Nesting Interface Tools with Containers

[StephenF4]

I'm developing a workflow to help with our accounting consolidation process each month, taking in about 15 separate Excel workbooks (each representing a separate subsidiary entity at our business), transforming the data through a separate container process for each, and outputting to a common Excel file.

The problem I'm trying to solve for is that we don't receive all 15 workbooks for input on the same day, but I'd like to save time by running the workflow as we receive each one. To do this, I've set up Check Box and Action tools to enable/disable each container. What I still need is for the analytic app to ignore downstream Interface tools for the containers that aren't selected and show only the Drop Downs or List Boxes for the containers that correspond to the workbook(s) that our team has received at that time. 

I know also that Interface tools cannot run inside disable containers, so it sounds like any downstream Interface tools will need to be outside each container. Any tips on how to nest those tools under their corresponding Check Boxes? Thanks! 

[Garabujo7]

You may enable or disable containers based on a condition like it's stated in this article:

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Enabling-Disabling-Containers-based-on...

Gabriel

[StephenF4]

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately it doesn't address my entire question since I have additional interface tools inside each container. 

Ultimately what I want to build is an Analytic App that allows the user to check boxes for the entities whose files we've received up to that date. The next tabs on the Interface Designer shown below ask the user to select the appropriate tabs and other data related to each entity. I want Alteryx to deactivate or hide the Drop Down and List Box tools for the entities that are not selected on the first tab, so that the workflow can be run as we receive each entity's files throughout our monthly close process. 

[christine_assaad · Accepted solution]

Hi @StephenF4 

Please check the attached to see if it's what you are looking for

I have multiple containers but first container has a nested drop down. It's outside the container.

From "Interface Designer tab" you can nest the drop down to be under the first container

Interface Designer can be also accessed from "View"

This is how it looks like if Department  container is selected

and this is when it's not

Hope that helps. Cheers!

[StephenF4]

Thank you! This was a great help for nesting the interface, although I'm using checkboxes instead of radio buttons (for this workflow I need to be able to run multiple containers or all of them). 

I'm still getting an error when I leave a container's checkbox empty, though. Is there a way to tell Alteryx to accept empty checkboxes as a valid result and just execute those that are checked? The screenshot below shows that the Action tool for connecting the Excel file input, nested under the checkbox, was empty. I need Alteryx to simply disregard containers when the boxes aren't checked. 

[StephenF4]

I should add that part of the difficulty comes from the fact that I have additional interface tools downstream (for selecting specific tabs or columns within each workbook, once the box is checked to activate that container). 

[StephenF4]

Thanks to everyone who chimed in. This post was also helpful in adjusting the Checkboxes' behavior: 

How to reverse the logic of the check box tool? 

I also unchecked the "Required" box for the Action tools connected to Input tools at the start of each container. This is going to save our company so much time!