Hi Everyone, I'm new to alteryx and I'm developing a data extract tool. I have already built the tool with 5 chained apps, however, I am not able to create an interface or action that will let the user go back to the previous apps in case he needs to revise the filters he selected. I have 4 levels of filters, see below. These are dynamically pulled from a database. ZONEREGIONSUBREGIONCOUNTRYChina OperationsChinaChinaCNChina OperationsChinaHong Kong And MacauHKEurope OperationsCentral And Eastern EuropeAustria And SwitzerlandATEurope OperationsCentral And Eastern EuropeAustria And SwitzerlandCHEurope OperationsCentral And Eastern EuropeBenelux And IsraelBE Below is a screen shot which is already at the level 2 filter (region). I want to be able to go back and forth the apps. Please provide solutions or any workaround.

Chained apps: Return to the previous app

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to alteryx and I'm developing a data extract tool.

I have already built the tool with 5 chained apps, however, I am not able to create an interface or action that will let the user go back to the previous apps in case he needs to revise the filters he selected.

I have 4 levels of filters, see below. These are dynamically pulled from a database.

ZONE	REGION	SUBREGION	COUNTRY
China Operations	China	China	CN
China Operations	China	Hong Kong And Macau	HK
Europe Operations	Central And Eastern Europe	Austria And Switzerland	AT
Europe Operations	Central And Eastern Europe	Austria And Switzerland	CH
Europe Operations	Central And Eastern Europe	Benelux And Israel	BE

Below is a screen shot which is already at the level 2 filter (region). I want to be able to go back and forth the apps. Please provide solutions or any workaround.

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MarqueeCrew

This is theoretical...

At the end of an application, the next chained app is MENU.

MENU will call NEXT.yxwz as the next application and based upon the selection, you must WRITE the XML for NEXT to basically continue to the next application where you updated the XML

<Wiz_ChainRunWizard>Do this step now.yxwz<Dependencies><Implicit /><Dependencies></Wiz_ChainRunWizard>

...

Maybe it could work...

Cheers,

Mark

jrgo

Hi @ccabarle,

Unfortunately, there's not a way (that I've found at least) to tell a chained app to go back a step. You can potentially add some type of option that would ask the same question again within the current chain running, but that just seems like a slippery slope... I wouldn't suggest attempting it.

I'd suggest submitting this as an idea!

Product Ideas

Kind regards,

Jimmy

ccabarle

Hi Mark,

Can you guide me further on how to do this.

Will this create an interface for returning to the previous app or is this just an event triggered when the next/continue button is clicked?

Not really familiar with modifying the XML codes...

ccabarle

@jrgo wrote:
Hi @ccabarle,
Unfortunately, there's not a way (that I've found at least) to tell a chained app to go back a step. You can potentially add some type of option that would ask the same question again within the current chain running, but that just seems like a slippery slope... I wouldn't suggest attempting it.
I'd suggest submitting this as an idea!
Product Ideas
Kind regards,
Jimmy

Thanks Jimmy, I was just wondering if there is a tool like a "back" button where the user can just simply navigate through the chains. Seems like there is none. Will submit this as an idea then.

ScottUp

I know this thread is old but in case someone comes searching for this answer still there is a way to do this (though it is not perfect).

1) Just add a link in the interface design and set the destination to the relative path of the app that you want it to direct the user back to.

2) As a result the current window remains open (not the best user experience) but a new window opens with that app at its starting point.

PartyKat

Hi everyone!

I was able to solve the same problem I had within my workflow with the help of this article:

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Knowledge-Base/Chained-Alteryx-Analytic-Applications/ta-p/7597

For example you're at the App#3 and depending on selected Radio button (or whatever) you either want to go App#4 or run Application #3 again.

For example we have two Radio buttons: Option#1 "Run again" and Option#2 "Run further".

Go back in Chained Apps.png

Under the Option#1 Tool container besides all other step you've created, you also need to import (via Input) App#3 as .csv file, concatinate it via Summarize and then export (via Output) to App#4 file in .csv format again.

Option#2 would be just the normal steps you want to do in order to run your chained apps further PLUS the steps to overwrite App#4 back to it's original (in case you choose this option after selecting Option#1).

Basically, this action permanently overwrites the code of saved App#4 with the code of App#3 while your're running your application. So you have to store the original App#4 code (like "App#4 - Template") in addition to it, so you could overwrite it back when you decide to go further after looping inside App#3.

I've created this just to loop my application back to the same one, but I feel like it can be used in a bigger number of options. Like, if Option#1 - overwrite with the code of App#1, if Option#2 - overwrite with the code of App#2, etc. This way, I think, you can create a tree of applications that can only be run if you select the specific option somewhere during your process, or they may be not run at all if this option was never used. Also it can be used to go back to specific Apps in the past - by creating buttons for them or applying some logic within a process and choose to which app to return.

iwilliams

@PartyKat - have you had any issues with this approach in the Gallery? For me it works perfectly in Designer. When I run on the Gallery, the template gets overwritten correctly (verified by checking staging instance on server). When I point the template app back to app1, it ignores it and just keeps running linearly. And when I check the app that was created from the template on the server I can see that the app is pointing back to app1.

More explanation of the issue here: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Chained-Application-Feedback-Loops/td-p/1023764

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