Workflow Studio interface overview - CloudFlow - Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center

CloudFlow provides Workflow Studio, a low-code, visual workflow designer. You can use WorkflowStudio to create and edit workflows, and to configure filtering and error handling rules for each step. This topic outlines the WorkflowStudio interface.

Workflow Studio provides two editing modes for building visual workflows, editing their definitions, and managing their configurations: CloudFlow Studio and YAML. It also provides a Configure Workflow tab. In short, CloudFlow Studio lets you design workflows by dragging states onto the workflow canvas. The YAML mode allows you to define workflows with code for precise control. The Configure Workflow tab is used to set basic workflow information and the execution role, enabling the workflow to assume the permissions of that role.

CloudFlow Studio

CloudFlowStudio provides a graphical interface that visualizes your workflow as you build it. This editing mode includes the following components.

① Menu bar
Switch between the CloudFlow Studio, YAML, and Configure Workflow tabs in WorkflowStudio.
② States browser
Contains three tabs: Actions, Flow, and Pattern.
The Actions tab provides a list of APIs from Alibaba Cloud services that integrate with CloudFlow, including services for elastic computing, middleware, databases, and artificial intelligence. You can drag these APIs onto the workflow canvas, and each API represents a task state.
The Flow tab lists states that control the execution flow but do not perform specific tasks. It provides seven types of flow control states: Choice, Parallel, Map, Pass, Wait, Succeed, and Fail.
The Pattern tab offers pre-built modules from CloudFlow. You can drag these modules onto the canvas to quickly create workflows.
③ Workflow canvas
You can drag any node from the Actions, Flow, and Pattern tabs to the canvas. You can also rearrange the order of existing states in the workflow to customize your task flow.
④ Inspector panel
When you select a state on the workflow canvas, you can configure and view its properties in the Inspector panel on the right.
⑤ Function button section
Includes common action buttons such as Save, Exit, and Execute.

The following sections describe the three main areas of the CloudFlow Studio editor.

States browser

In the States browser, select a state node (API) or a flow node from the lists on the Actions, Flow, or Pattern tab and drag it onto the canvas. You can also use the search box at the top of the browser to find a specific node by using keywords.

Workflow canvas

On the workflow canvas, you can customize a flowchart for your business by dragging and dropping nodes. It also supports online debugging, which lets you debug as you edit and generate an executable workflow.

Generate flowchart

Select a state node (API) or flow node from the States browser and drag it to the desired position on the canvas. Release the mouse when a horizontal or vertical line appears. As you generate the flowchart, the underlying code is automatically generated.

You can also click the buttons in the upper-left corner of the canvas to zoom in and out, center the flowchart, delete a selected state node (API) or flow node, or undo the last action.

Debug workflow

After you configure the parameters for a state, you can debug it online. Hover over a state and click the icon on the right to start debugging. After the debugging is complete, click to view the results.

Inspector panel

After you drag a state node (API) or a flow node from the States browser to the workflow canvas, you must configure it. Select the node on the canvas. Its configuration options are displayed in the Inspector panel on the right, which include Basic Settings, Input Settings, Output Settings, and Error Handling.

This topic uses the InvokeFunction task state as an example. The following table describes the key settings to configure. You can use the default values for the other settings.

