List all tools used in a workflow

Context:

I'm starting a new project, "inheriting" 200+ workflows built from different versions of alteryx, starting 10.5 until 2018.4

I will also have plenty of new users that will need to be familiar with some workflows very quickly. i.e learning part of the immense long list of tools available in Alteryx Designer.

Part of my role will also to find deprecated tools and find other solutions available in newer versions of alteryx.

Resource:

For this, I use: https://help.alteryx.com/current/Getting_Started/ToolCategories.htm

And a great reference that is easier for users than the complete documentation: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Knowledge-Base/Tool-Mastery-Index/ta-p/84593

Question 1:

How to list the alteryx tools used in a workflow?

This way, we can list the right reference to users that will "own" a specific workflow, and prepare the training materials accordingly.

Foreseen solution:

I looked up the yxmd files as xml, and considering to parse for the version, and the tools name:

AlteryxDocument yxmdVer=

and

EngineDllEntryPoint=

I would loop through all workflows of a folder to build this list:

Filename

Version

Tool

I can then pivot this by tool or make the link to users.

The reason to repeat the version on every row is for the case where a tool has changed behavior/parameters between alteryx versions.

Question 2:

Do you see another way of doing this?

Tips and Tricks

Accepted answers

BenMoss

There is actually a workflow in Alteryx which does this already, it's one of the sample workflows...

Go to help > Sample Workflows > Use Scripting and Automation Tools > Build a Macro > Identify tools and macros used in a workflow

It already works with a directory input so you could rip it completely and pretend to your bosses you've done a whole lot of work

Ben

All comments

BenMoss

There is actually a workflow in Alteryx which does this already, it's one of the sample workflows...

Go to help > Sample Workflows > Use Scripting and Automation Tools > Build a Macro > Identify tools and macros used in a workflow

It already works with a directory input so you could rip it completely and pretend to your bosses you've done a whole lot of work

Ben

thomas_vdb

Thanks a lot. How could I miss this one....

I used "list" instead of "identify" and the search could not return your previous answer to the exact same question: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Parse-yxmd-as-xml-to-see-which-tools-are-used-in-a-module-and/td-p/80241

ismailhab

Hi Ben,

Thank you for your answer, i have a french version , and i don't "Use Scripting and automation tools" in "Sample Workflows".

Can you send me the workflow of the macro?

Thank you

Ismail

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