Add "Save as Default Configuration" checkbox/button for each tool

[ephij]

Frequently with more complicated tool configurations I end up having to setup certain elements over and over again.  Would be great to have a one click "use this as the default" configuration that would follow my profile and apply to all future drags of that tool onto the workflow.  Configuration elements that depend on the input fields would not be impacted.

Also an apply all feature to apply the similar configuration elements to all tools of the same tool type.

Example Configuration Elements

Comment Tool - Shape, Font, text Color, Background Color, Alignment...

Tool Container - Text Color, fill color , border color, transparency, margin

Table Tool - Default Table Settings

Union Tool - "Auto config by name", Actions when fields differ

Data Clensing - all configuration elements

Sample - all configuration elements

[fharper]

Here are a few additional items to consider

• Output tool
  • When selecting "Take File/Table Name From Field" make default method "Change Entire File Path" and default for "Keep field in Output" as unchecked
  • We frequently generate dynamic output file names and use the above features a lot.
• Select Tool 
  • I would like a check box to "Lock" the data type and size
    • Sometimes the data in the stream changes and the select tool changes data type and or size that I want enforced. in particular I see when reading CSV and XLSX files things I want read as strings being forced as double and I use the select tool to change this but on some occasions the tool does not allow me to change it from Double to String and on more occasions, when I can change the data type, it simply changes back to Double on the next run.
    • There are times when I want to change the order of fields via a select but it does not pass this order change downstream. It would be nice to have the ability to force an order to be pushed downstream to other select tools. I recognize this may be very challenging as intervening tools complicate communicating this downstream but if I can imagine a couple of ways to do this if the idea is well received.
• Formula Tool
  • Current default is V_WString with size of 1,073,741,823. I would like to
    • Have the ability to set a different default type and or size
    • Have the option to have the default type and size of a new "Added Column" be the same as the last "Added Column"
      • We often do 20 to 40 formula and we often create several in a row of the same type and size, it would be a time saver if it retained the prior values.
• Sample Tool
  • Allow user to define the default value for "N"
  • Allow user to set default selection of First, Last, Skip, Etc.

[patrick_digan]

I'll add the formula tool to this list. I always change the field type to double.

[fharper]

Also..on the Formula tool we use fixed decimal a lot and default is 19.6 but our default preference is 12.2, 15.2 and 17.2 to match up with other resources.  would be nice if it took the most recently used fixed decimal size or a user defined default

On the Formula & Select tools ...i think I mentioned this in a different thread but while we are discussing the tool I would really like to be able to clone one field into many or at least clone its characteristics and apply it to another.  conceptually this is like excel where you can highlight/select one or more cells and click "format painter" tool to capture the formatting and then paste that formatting to one or more other cells.  it would be cool to have a format tool to capture and paste format characteristics:

• for a Formula tool field I suggest a new icon to the right of the scale at the bottom of a formula specification.  clicking it once would highlight it perhaps to signify it is being copied from....then you can go to another formula and click the icon for that tool to paste or apply the copied formatting to that formula...This assumes it is a created field versus previously defined which would be grayed out as you do not currently allow previously existing fields to change formatting in the formula tool
• For a Select Tool add a column to the right of the size column to copy and paste formatting and add the mass change for size per below

On the Select tools.  you can mass change the data type but you can't mass change the size.  This is really annoying having one aspect being a great time saver and then hit the wall having to manually set size for each field you mass changed the data data type for.    Again there is a default of 19.6 on fixed decimal size...if at least we could set our own default we would be moving faster, but even better is to be able to mass change the size.

[patrick_digan]

Great ideas @fharper!

[RachelW]

We have plans to improve tool configurations in the future so that you will be able to configure tools more quickly. We don't have specific plans to implement improvements as you've specified here. However, we think you'll enjoy the improvements that we have planned and they will enable you to configure tools more quickly. 

[timesaverkid2019]

@fharper To change all the field sizes when using any tool (fixed decimal) specifically, you can select the 'XML View' (</>) on the left hand side of the select tools edit box and click edit in the top right hand corner. From there you will be able to bulk edit the field size by performing a find and replace function (control + H) and change as you would like. I was looking for a similar solution and found this is the easiest way to mass edit!!!

Hope this helps!

[srini]

That's a real nice idea.
Thanks

Srini Ramanathan
Associate Principal
212.380.8830
srini@useready.com

[fharper]

@timesaverkid2019

I know I can edit the whole flow or macro in xml via notepad or other editor...the sound of your comment is that I can edit the flow/macro in Alteryx designer and click on an option to switch to xml.  is this in 2018.4?  I am on 2018.3 and do not see this option

[timesaverkid2019]

I am also working in 2018.3 and I see it. See the screenshot below. Once
the XML view is selected in the upper right hand corner there is an edit
option to perform the find replace.