Using the Flows System

A flow is a set sequence of various component-types that can be created, edited, and enabled at the portal level. If you don’t know what a flow is and want to read more details, see this article: What is a Flow?

Locating the Flows Manager

The flows 2.0 manager can be accessed in the Portal Management module of the Settings section in the admin. After choosing the portal (if there is more than one), select "Try Flows 2.0 BETA" from the left-side menu in the CONTENT section.

Now you are on the flows page where you will see a table listing any flows currently existing in the portal. You can view flows and edit/delete custom flows using the actions menu on the left side of the row for each flow.

How to Create a Flow

Click the “CREATE” button above the table.

1. Choose from the template catalog: You can choose to start to build a flow from scratch by choosing blank or blank anonymous flow (an anonymous flow does NOT associate any data with any member account, which is why it's called anonymous). Anonymous flows can be sent to anyone, regardless of whether they are a member or whether they're logged in, and are often used to drive a population towards a specific location/website.
2. You can choose to begin with a pre-built, themed flow by choosing any one of the tiles other than the blank ones (to us as-is or to customize; you can view details about templates in this article).

For the purposes of this article, we are going to explain how to create a flow from scratch, which will cover all the components, using the editor, and publishing a new flow.

Once you hit the “CREATE NEW” button, you will be in the main flow creation and editor tool. This page is divided into three main sections:

1. This is the component column, in which all components are organized in groups. Components can be dragged and dropped into the flow-maker field in the middle of the screen. Component groups can be collapsed by clicking the arrow next to the group header.
2. This is the flow-maker field where you can sequence the components that make up your flow. Moving the screen (which is usually necessary for larger flows) is done by right-clicking and holding as you move.
3. This is the component editor where you can set the content of the component. (For instance, for a question component, you insert the question and distractors here, which we’ll discuss in this article.)

When you begin to create a new flow, click into the "Start Flow" component that is in the flow-maker field; this opens the fields on the right where you can set basic details for the flow.

1. Enter a title for the flow.
2. Enter a summary of the flow.
3. Enter a description of the flow.
4. Enter keywords you want to associate with the flow for organization and searching.
5. Upload a thumbnail image for the flow. Accepted file types are .png and .jpg, with a size of 300 x 200.
6. Enter the estimated length the flow will take to complete for a member.
7. Enable the usage properties you want for the flow. 

To build the flow, select a component from the left column by clicking on it and holding, then dragging it into the flow-maker field in the middle. The editor on the right will open up, allowing you to add details for the component (for instance, putting in question text and distractors for a question or putting in content text for a page component). Any time you want to edit a component after you have dragged into the flow-maker, you can click its tile and access its editor.

• To view a listing of all components available in flows, see this article.
• To read about the branching component in flows, see this article.

Publishing a Flow 

During the process of creating a flow, your work is automatically saved. In the upper right corner, you can see multiple options for saving, previewing, and publishing the flow.

1. Save a draft of the flow without publishing (meaning the current published version of the flow will remain as is, with an updated saved draft).
2. Publish the flow.
3. View a history of flow drafts with the option to restore the flow to a previous version.
   Preview the flow and experience it as a member would.
   Unpublish the flow.