Category	Parameter	Description	Example
Basic Settings	Status Name	The name of the state. The name should describe the function of the state.	InvokeFunction
	Invocation Parameters	Select the Function to invoke, its Version and Alias, and the invocation method. Enter the payload that triggers the function. You can also click Switch to YAML Editing to specify the function name, version, alias, and invocation method in a YAML script.	The following code provides a YAML script example. `invocationType: Sync resourceArn: acs:fc:cn-beijing:1034354682****:functions/GPU-demo/LATEST body: key: value`
	Function	The name of the function to invoke.	myfunction
	Version or Alias	The version or alias of the function to invoke.	LATEST
	Function Invocation Method	The method to invoke the function. Valid values: Sync Invocation and Async Invocation. For more information about function invocation methods, see Function invocation and triggers.	Sync Invocation
	Request Payload	The payload used to trigger the function. YAML and JSON formats are supported.	`{ "key1": "value1", "key2.$": "$.myStateInput.key", "key3": 100 }`
	Next State	The next state in the workflow. Changes take effect in real time.	Parallel
Input Settings	Configures how the input for the state is filtered. The following options are available: Use JSONPath to select some parameters: In the code editor below, enter a filter expression to use JSONPath to select a portion of the parameter object to pass as the node's input. Use original input as node input: Uses the state's original input as its effective input. Use parameter filters to construct parameters: Construct a new input object by using parameter filters. YAML and JSON formats are supported. Example: `FieldA: 123 FieldB: string FieldC.$: $Input`
Output Settings	Configures how the output of the state is filtered. The following options are available: Use JSONPath to select some parameters: In the code editor below, enter a filter expression to use JSONPath to select a portion of the state's result to pass as its output. Pass raw input to output: Passes the original input of the state to its output, which is then passed to the next state. Use parameter filters to construct parameters: Construct a new output object by using parameter filters. YAML and JSON formats are supported. Example: `FieldA: 123 FieldB: string FieldC.$: $Input`
Error Handling	Retry on Error: Configures a retry policy for when an error occurs. Click Add Retry below to add one or more retry policies.
	Error Type	The error types to match. You can select one or more error types.	FC.BadResponse
	Max Retries	The maximum number of retries.	5
	Retry Interval (Seconds)	The initial retry interval, in seconds. The maximum value is 86400.	3
	Backoff Multiplier	The multiplier by which the retry interval increases with each subsequent attempt.	1
	Max Backoff (Seconds)	The maximum wait time between retries when using an exponential backoff strategy.	5
	Catch Errors/Exceptions: Configures a rule to transition to a specified state when a specific error or exception occurs. Click Add Catch Rule below to add one or more catch rules.
	Error Type	The error types to catch. You can select one or more error types.	FC.EntityToolLarge
	Fallback State	The state to transition to when the specified error is caught.	Hello World
	Result	The result to pass as input to the fallback state when a specified error is caught. YAML and JSON formats are supported.	`{ "key": "hello world" }`

YAML

The YAML mode provides a code editor and a real-time graph visualization of the workflow that you define in YAML. This mode includes the following components:

① Menu bar
Switch between the CloudFlow Studio, YAML, and Configure Workflow tabs in WorkflowStudio.
② YAML code editor
Write and edit your workflow definition by using YAML.
③ Graph inspector
Displays a real-time visualization of your workflow. You can also delete states from the workflow in this view.
④ Function button section
Includes common action buttons such as Save, Exit, and Execute.

The following sections describe the two main areas of the YAML tab.

YAML code editor

The YAML code editor allows you to write and edit workflows in Workflow Studio by using the YAML format. As you update the workflow definition, the Graph inspector renders a real-time graph of the workflow. You can also switch to the CloudFlow Studio to view the updated workflow graph.

If you reorder, delete, or add states in CloudFlow Studio, or delete a state in the Graph inspector, the YAML code is automatically updated.

Graph inspector

The Graph inspector provides a real-time view of your workflow's architecture. As you write the workflow definition in the YAML editor, this section renders a live graph of the workflow. If you delete a state in the graph, the workflow definition in the code editor is automatically updated. Similarly, when you update the workflow definition by reordering, deleting, or adding states in the YAML editor, the graph automatically updates.

If the YAML in the workflow definition is invalid, the Graph inspector pauses rendering.

Workflow configuration

On the Configure Workflow tab, you can set the basic information for your workflow and configure the execution role. This tab contains the following settings:

① Menu bar
Switch between the CloudFlow Studio, YAML, and Configure Workflow tabs in WorkflowStudio.
② Basic Settings
You can enter a detailed description of your workflow's business purpose. This description appears in the workflow list, making it easier to identify the workflow's purpose.
③ Role Configuration
- Select an existing role: Select a role from the drop-down list. Ensure that the policy attached to the role contains the permissions that the workflow needs to assume.
- Create Role: Selecting this option redirects you to the Roles page of the Resource Access Management (RAM) console to create a new role. For more information, see Create an execution role.
④ Function button section
Includes common action buttons such as Save, Exit, and Execute.