How to Create and Run Workflows in Gen 1

Use the Automation Builder user interface to arrange and connect tasks on the canvas to create a flow-based automation. To get started, login to IAP and select Automation Studio from the IAP homepage. From the Automation Studio homepage, you can search for an existing automation (workflow), or you can create a new one.

How to Find a Workflow

To find an existing workflow, click the search icon (magnifying glass) on the Automation Studio homepage. The Collection dialog opens.

Figure1: Automation Studio Homepage

From the dialog, you can search or browse the collection to select an existing workflow to open. Workflows that have an hourglass icon in their card or list view were built in the Automation Builder Gen 1 interface, while workflows without an icon in their title were built using Automation Builder Gen 2. Each will open in the appropriate editor version when clicked.

Figure 2: Workflows Collection

How to Create a New Workflow in Gen 1

To create a new workflow:

1. Click the plus (+) icon on the Automation Studio homepage. The Create dialog opens.
2. Select Automation in the type dropdown.
3. Enter a name for the new automation.
4. Click the Generation 1 option to build the workflow with and then click Create. A Gen 1 workflow canvas displays.

Figure 3: Create New Automation

Navigating the Workflow Canvas in Gen 1

Below is a sample worfklow in a Gen 1 Automation Builder canvas, along with a reference table that highlights the various menus, toolbars and controls.

Figure 4: Gen1 Workflow Canvas

Using the Search Canvas Function in Gen 1

Automation Builder supports searching the content of your automations through the Search Canvas function located at the top of the main canvas. This inspection function is captioned as label 7 in Figure 4 above.

1. Select the option to search in the dropdown. Available search options include: app, description, id, job variable, name, and summary.
2. Enter a search term in the field next to the dropdown.
3. Click the search icon (magnifying glass) to start the search and highlight all tasks that match the search term.
4. To clear the search, click the CLEAR button.

Example

Let's say you have the following automation open in Automation Builder. The workflow design is simple, with only one task.

Figure 5: Search Canvas

Double-click on the concat task to open the configuration dialog for the task (Figure 6). Note the myJobVar Reference variable.

Figure 6: Concat Task Configuration

Searching for the exact text myJobVar will yield the following highlight (black frame) on the canvas to indicate the job variable is found in the concat task.

Figure 7: Search Canvas Results

Using Data Highlight Mode in Gen 1

In addition to searching the automation canvas, Automation Builder supports highlighting the source and destination of a task's inputs and outputs. With this feature you can track how data is moving through an automation. To visualize the data relationship of a task to the rest of an automation, click the Data Highlight Mode icon located next the search icon, and then click the task to display the visualization.

Figure 8: Data Highlight Mode

The reference table below explains the various highlight colors associated with data visualization when Data Highlight Mode is enabled.

How to Set Workflow Groups in Gen 1

Workflow groups are listed in the side navigation menu on the left of the UI. Write groups pertain to user authorization.

To set these groups:

1. Expand a Workflow group from the left side navigation and choose a nested workflow to open.
2. Click the menu button (stacked dots) in the upper right corner of the canvas and select the View Metadata option.
3. The name of the Workflow Groups will correspond with the Workflow group that was expanded in the left side navigation. To add another Workflow Group, begin typing the name of a group in the Workflow Groups field. Matching group names will appear in a list after you begin typing.
4. Click the correct group name to add that group to the Workflow Groups. The group will not be added unless it is selected from the list. Add as many groups to the Workflow Groups as desired. Click SAVE.
5. When a user is not authorized, the Write Groups name will be highlighted with a red background. Write groups restrict who is authorized to start jobs from a workflow. When write groups are assigned, only group members can start jobs from the workflow.

Figure 9: Workflow Groups and Write Groups

How to Start a Workflow in Gen 1

To start a workflow:

1. Click the Start button in the title bar to open the Job Description dialog. Enter a description for the job (optional).

2. Click START.

   Figure 10: Job Description
   

   Automation Builder will analyze the automation and find all job variables. If an automation is missing required job variables, Automation Builder will display the Set Variables dialog box where you can see the required job variables set to null values (see figure below).

3. Enter the desired values with the required data types, e.g., "device": "er1.wdc".

4. Click START.

Figure 11: Set Variables

How to Clone a Workflow in Gen 1

To clone a workflow:

1. Click the Clone button in the title bar. Automation Builder will open the Clone Workflow dialog.
2. Type a name for the cloned automation.
3. Click SAVE.

Figure 12: Clone Workflow

How to Resize an Automation to Fit the Canavas in Gen 1

To resize an automation:

1. Click the Fit Window button in the upper right corner of the Automation Builder canvas. The automation will be reduced to fit within the visible area of the canvas.
2. Click SAVE.