Advanced Builder for Workflows: Visual Canvas for Building Workflows

This article explains the Advanced Builder - a free-form, visual canvas for designing complex workflows with speed and clarity.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview
• Access & Requirements
• The Canvas: Build, Connect, and Organize
  • Add & connect steps
• Trigger Go-To & Delinked Nodes (Parallel Paths)
  • Trigger Go-To (set each trigger’s starting action)
  • Delinked nodes (independent/parallel branches)
• Enable / Disable Nodes
• Sticky Notes & Color Coding
• Keyboard Shortcuts & Power Navigation
• Tidy Up (Auto-layout)
• Workflow Switcher
• Saving, Versioning & Publishing
• Notes, Limits & Best Practices
• Troubleshooting & FAQs

Overview

The Advanced Builder is a fully visual, freeform canvas for building automations. Drag, drop, and connect multiple trigger paths, parallel branches, and complex logic in one view—without changing how workflows execute. It’s designed for flexibility, performance, and collaboration.

Access & Requirements

• Where: Open any workflow → toggle to Advanced Builder (top-left).

• Switching views: You can toggle between Standard and Advanced on the same workflow. (See Additional Notes below for Advanced-only features.)

The Canvas: 

Add & connect steps

• Open the Triggers & Actions panel.

• Configure from the panel or drag items directly onto the canvas.

• Connect nodes by dragging from the connector handle (or the + icon).

Tips

• Multi-select (marquee/Shift-drag) to move blocks of nodes.

• Copy/paste branches across workflows to reuse patterns

Go-To connections for Triggers & Delinked Nodes (Parallel branches)

Trigger Go-To (set each trigger’s starting action)

Route a trigger to the exact action where it should start.

• Connect it: Drag the trigger’s Go-To connector onto a target action.

• How it looks: Trigger Go-To connections are shown as a dashed line with an arrowhead (normal sequential links remain solid).

• Execution Behavior: When the trigger fires, the workflow jumps directly to the target action and continues from there.

Delinked nodes (independent/parallel branches)

Create branches that don’t need to connect linearly—great for handling multiple triggers or outcomes in one canvas.

• Build an independent cluster of actions anywhere.

• Attach a trigger via Go-To connection to start on that branch.

• Each branch runs independently within the same workflow context.

Visual cues (at a glance)

• Solid connector → normal sequential path

• Dashed connector with arrow → Trigger Go-To (jump to target action)

• Isolated cluster → Delinked branch

Enable / Disable Nodes

Turn any action/condition off for testing—without deleting or rewiring.

• Disable: Hover a node → click pause.

• Enable: Hover again → click play.

• Execution: Disabled nodes are skipped; connections remain intact.
  

Sticky Notes & Color Coding

Use notes to explain logic for teammates and future you.

• Add a note from the left sidebar.

• Choose color/style, then enter text.

• Notes support images and links.

Keyboard Shortcuts & Power Navigation

Open the keyboard icon (top-left) for the full list—Navigation, Tools, View, and Edit.

Examples

• Arrow keys to move selection

• Cmd/Ctrl + C / V for copy/paste

• Next/Previous action buttons for fast traversa

Tidy Up (Auto-layout)

One click to clean up cluttered canvases—great after heavy edits or imports.

Workflow Switcher

Navigate between workflows without leaving the builder.

• Open the Workflow Switcher (left sidebar).

• See recent workflows or search by name/tag.

• Clicking a result opens it in a new tab—your current canvas stays open.

Notes, Limits & Best Practices

• Single enrollment per contact. Even with parallel branches, the same contact won’t run concurrently through multiple branches of the same workflow.

• Switching to Standard Builder: Remove Advanced-only features (Trigger Go-To, Delinked nodes, Disabled nodes) before switching back.

• Organize early: Use color-coded notes and Tidy Up to keep complex maps readable.

• Name clearly: Give triggers/actions descriptive names (this helps in both canvas and Version History). ===