Update pieces without having to re-build

Dear ActivePieces Team,

I’ve noticed that in order to update a piece to a new version, we must actually re-build the workflow (e.g. re-add the new version of the piece, re-map the data and then delete the old piece).

Please make this automatic. Or semi-automatic. e.g. when we log in and inspect the workflow, we see an option to update the piece while keeping all the mappings. And if there is some action required from us, the update workflow/dialogue must prompt us to do it there and then.

You should’ve been inspired by @BharatKaravadra’s topic :stuck_out_tongue: Piece Updates, Flow Element Management & Detachment, & Affiliate Program

We tried to scope this in the past but we struggled with finding a clean solution. So the problem with this is:

If a new version of the piece is released and it’s incompatibe with the one you used, that means some fields might have been removed, some others might have been added. Automating this will need some human intervention, we need you to enter the values of the new required inputs.

Also, you probably should understand the changes. What if the old one was compatible with a certain API version but the new one is not. In some cases, you need to know the difference.

What are your and the community thoughts about the best upgrade experience?

Fair enough.

In which case, my recommendation is as follows:

(1) No automatic updates.

(2) If the update isn’t breaking, create a one-click workflow (a button appears and says “update me”, and that’s it - the user clicks the button, and nothing else is required other than re-publishing the flow).

(3) If the update is breaking (new piece is incompatible with the previous one), when the user clicks the “update button”, the user is being prompted to re-map the data - ideally, with as much mapped data preserved as possible.

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What I don’t like is that we have to manually re-search and re-add a new module, re-map, and re-update,e tc, etc

Make the update happen within the old module that’s being updated.

I think this is a great idea, especially that everything is versioned. If you click on “Update me” and you didn’t feel good about the remapping, you can just “Discard” the new draft and go back to your old published version (once we add the Discard button).

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@ashrafsam thanks for posting this and @Evgeny has made some valid points and considering those and my experience, below are my suggestions :

  • Automatic/Manual updates to be configurable ideally on a per Piece basis.

  • If an update maintains the existing settings & functionality and if the update is manual, an ‘Update Me’ alert can appear with a link to a changelog and button to update. If it’s automatic then an ‘Updated’ alert appears with a link to the changelog.

  • If the update maintains settings and functionality but has additional configuration options, even if they are optional, then an appropriate alert such as ‘Now Has Additional Config Options’ should appear. If the new config options are required then an additonal alert such as ‘Now Has Additional Config Options Before Flow Can Be Published’ and a link to the change long would help.

  • If the update is has new config options and simply breaks the flow, then an ‘Update Me’ alert can appear with a link to a changelog and button to update, and with an alert such as ‘Re-Configure Piece To Maintain Flow’.

That’s off the top of my mind and there’s probably a better way of achieveing the above with the UI and a few other nuances may have to be considered, but I hope the general view makes sense.

  • It would be useful to be able to subscribe to Piece updates email alert with a link to a change log. The subscription could be for only Pieces used within an account, or for all Activepieces Pieces.

Any other suggestions from other people’s experiences of managing Flows/Pieces/Projects/Clients may also be useful.

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This is my next biggest want. It would make building and maintaining flows inside AP a lot more seamless. For example, there’s a new action available through Google Drive right now (Set public access). It would be sooooo much more convenient to tap a button to upgrade the piece instead of having to reconfigure each Google Drive piece manually. Please make this happen @abuaboud @ashrafsam :pray: :muscle:

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Hi @S_M,

Google Drive piece has two new actions (Move / Set File Public). The addition of these new actions to the piece doesn’t require a piece upgrade. :blush:

If you try to edit the flow (we will improve the experience there) and refresh, it will be automatically upgraded to 0.5.25.

Thank you,
Mo.

Hey Mo! Fair, that’s nice to see! Improvements on the edit portion are welcome, as you noted.

More importantly, and I’m sure most users would agree, if we could get this more widely applicable, including incorporation of the suggestions from @BharatKaravadra @Evgeny where it’s not possible, I think it would vastly improve the current quality of pieces and Activepieces more broadly. I don’t think anybody here wants to manually remap or upgrade anything - a big PITA if you ask me. Yet, when necessary if we can have the appropriate notifications, including notice of new features, potential breakages, etc. that would be a much better experience.

I personally think the update system is the next most important thing in need of an upgrade (ironically). I wonder if others agree.

@abuaboud @ashrafsam

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