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Alteryx Designer Desktop Ideas

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Featured Ideas

Hello all,

We all know for sure that != is the Alteryx operator for inequality. However, I suggest the implementation of <> as an other operator for inequality. Why ?

<> is a very common operator in most languages/tools such as SQL, Qlik or Tableau. It's by far more intuitive than != and it will help interoperability and copy/paste of expression between tools or from/to in-database mode to/from in-memory mode.

Best regards,

Simon

Hello all,

A few years ago, I asked for svg support in Alteryx (https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Desktop-Ideas/svg-support-for-icon-comment-image-e... ). Now, there is Alteryx Designer Cloud with other icons... already in svg !

image.png


So I think it would be great to have an harmonization between designer and cloud.

Best regards,

Simon

  • Enhancement

Hello all,

We all have experienced these last years the now famous concept of hide/unhide password :
Here a few examples of it

 

password-reveal-button.png

I would like this exact principle everywhere we have a password on Alteryx.

Best regards,

Simon

  • Enhancement

Hello all,

It's really frustrating to have an "alteryx field type" in In-Database Select. It doesn't even make sense since we're manipulating only data in SQL database where those types does not exist. What we should see is the SQL field type.
alteryx_monetdb2_.png
Best regards,

Simon

Formula Tool --> Functions --> Operators list

 

The operator titles for the two comment functions are too similar, the difference cannot be determined unless checking the hover text.

Can the title for /* Comment */ be adjusted to make it more clear that it is for block or multi-line usage?

I didn't understand the difference until I saw this post on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7165816592063266817/

/* Comment */ --> /* Block Comment */   |   /* Multi-line Comment */

 

2024-02-21 08_18_04-Alteryx Designer x64 - _New Workflow1.png

  

2024-02-21 08_18_11-Alteryx Designer x64 - _New Workflow1.png

Everyone knows the importance of adding the appropriate controls and governance to your workflows - and often, this means including events that will generate notifications if a workflow is running with errors.

 

But who is the audience of that email? If it's not a developer, will that person know what they are reading and where to focus?

 

How about a developer that would like to customize the message that the end user will receive?

 

Porting some existing functionality from other tools in the Alteryx toolkit to the Events page could easily provide added flexibility to event generation:

 

1) Add a formatting bar to the tool like shown in the image below

-- Style changes

-- Alignment

-- Highlighting

-- Coloring

-- Images

 

2) Add a function bar to the tool like shown in the image below

-- Ability to view all available variables

-- Ability to apply formulas using variables

-- Ability to save formulas

 

Events.JPG

 

What do you think? Give this post a thumbs up if you find the post helpful!

  • Enhancement

I would like a way to disable all containers within a workflow with a single click.  It could be simply disable / enable all or a series of check boxes, one for each container, where you can choose to disable / enable all or a chosen selection. 

 

In large workflows, with many containers, if you want to run a single container while testing it can take a while to scroll up and down the workflow disabling each container in turn.  

Hey all,

 

I don't know about you, but I have always had trouble hovering the mouse over the Results window pane trying to get the resize icon to appear. It seems like you need surgeon level precision to find the icon! 😷

 

I love Designer and want to see it be the best it can possibly be. I feel like increasing the clickable/hovering area for this resize would be amazingly helpful! 

Just wanted to see if we could get some community momentum going in order to get some developer eyes on this issue. 🙂

 

 Please help by bumping/upvoting this thread!

ksang_2-1700231361920.gif

 

 -K

Migrated this from another thread. Some folks tagged from the original post :)
@cpatrickwk @caltang @afellows @MRod @alexnajm @ericsmalley @MilindG @Prometheus @innovate20 

  • Enhancement

Currently if I have a connection between two tools as per the example below:

cgoodman3_0-1674567563258.png

I can drag and drop a new tool on the connection between these tools to add it in:

cgoodman3_1-1674567618537.png

 

And designer updates the connections nicely, however if I select multiple tools and try and collectively drop them inbetween, on a connection then it won't allow me to do this, and will move the connection out of the way so it doesn't cause an overlap.

cgoodman3_2-1674567779868.png

Therefore as a QoL improvement it would be great if there was a multi-drop option on connections between tools.

 

 

  • Enhancement

Hello all,


As of today, we use the good old alias in-memory to connect to our datasources in in-memory. We have several environments so we use constants in order to change the name of the in-memory alias during execution.

To illustrate :

simonaubert_bd_0-1701895804110.png

 

 

Depending of the environment, the constant « v_gp_contexte » will take different values :

  • GP_DS08_SIDATA for la dev.
  • GP_EE_SIDATA for prod.

Sounds nice, right? But now, we would like to use DCM and the nightmare begins :

We can't manually change the name and set the question :

simonaubert_bd_2-1701895988262.png

 

if we look at the xml of the workflow, we only find an id so editing it is useless :

simonaubert_bd_3-1701895988262.png

 


(for informationDCM connections are stored in some sqlite db in C:\Users\{yourname}\AppData\Local\Alteryx

So, I would like to use the DCM inside the in-memory alias (the in-memory alias is stored and can be edited), just like for in-db connection alias.

