How to Edit an Active Workflow

This article outlines the best practices for editing an active workflow in your system. Following these guidelines ensures smooth updates to existing workflows.

Approaches for editing a workflow

There are two approaches available for editing a workflow:

1. Edit the draft or active version of a workflow: This approach allows you to make changes directly to the existing draft. On the other hand, editing the active version creates a draft copy of the active workflow and allows you to make changes to the draft.
2. Create a duplicate workflow: Clone the existing workflow and make the required changes.

Navigate to the workflows section

1. Go to Admin > Chat > Automation > Workflows.

   You will see a list of available workflow triggers. For more details, learn more on Workflow Triggers documentation.

2. Select the appropriate Workflow Trigger.

3. Choose a workflow currently in the Active state for editing.

Edit the draft or active version of a workflow

When you attempt to edit an active workflow, the system automatically creates a draft version (a clone of the active workflow) for editing.

If a draft already exists for the workflow, a confirmation popup appears prompting you to choose whether to Continue with Draft or Edit Active Version.

• If a draft version of the workflow already exists, you have the option to Continue with Draft without creating a new one.
• Choosing the Edit Active Version option will discard the current draft (if one exists) and create a new draft based on the currently active workflow version. This ensures that you are editing the most recent live configuration.

Publish and activate the edited workflow

• Before you can publish or activate a workflow, make sure all paths are complete. Any open-ended paths must be closed using Exit blocks. A workflow with incomplete paths can’t be published.
• When you click Publish & Activate, the draft version is set as the current active workflow, and the previous active version is deleted.

Create a duplicate workflow for editing

1. Click the Kebab icon (⋮) on the workflow you want to edit.

2. Choose Duplicate Workflow from the provided options.

   

3. Enter a Workflow Name for your duplicate.

   
   • The system creates a copy next to the original workflow.
   

4. Click the Edit icon on the far right to modify the newly created workflow as needed.

5. Once editing is complete, Publish & Activate the duplicate workflow. Then, deactivate the original workflow after the duplicate is successfully activated.

Best approach to edit an active workflow

The best way to safely edit an active workflow is by creating a duplicate, allowing you to make changes without disrupting ongoing conversations.

Why this approach does not affect existing executions

When a workflow is duplicated, it creates a separate copy (clone) of the original workflow. The duplicate workflow also clones the initial conditions of the original. However, during execution:

• Only the original workflow is triggered if it satisfies the defined conditions first.
• The duplicate workflow doesn’t run because the original workflow already handles the execution.
• After the duplicate workflow editing is completed, the original workflow will be deactivated.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What are the two ways to edit an existing workflow, and when should I use each?

• Edit draft or active version: If no draft exists, editing an Active workflow creates a draft copy of the active version for changes. If a draft already exists, you can Continue with Draft.
• Create a duplicate workflow: Clone the workflow, edit the copy, Publish & Activate it, then deactivate the original. This is the safest approach for live environments to avoid disrupting ongoing conversations.

2) What happens when I try to edit an Active workflow—what are the options in the confirmation dialog?
When you open an Active workflow for editing, the system creates (or reuses) a draft. If a draft already exists, you’ll see:

• Continue with Draft: Keep working on the existing draft (no new draft is created).
• Edit Active Version: The current draft is discarded and a new draft is created from the current active version.

Note: Choosing Edit Active Version permanently removes the existing draft.

3) Why is duplicating the workflow the recommended approach for editing, and how do I do it safely?
Duplicating lets you modify a separate copy without affecting active conversations.
Steps:

1. Go to Admin > Chat > Automation > Workflows.
2. Open the relevant Workflow Trigger and find your workflow.
3. Click the Kebab (⋮) → Duplicate Workflow → name it.
4. Click Edit on the duplicate, make changes, then Publish & Activate the duplicate.
5. Deactivate the original after the duplicate is live.
   Why it’s safe: The original workflow continues to handle executions until you switch; the duplicate does not run concurrently for the same conditions.

4) How do I publish and activate edits, and why might publishing be blocked?

• Ensure all paths in the workflow end with Exit blocks (no open-ended paths). Workflows with incomplete paths cannot be published.
• Click Publish & Activate to make the draft the new active version; the previous active version is deleted.

Any ongoing conversations using the old workflow are immediately terminated when you publish the new version.

5) What happens when I deactivate a workflow?
Deactivation stops the workflow from being applied to new conversations. However, it continues running in any conversations where it is already active until those conversations complete.