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Using Step Designer

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Available: Starter and Premium as a paid add-on
Audience: Administrators and Developers

Overview​

The Step Designer is a visual interface for creating and managing STEP Orchestrations. It provides an intuitive drag-and-drop environment where you can design complex business processes by chaining together Flow and Apex steps, configuring their inputs and outputs, and managing the overall orchestration workflow.

This guide covers all aspects of using the Step Designer to create, configure, and manage your orchestrations.

Getting Started​

Accessing Step Designer​

The Step Designer is accessible through the Plinqx application. When you first open it, you'll see a clean interface with action buttons at the top and a design area below.

Main Step Designer Interface

Main Interface Components​

The Step Designer interface consists of several key areas:

  1. Header Bar: Contains orchestration information and action buttons
  2. Design Area: Where you build your orchestration by adding and configuring steps
  3. Step Cards: Individual step components that can be configured
  4. Modals: Pop-up dialogs for adding steps, saving, and other operations

Creating a New Orchestration​

Step 1: Start a New Design​

  1. Click the "New" button in the header bar
  2. A modal will appear asking for basic orchestration information

New Orchestration Modal

  1. Enter a Name for your orchestration (required)
  2. Enter a Description explaining what the orchestration does (required)
  3. Click "Save" to create the new orchestration

Step 2: Design Area Activation​

After creating a new orchestration, the design area becomes active and you'll see:

  • A start indicator (play icon)
  • An "Add Step" button (+ icon)
  • The ability to begin building your orchestration

Active Design Area

Adding Steps to Your Orchestration​

Opening the Add Step Modal​

  1. Click the "+" button in the design area
  2. The "Plinqx: Add Step" modal will appear

Add Step Modal

Step 1: Select Step Type​

Choose the type of step you want to add:

  • Flow: For declarative automation using Salesforce Flows
  • Apex: For custom code execution using Apex classes

Type Dropdown

Step 2: Select Component​

For Flow Steps:

  1. Select "Flow" as the type
  2. Choose from available Autolaunched Flows in the dropdown
  3. The system will automatically load the flow's input and output parameters

Flow Selection Dropdown

For Apex Steps:

  1. Select "Apex" as the type
  2. Choose from available Apex classes that implement the step interface
  3. The system will load the class's input and output parameters

Apex Class Selection Dropdown

Step 3: Configure Step Details​

  1. Name: Enter a descriptive name for the step (max 50 characters)
  2. Description: Provide a description of what the step does (max 255 characters)
  3. API Name: Automatically populated based on the selected component

Step Configuration Form

Step 4: Review Parameters​

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Parameters will only be available for Flow steps, Apex parameters are set dynamically within the designer and at run-time.

The modal will display the input and output parameters of your selected component:

  • Input Parameters: Variables the step receives from previous steps or orchestration variables
  • Output Parameters: Variables the step produces for use by subsequent steps

Parameters Tabs

Step 5: Add the Step​

Click "Add Step" to add the configured step to your orchestration. The step will appear as a card in the design area.

Step Card Added

Managing Steps in Your Orchestration​

Step Cards Overview​

Each step in your orchestration appears as a card with:

  • Step Information: Name, description, type, and version
  • Action Buttons: Move up, move down, configure, and delete
  • Status Indicators: Visual cues for step configuration

Step Card Elements

Moving Steps Up and Down​

To reorder steps in your orchestration:

  1. Move Up: Click the up arrow (↑) to move a step earlier in the sequence
  2. Move Down: Click the down arrow (↓) to move a step later in the sequence

Step Card with Move Arrows

Note: Steps execute in the order they appear from top to bottom.

Configuring Step Parameters​

Click the configure button (pencil icon) on a step card to open the configuration modal.

Step Configuration Modal

Input Parameter Mapping​

Configure how input parameters receive data:

  1. Orchestration Variables: Map to orchestration-level variables
  2. Previous Step Outputs: Map to outputs from previous steps
  3. Direct Values: Set static values for parameters (Apex steps only)

Input Parameter Mapping

Output Parameter Configuration​

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Output variables are only configurable for Apex steps. Variables for flows are set within the flow itself.

Configure what data the step produces

  1. Variable Names: Ensure output variable names match your requirements
  2. Data Types: Verify data types are correct for subsequent steps
  3. Collection Settings: Configure for single values or collections

Output Parameter Configuration

Repeat Logic Configuration​

For steps that need to execute repeatedly:

  1. Enable Repeat: Toggle the repeat option for the step
  2. Repeat Parameters: Configure which parameters control the repeat logic
  3. Completion Criteria: Set the isDone parameter in your Apex class or Flow

Repeat Configuration

Deleting Steps​

To remove a step from your orchestration:

  1. Click the delete button (trash icon) on the step card
  2. Confirm the deletion in the confirmation dialog

Delete Confirmation Dialog

Saving Your Orchestration​

Step 1: Prepare for Save​

Before saving, ensure:

  • All steps are properly configured
  • Input/output parameters are correctly mapped
  • The orchestration has a meaningful name and description

