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Include the Wokflow Name as a default Constant

It would be useful to have the WorkflowName captured as one of the default Engine constants. The WorkflowDirectory is included so why not the WorkflowName as well?

 

I often have to use configuration files to pass in values to workflows meaning the workflow name needs to be manually entered into the workflow, either as a text input or User Constant, which feels like an unnecessary step as Alteryx must know the name of the workflow once it has been saved.

13 Comments
BenG
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)
Status changed to: Under Review
 
Rohit_Bajaj
9 - Comet

Hi All,

 

I feel we can also have a look at the option of having 'parent/calling workflow name' in addition to actual 'workflow name'.

So in case if I am overiding some output connectors which are generic in name, I can capture error or any other information w.r.t the calling workflow/program.

 

Thanks,

Rohit Bajaj

jhoward
5 - Atom

A bit late to the part on this one, but nevertheless something I would like to see included in a future release.

 

Would find it be particularly useful for version control and auditing.

BenG
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

We are currently looking to add this into the existing engine constants.  I want to make sure I get the reequest correct.  We would query the actual file name on disk and add that as an engine constant.  Is there any need for the Workflow Name if it is different than the filename?

 

Thanks,
Ben

AndrewW
11 - Bolide

Yes, the actual file name on disk. It wouldn't have a name until it had been saved. I actually wasn't aware of the existence of a different workflow name to the file name. Interesting to know the opinion of others interested in this idea.

AdamR_AYX
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)

What would the constant give me if I am running my workflow in the gallery or the scheduler?  Where the workflow is not saved to disk, but stored in the server's database.

AndrewW
11 - Bolide

Great question Adam. When I worked a lot with Alteryx I used to run exclusively On Disk so I'm not able to comment on gallery or the scheduler. I assume when on the scheduler the Workflow Path changes to the scheduler path but the file (workflow?) name remains the same, which is the name I would expect to pick up.

 

My use case is for using config files so the workflow can open the file and pick up the configuration relative to itself. For example I would have a Workflow Name field in the config file and input that file to the workflow, filtering for where the workflow name in the config file matches the current workflow name.

 

For my use case workflow name and filename are much the same thing, this could differ for others who are keen to have this development added, hopefully a user of gallery and scheduler will respond with their thoughts.

aezerins
6 - Meteoroid

This would be a great feature for future release...imperative for proper Quality Assurance in a scaled environment serving multiple clients with re-usable workflows which should be derived from a repository standard.

 

Use case: confirm current version of a workflow is date/time stamped the same as a repository stored workflow (when a macro just won't do...)

 

Thanks!

pvara
8 - Asteroid

I work with many different project teams on various engagements, creating multiple work streams, this feature would be greatly helpful for auditing and version control. Thank you. 

BenG
Alteryx Alumni (Retired)
Status changed to: Implemented

This is now available as of Alteryx version 11.3.