Best regards,

Simon

 

 

We have lots of tools that create new column(s) from the Inputs, e.g., Generate Rows. It'd be very nice if the new column(s) is/are highlighted in the Output. This makes it a lot easier for users when developing the workflow.

  • Enhancement

Good morning!

 

This may be a very simple thing, but would it be possible to add a DateTimeQuarter() function? We have DateTime Second, Minute, Day, Month, and Year, and being able to have an easy formula for the quarter as well would be incredibly convenient. 

 

Thanks,

Kat

For all Alteryx versions I can remember, when entering a connection string into an input tool (e.g., "C:\Users\mbarone\Desktop\ . . . "), you could just start typing and it would auto-complete.  This is no longer the case when DCM is enabled.  This is a huge efficiency hit we're taking, and is enough for us not to enable DCM (optional or otherwise), given the fact that current workflow connection manager works just fine (meaning the "akas").

 

Please bring back auto-complete/predictive text when DCM is enabled.

 

  • Enhancement

Add Unicode category to the cleansing tool

Currently it's not possible to "switch off" interface tools in the same was as we can with the other tools. This limits the functionality especially within chained apps. If we could switch these tools off it would be much easier for us to tailor the experience by allowing selections to be activated by logic, rather than simply the data therein.

 

Please Alteryx Gods. I beseech thee!

 

*lights candles*

  • Enhancement

In some cases, the information about incoming columns to tools are (temporarily) forgotten, e.g. if Autoconfig is switched off, if the incoming connection is temporarily missing, or if column names are generated dynamically and the workflow has not been executed, yet.

Many tools deal with that situation well, e.g. Selection, Formula, or Summarize. In these cases, the tools tell the user that they cannot find incoming columns, but they preserve the configuration so that the user still can (at least partially) work on these tools and important information on the configuration is not lost:

 

Example Select Tool

  1. First step: Connections present, configuration typed in:
    select-step1-configuration_entered.png
  2. Second step: Connection cut, confguration opened. The configuration looks screwed up but implicitly contains all settings:
    select-step2-incoming_connection_missing.png
  3. Third step: Connection re-connected. The configuration is as before:
    select-step3-incoming_connection_present.png

 

Other tools behave the opposite, for example Unique or Macro Input (an for sure many other tools). If the incoming columns are currently unknown to the Designer and you click once on the symbol, the entire configuration of this tool is lost. You might try to get the configuration back by pressing undo. This, in most cases does not work. Or, even worse, you find out what happened later when it's too late for undo. In this case, you either have an old version of that workflow to look up the configuration or you have to re-develop it. In any case, this is unnecessary and time-consuming software behaviour.

 

Example Unique Tool

  1. Step 1: Connections present, configuration typed in:
     unique-step1-configuration_entered.png
  2. Step 2: Connection cut, confguration opened. The configuration is empty:
    unique-step2-incoming_connection_missing.png
  3. Step 3: Connection re-connected: The entire configuration is permanently lost:
    unique-step3-incoming_connection_present.png

I wasn't sure whether I should report this as a bug or a feature enhancement. It is somehow in between. Two aspects tell me that this should be changed:

  • Inconsistent behaviour of different tools for now reason,
  • Easy loss of programming work, resulting in time-consuming bug fixing.

Please make sure that all tools preserve their configuration also if information on incoming columns is temporarily lost.

  • Enhancement

It would be great if we could add example workflows to our macros, accessible in the same way as from the original tools (example hyperlink shown after single-clicking on a tool in the tool palette or when searching in the search bar).

 

There is a post on how to do it for custom tools How to add an example link in the custom tool (alteryx.com). The way described there has limitations and does not seem to work on macros: I was able to get the link to show up, but nothing happens when I click.

 

My suggestion, make it easy to add an example workflow to a macro, like it is to change the logo or add a help link.

example workflow.png

We will not be enabling DCM for the time being (see https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Desktop-Ideas/Enable-auto-complete-predictive-typi...).  

 

But, when you do not enable DCM, you get an annoying pop up every time you open Designer that says "DCM toggle is not enabled". 

 

Please give us the ability to turn this pop up off.

  • Enhancement

Today, there is an checkbox to "Disable All Tools that Write Output" within the Runtime settings for a workflow.  Setting this option requires at least 3 clicks:

  • Click on the canvas
  • Click the "Runtime" tab in the Configuration pane
  • Click the checkbox

Could a keyboard shortcut be added for this?  I've spoken to several users who leverage this feature and, while it is already a time saver, it seems helpful enough where a keyboard shortcut is warranted.

  • Enhancement

Adding a up and down arrow on each column would make it easier and quicker to sort columns then the drop down menu or sort tool

IraWatt_0-1653059213295.png

 

  • Enhancement
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