🧪 Flow Examples & Common Patterns

Article content

Flows Building supports a wide range of automation scenarios.
This article outlines common flow patterns and examples to help you design effective and reliable flows.

These examples focus on structure and logic, not specific configurations.

Example 1 — Simple Trigger → Action Flow

Use case
Automatically perform an action when an event occurs.

Pattern

1. Trigger

2. Action

When to use

• Straightforward automation

• No decision-making required

Notes

• Keep triggers specific

• Ensure required action fields are populated

Example 2 — Trigger → Condition → Action

Use case
Only perform an action when certain criteria are met.

Pattern

1. Trigger

2. Condition

3. Action

When to use

• Filtering events

• Preventing unnecessary actions

Notes

• Place conditions immediately after triggers

• Test both true and false paths

Example 3 — Trigger → Multiple Conditions → Different Actions

Use case
Handle different scenarios in different ways.

Pattern

1. Trigger

2. Condition A → Action A

3. Condition B → Action B

When to use

• Routing logic

• Business rule handling

Notes

• Ensure conditions are mutually exclusive where required

• Avoid overlapping logic

Example 4 — Using Variables to Reuse Data

Use case
Store information once and reuse it later in the flow.

Pattern

1. Trigger

2. Set variable

3. Condition or Action using variable

When to use

• Reusing IDs or values

• Simplifying complex flows

Notes

• Always ensure variables are set before use

• Use clear variable names

Example 5 — Guarded Actions (Safe Execution)

Use case
Prevent actions from running with invalid data.

Pattern

1. Trigger

2. Condition (validate data)

3. Action

When to use

• External system interactions

• Data-sensitive actions

Notes

• Guard conditions reduce failures

• Combine with logging where possible

Example 6 — Temporary or Controlled Flow Execution

Use case
Enable or disable automation without deleting the flow.

Pattern

• Publish / unpublish flow as needed

When to use

• Maintenance

• Testing

• Temporary business changes

Common Patterns to Avoid

Avoid these patterns where possible:

• Overly complex branching

• Deep condition nesting

• Using actions before validating data

• Referencing variables that may not exist

Simpler flows are easier to maintain and troubleshoot.

How to Use These Patterns

When designing a new flow:

1. Identify the trigger

2. Decide if conditions are required

3. Determine what data must be stored

4. Add actions in the correct order

5. Test each path before publishing

Patterns help you build consistently and reduce errors.

Related Articles

• Understanding Flow Nodes: Triggers, Conditions, Actions & Variables

• Setting up your first flow

• Editing, versioning & publishing flows

• Common mistakes when building flows

• Troubleshooting Flows That Are Not Triggering