Where’s My Example? Creating Example Workflows for Custom Macros

[TheOC]

You may have noticed that almost all built-in tools in Alteryx have an example workflow you can open from the right-click menu:

But have you ever wondered why there’s no way to add an example to your own macro? Well… You actually can! Let me show how.

1. Craft a (very serious) macro

I’ve created an incredible macro that doubles any number:

The patent is pending on this one—please don’t steal my groundbreaking design.

Save this macro into your macros folder, so it appears in your Designer tool palette:

2. Create an example workflow

Here’s the important part: this workflow must be saved inside your Alteryx installation’s Learn One Tool at a Time folder:

C:\Program Files\Alteryx\Samples\en\02 Learn_one_tool_at_a_time
💡 If you’re using Designer in a language other than English, replace ‘en’ with your language code (e.g., ‘fr’ for French).

I created a new folder in here and saved my example workflow as:
C:\Program Files\Alteryx\Samples\en\02 Learn_one_tool_at_a_time\OC_Examples\Doubling_Example.yxmd

3. Edit your macro file

Right-click your macro file in File Explorer and choose Edit with Notepad (or Notepad++, if you know, you know)

Inside the <MetaInfo> section, look for these lines:

Replace them with something like this:

The key here is to set the file path to be a relative path from the Learn One Tool at a Time folder.

4. View your example workflow

Boom. Now, when you right-click your macro in Designer and choose the Description text above, your custom workflow will open exactly like Alteryx’s built-in tools:

That’s it! You’ve now just unlocked an extra layer on top of your macro building skills. This is fantastic for:

• Documenting your macros for teammates (We all know a Steve who needs guiding through a macro 3 times)
• Provided guided demos alongside tools
• Document edge cases/usages of your macros.

If you do try this, let me know what creative examples you add to your macros. I’m currently 2 days of development into a ‘triple any number’ macro, so that will be my next.

[BS_THE_ANALYST]

Honestly, @TheOC, this is awesome. Didn't even know this was possible 😂. I wish I knew this when I started using Alteryx! 

Is it also easy to create the tool descriptions for the macros? (unlocked when you left-click on them)

All the best,
BS

[Erin]

Thanks @TheOC! I love how you weave humor in with learning! No promises on not borrowing your groundbreaking design. Copying is a form of flattery, so they say... 

[TheOC]

hey @BS_THE_ANALYST 
Great question! I definitely should have mentioned that in the blog so thanks for bringing it up.

That setting/configuration can actually be found in the 'meta info' tab of the tool:

So thankfully it doesn't require messing with the XML as much.

[TheOC]

@Erin If I see you go live on the Alteryx Community Gallery with a number doubling tool 😡😡

[Pilsner]

Very clever stuff @TheOC. I agree Steve will benefit from this, but I reckon I would too. I've created macros before, then come back after a few months and struggled to use them properly, let alone if I'm handed someone else's. This definitely seems like one of those long-term gain situations, well worth doing!

[BS_THE_ANALYST]

You're not wrong @Erin I broke out into laughter when I saw "OC" and "Legend" in the same sentence  

[Erin]

@TheOC - so what if I credit "the OC" and "Legend" if/when I post my completely original doubling macro on the Alteryx Community Gallery? I can also give you 10% of the royalties from this free macro. You're welcome.

[TheOC]

@Erin