I was playing around in a scratch org today and noticed a few changes to flows. Some are useful, some will require getting used to.
Let’s start with a positive: contextual development.
Imagine you have a Get element followed by a Decision element. There are several outcomes and the subsequent step in each outcome is another Get element.
While you’re working on one of those outcomes, it will only show you the Gets in your current outcome and the Gets above the Decision element. It won’t allow you to reference the Gets from other outcomes!
This is a huge debug win, as now you don’t need to worry about referencing something that is never assigned.
Let’s finish with a negative: awkward layouts.
While editing your flow
- Left panel contains the toolbox
- Middle panel shows the flow canvas
- Right panel for working on an element
When the debug button is clicked
- Left panel shows the input variables
- Right panel shows the flow canvas
When debugging
- Left panel tab 1 shows the input variables
- Left panel tab 2 shows the debug thread
- Right panel tab 1 shows the screen outputs
- Right panel tab 2 shows the flow canvas
While you can edit some things in debug mode, you need to be in edit mode to change the structure of the flow.
Switching between 4 tabs isn’t fluid, but perhaps this is just because it’s so new. Also, I have an ultrawide screen monitor, so there’s plenty of real estate to work with. But I imagine people with smaller monitors must be cursing
The takeaway
With each new release, flows are generally getting better and better.