Right Click -> Convert Output to Input

[JPMelnitsky]

Hi Everyone,

Many workflows I work with along with those of my colleagues, use big databases in order to get some data. After a few steps down stream and testing, we normally just add an output and then open up that data in a new workflow to save time running the original workflow. Not that this is much of a burden, but I am used to copying and pasting tools from workflow A to workflow B, but you can't do that with the output, because in workflow B the output needs to be converted to an input. I just think it would be a cool added feature if possible. Anyone else agree?

Thank you,

Justin

[JoeVorbeck]

Great Idea! This would be very practical and definitely helpful in my workflows. 

[rylevy]

 Such a wonderful idea. I wish things worked that easy. Alteryx hire him

[jdrummey]

+1. My organization is heavily file-based and if I haven't just added the output (so the file is in the recent list of files for the Input tool drop-down) then having to navigate to the right folder on the Input tool is time consuming. This is a shortcut that I'd use multiple times every day.

Jonathan

[TerryT]

@JPMelnitsky, 2 thoughts:

1) For when you are developing your workflows and you want to save the computation up to a point, but you don't want to have to re-perform the painfully long process every time, have you tried:

"[Select Tool] > Right Click > Cache and Run Workflow" (this is not just limited to the Select Tool, but that's what I like to use)

2) You can drag many different file types from a Windows Explorer window directly onto a Designer Canvas where it becomes an Input Data tool that you can customize.

Hope this helps!

Terry T

[jdrummey]

Hi Terry,

I regularly use the 2nd workaround, however that only saves time when I've got that folder already open in macOS Finder (I run Alteryx within Parallels and I can drag files from macOS Finder into Alteryx and they create Input tools as expected) or Windows Explorer. Otherwise I've still got to navigate to the folder to do the drag & drop, just like I have to navigate to the folder for the Input tool.

In my mind the feature that I'd like is something that has the convenience of the present copy from results window->paste as text input feature...in other words an extra option on the Output tool context menu to do something like "copy output settings for input" so I can easily create the Input tool(s) in new workflow(s) that will be run after the present workflow.

Jonathan

[jpoz]

Thank you for this suggestion! The ability to convert an Output Data to an Input Data tool will be release in 2019.3.

[jpoz]

This is now available in the 2019.3 release. Download it at http://downloads.alteryx.com