Step 2: Save the Orchestration​

  1. Click the "Save" button in the header bar
  2. A save modal will appear with deployment options

Save Modal

  1. The system will deploy your orchestration configuration
  2. Progress will be shown during the deployment process
  3. Success confirmation will appear when complete

Save Success Confirmation

Step 3: Post-Save Actions​

After saving, you can:

  • Run the orchestration immediately
  • Open other orchestrations
  • Create new orchestrations
  • Delete the current orchestration

Opening Existing Orchestrations​

Step 1: Open Orchestration​

  1. Click the "Open" button in the header bar
  2. A modal will appear with available orchestrations

Open Modal

Step 2: Select Orchestration​

  1. Choose the orchestration you want to open from the dropdown
  2. Click "Open" to load the orchestration

Step 3: Review Loaded Orchestration​

The orchestration will load showing:

  • Orchestration Details: Name, description, API name
  • Step Sequence: All configured steps in order
  • Configuration Status: Whether steps are properly configured

Loaded Orchestration

Executing Orchestrations​

Manual Execution​

To run an orchestration immediately:

  1. Ensure the orchestration is saved
  2. Click the "Run" button in the header bar
  3. The orchestration will start executing

Run Button Highlighted

Execution Monitoring​

During execution:

  • Status Updates: Monitor progress in real-time
  • Step Completion: Track which steps have completed
  • Error Handling: View any errors that occur

Execution Monitoring Interface

Deleting Orchestrations​

Step 1: Initiate Deletion​

  1. Click the "Delete" button in the header bar
  2. A confirmation dialog will appear

Delete Confirmation Dialog

Step 2: Confirm Deletion​

  1. Review the orchestration name to ensure you're deleting the correct one
  2. Click "Delete" to permanently remove the orchestration
  3. Click "Cancel" to abort the deletion

Step 3: Post-Deletion​

After deletion:

  • The interface will reset to a clean state
  • You can create a new orchestration or open an existing one
  • The deleted orchestration cannot be recovered

Advanced Configuration​

Flow Step Configuration​

When configuring Flow steps:

  1. Input Variable Mapping: Map orchestration variables to flow input variables
  2. Output Variable Collection: Configure how flow outputs are captured
  3. Error Handling: Set up fault paths for flow errorsconfigurea
  4. Repeat Logic: Configure the isDone variable for repeat functionality

Flow Step Configuration

Apex Step Configuration​

When configuring Apex steps:

  1. Input Parameter Types: Provide a Name, Type (Data type), Specify whether the the variable is an input or output and input, specify whether the variable is a collection.
  2. Input Variable Mapping: Map orchestration variables to apex input variables - only matching data types will be available
  3. Error Handling: Set up exception handling for Apex errors

Apex Step Configuration

Repeat Logic Setup​

For steps that need to repeat multiple runs:

  1. Enable Repeat: Toggle the repeat option for the step
  2. Configure Repeat Parameters: Set up parameters that control the repeat logic
  3. Set Completion Criteria: Configure the isDone parameter to determine when to stop in your Apex class or Flow
  4. State Management: Ensure state is properly maintained across iterations within your Apex class or Flow

Repeat Logic Configuration

Best Practices​

Orchestration Design​

  1. Clear Naming: Use descriptive names for orchestrations and steps
  2. Logical Flow: Design steps in a logical sequence
  3. Error Handling: Include error handling in your steps
  4. Documentation: Provide clear descriptions for all components

Step Configuration​

  1. Parameter Mapping: Carefully map input and output parameters
  2. Data Types: Ensure data types match between steps
  3. Repeat Logic: Test repeat logic thoroughly
  4. Performance: Consider the impact of step complexity

Testing and Validation​

  1. Unit Testing: Test individual steps before adding to orchestrations
  2. Integration Testing: Test the complete orchestration flow
  3. Error Scenarios: Test error conditions and recovery
  4. Performance Testing: Test with realistic data volumes

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Step Won't Add:

  • Ensure the component (Flow/Apex) is active and accessible
  • Check that required fields are completed
  • Verify the component name is unique within the orchestration

Configuration Errors:

  • Verify input/output parameter names match exactly
  • Check data types are compatible
  • Ensure required parameters are mapped

Save Failures:

  • Check that all steps are properly configured
  • Verify orchestration name and description are provided
  • Ensure you have the necessary permissions

Execution Errors:

  • Review step logs for specific error messages
  • Check input parameter values
  • Verify step dependencies are met

Getting Help​

If you encounter issues:

  1. Check the error messages for specific guidance
  2. Review the step configuration for common mistakes
  3. Test individual steps to isolate problems
  4. Contact support with specific error details

Conclusion​

The Step Designer provides a powerful and intuitive interface for creating complex business process orchestrations. By following this guide and best practices, you can effectively design, configure, and manage orchestrations that automate your business processes while maintaining the benefits of limit-safe, containerized execution.

The visual design approach makes it easy to understand and modify orchestration flows, while the comprehensive configuration options ensure you can handle even the most complex business requirements.