2 Parameters for saving a flow as a new flow

   Parameter	Description
   Label	Flow label, which is displayed on the page and can be modified after being created. Value: 1–64 characters.
   Name	Unique ID of a flow in the system, which cannot be modified after being created. The system automatically adds {namespace}__ before the name. When other functions call the flow, the flow name instead of the label is called. The naming requirements are as follows: The value cannot exceed 64 characters, including the prefix namespace. To prevent duplicate data names among different tenants, each tenant must define a unique namespace when first creating an application. A tenant can create only one namespace. After being created, the namespace cannot be modified. Start with a letter and can contain only letters, digits, and underscores (_). It cannot end with an underscore (_).
   Type	Select a type from the drop-down list. New Version: A new version of the flow is created based on the original flow. After the creation, the original flow automatically becomes invalid. New Flow: A new flow is created based on the original flow. After the new flow is created, the original flow is still valid. The new and old flows are independent of each other. Default value: New Version. Select New Flow.
   Flow Type	The value is inherited from the type configured during basic flow and is uneditable.
   Interview Label	Display label of the flow instance, which is automatically set by the system to Label value {!$Flow.CurrentDateTime}. After the setting, click the blank area on the flow design page and click . The label is displayed in the basic information area.
   Description	Description of the flow. Value: 1–255 characters.

6. On the flow design page, customize and modify the flow.

   On the flow design page, the new flow is displayed and the version is 1.0.1.

   Figure 4 Editing the content of the new flow
   

7. Click in the upper part of the page to save the flow.
8. Click to run the flow and check whether the running result meets your expectation.
9. If the flow meets your expectation, click in the upper part of the page to activate the flow.