Alteryx Designer Desktop Ideas

Most of the times we end up having multiple new workflows open and would have to scram through every tab to identify the correct one. Also when we try to search on Auto saved workflows it appears as  New workflow -1,2,3 etc.

If there could be an option to temporarily name the workflow (like name sheets on excels) before we save,it would be easy and user friendly to identify the workflow as there are multiple iterations that we do before saving few workflows. 

AutoSave View

When opening an Excel workbook or Word document, the Microsoft start screen enables users to minimize or cancel opening. These would be convenient features to add to the Alteryx start screen. Because the Alteryx start screen appears in front of everything you have open, I feel the ability to minimize it would add a lot of value. Additionally, the ability to close it would be beneficial for those times when you accidentally click the wrong workflow, for example.

Hi Team,

Version: 2019.3

Issue:

As what title said, it was hard to see the records display when the records is too large.

I have to adjust the Config Window to see the records. It is pain when checking a workflow with Join.

Suggestion:

1. Used fraction:   100,000/1,000,000 Records Displayed

2. Change based on the size it have, minimum will be 1,000,000 Records. Partial displayed will show if it expand.

3. Reduce the space for Search Bar, only Expand if selected.

4. Use another line. 

Appendix

10 Records (no Issue)

1 Million Records

1 Miillion Records (Issue to see the records)

10 Records

Unless I'm missing the basics, I'm unable to scroll and pan during module runs.  I can zoom in and out, but not scroll or pan.
On large modules, I would love to be able to scroll to different areas to see progress/status of different key points in the process.
Guidance from the experts would be much appreciated!  Thanks!

The Connected Tools submenu of a tool configuration is useful for navigating rapidly. One can double-click an Incoming or Outgoing line and jump to that connected tool. It gets tricky when a tool has multiple in/out anchors, like Append or Join. In those cases, it isn't possible to tell which tools are connected to which anchors. In the case of a Join tool, please change Incoming: to Incoming L: and Incoming R: and do the same for Outgoing. Please do this for all tools with multiple in/out anchors. Thank you.

I love the example workflows.  If I've already added a tool to the canvas that I need to reconfigure, however, it would be easier to simply right click the tool that's already there rather than finding the tool on the ribbon at the top to open the example workflow.  Please add the ability to launch the example workflow for each tool on the right click menu.

IMO, Alteryx should bring new hot keys into newer version:

1. Search for tools, help, and resources

2. Search for Result windows: This is extremely wanted coz I always have to check, recheck results so it's so annoying to non-stop moving the mouse cursor to different positions

Hi Alteryx team,

Not sure if this is a Designer or Connect idea but the idea is to allow more options when searching in Connect from the Designer interface. As of now, it seems that it is only possible to search for tables and views, or generally those objects which can be added as an input data tool.

I believe that search directly from Designer is a great feature and at least our clients use it more and more. Would it be also possible to find workflows within Connect catalogue and open these workflows in Designer?

This could also apply to other data assets within the Data sources section like APIs, procedures etc.

Thank you

Michal

Alteryx Admin Designer
Version: 2019.2.10.64688

Use case: Improved accessibility of Designer functionality via Keyboard and UI Menus

Hello Alteryx Team. I am very new to the Alteryx world. As I continue to learn and go through training and tutorials, one thought occurred to me. Using Alteryx requires a great deal of mouse dexterity - especially as workflows grow in complexity. This could be extra-challenging or frustrating for users with limited mobility.

As a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts, I found the Find Tool (CTRL+F) to be very handy when locating and selecting tools without the mouse. And the View Possible Connections feature enables the ability to link anchors without a mouse. Excellent! However, this handy feature seems only accessible by right-clicking a tool with the mouse. I'm unable to find an entry for this feature in any of Designer's menus, nor does it appear when using the Menu key on the keyboard (which brings up the Context Menu, aka Right-Click).

Perhaps this has been addressed in other versions of Designer. Or it might be a UI oversight. But in terms of accessibility, I feel it would be very useful.

Please let me know your thoughts or show me how to find it outside of right-clicking.

Many thanks,

James

During the Inspire APAC conference, I dragged and dropped a tool over another tool with the intention for it to replace the tool that was on the canvas. I didnt realise that it had not replaced the tool. I kept getting errors and did not know why. The error was because the original tool was still hiding behind my new tool.

Can we add functionality where we can replace a tool on the canvas with another tool by either:

1. dragging a tool from the tool palette over another tool and it replaces that tool with the tool from the palette (the tool being replaced will turn grey whilst you hover to indicate that you are about to replace the tool. 

2. Right-click an existing tool and similar to insert after context menu, a replace tool context menu appears to select the tool that will replace the existing tool.

Also, if you can include in user options, an enable/disable checkbox for this function as I am not sure whether everybody may want this but this is a productivity hack when you change your mind later in the type of tool you want connected. Drag and Replace is very intuitive action which is used in other design software platforms. The only reason I can think of where you would drag and drop a tool directly over another tool is to replace it. Say you have the join tool on the canvas and you really want a union. Or you want to replace the predictive model being run without having to delete and then drag and drop the right tool. These are 2 examples among others where you reduce the number of actions taken to replace the tool currently on the canvas.

Happy to elaborate with more examples if the above does not make sense.

You know how when you pull a new tool onto a canvas where you already have a workflow it wants to auto connect to the closest tool where it lands? While this can be useful it causes major issues when it moves the entire workflow you had in place. What makes this more frustrating is when it does this and you can't undo everything it did. Sometimes I spenda lot of of time fixing what it messed up. On top of which the tool it connected too was wrong!

Like I said it can be useful, but the adjustment of the entire workflow is HIGHLY unneccesary.

Could you PLEASE adjust this feature to auto connect without moving the entire module?!

Thank you 🙂

It would be nice if we could right click on a Tool from the canvas and add it to Favorites from there.

Hello,

While working with Predictive models, I got confronted with this situation: 

The highlighted traces are linked to the box even though you click on an anchor.

It'd be much simpler to trace this spaghetti if, when we select an anchor, only what is connected to it stay highlighted.

IDEA: Click on the box, keep all output visible in blue, click on an anchor, anchor's output is visible in blue, the rest remains in black.

Like this:

(Drafted with powerpoint, not the best representation)

My client today asked if Alteryx could be configured to build/run horizontally from right to left.  Thought I'd post the idea. 

This is the most minor of annoyances, but it would be great if I could copy and paste color hex values between containers, comments, etc. The system color dialog doesn't have that, so maybe if the color boxes in the configuration pane were directly editable, or something like that. If I'm changing the colors for multiple containers, it's kind of a pain that I have to select the R, G, and B values manually. 

When selecting a colour for a container I would like to be able to click randomize and let Alteryx pick the colour, however I would like the option to click 'random new colour' so it picks a colour not already used in a container on the current workflow  I should then be able to customize the transparency as per normal.

This might be a dumb ask, but I run into this alot. I have a workflow that has over 1000 tools and is super long. I would like to be able to to either right click and lock the connection sting so i can let go of the left click , scroll down to the tool, and then click on it to make the connection. Also, it would be nice to have the ability to right click on a tool and click a button "Connect to last used connection" as i sometimes join to the same table multiple times. Lastly, I just thought it would be cool if we can defined tools that are connected to the most so when i right click on another tool, i can open a drop down and select one of the most joined to tools, without even having to click on the original.

It would be great if we could change the name of a variable upstream it follows through in formulae etc.