I want to suggest a feature that gives activepieces an huge push in terms of flexibility.
As I’m active in the field of RPA and flow development I’m missing one feature very urgently in activepieces. The ability to jump to a certain point within the flow.
To name a few cases in which something like this is needed.
I generate AI images via an API. Generating and retrieving the images here are two different requests. However, the API does not provide any feedback when the image has been generated. So I have to ask again and again in a second request whether the image is ready until it has been generated.
Repetitive steps cannot currently be represented in Activepieces, at least not within a flow.
Jumping to certain points further ahead in the flow is also not possible based on action without going through the rest of the flow. Jumping back is also not possible as already mentioned.
The possible uses are diverse and the flexibility that the tool receives would be massively increased.
In my main RPA tool the whole thing is divided into 2 nodes.
A “GoTo” node
And a “label” node.
Label here only defines the target, GoTo sends the process there.
In Activepieces this could possibly be solved simply by specifying a step in the GoTo node without using a separate label.
It would be great if you would consider this. This would enable many use cases.
A- While loops and break loop steps.
B- Now this is a bit confusing, You have an RPA tool building/modifying flows? so you need a native browser button that takes users to the step ? why not just use simple document selectors of the html nodes and simulate a click on them ? that’s way easier.
do you talk about an button that takes ME to the specific piece inside the flow?
No no no… That’s not what I meant. I want the process jumping to a specific marked position in the flow.
Forget about the part with the RPA tool, that was just the clue where I know that from. I just want the same function in Activepieces if possible.
I’ll attach you a graphic, there you can see visually how it looks like in my RPA tool, then it’s hopefully easier to understand.
The semi-transparent nodes simulate the preceding part of the flow and the following part of the flow simply to show that the following processes follow there.
The nodes without transparency show what I actually want to implement.
Short explanation about the nodes:
In the switch a query is running per JS Expression, which decides which way the process runs further.
Subflow is simply a placeholder for a set of steps to be processed.
GoTo is a jump label that sends the process to another place.
Label is the destination of the jump label to which the process is sent.
In the example, the process enters the switch. In the switch a decision takes place.
X = red → first/upper path
X = blue → second/lower path
In our example, X = red, which is why the process runs through the upper part. It is forwarded from the GoTo node to the label, runs through the switch and the check again and repeats this run until X = blue. Then the process runs along the other path.
These “jump marks” in the form of GoTo and Label Nodes would also like to have in Activepieces. Together with a switch piece. It is not limited to 2 outputs but can have as many as you like.
You can’t have the AI image generator send it to a Webhook?
I used Placid.app and there I was able to provide a Webhook with the post request, so as soon as the image was created (which took like 10-15 seconds) the data was send to a Webhook and I could continue my flow/start a new one.
