Flows

What are Flows?

Your systems architecture doesn't live in a static world, without interactions and flows of data, so neither should your diagrams have to. With IcePanel flows you can show and explain the sequence of messages that run through your Systems by each use case, and focus the attention on the objects and connections that are used. This step-by-step approach allows you to create and present different flows over the same design seamlessly in our flow editor.

ℹ️ We recommend that you label your connections with the technical choice and use flows to identify how that technical connection is being used in realistic scenarios between your users, objects and external Systems / Apps.

Creating a Flow

To create a new flow:

1. Go to the diagram that you want to add a flow to
2. Click on the "Diagram flow" tab in the right hand panel
3. Click "Create flow" to create a brand new flow
4. Give the flow a name

Creating a new flow

Adding steps to a Flow

To add steps to a flow:

1. Click the + Add step button in your flow
2. Select the object you want to start that step from
3. Select ➡️ Outgoing (default), ↩️ Reply for message direction OR 🔄 Self Action (skip to step 6)
4. Select the object that is connected to your first selected object (this list will only show connected objects to the object from step 2 in the current diagram)
5. Select the connection that connects the 2 objects (this list will only show connections between those 2 objects in the current diagram)
6. Describe what happens in that step.

Your description will be added with the step number to the current diagram, and will highlight when that step is in focus.

Adding a step to a flow

Intelligent flow selection

If you have an object or connection selected and there is only 1 receiving object that it is connected to, the steps will auto fill the receiver and connection.

To do this:

1. Create a flow or go to an existing one
2. Select an object you wish to start the step from in the diagram
3. Click the Add step button in the Diagram flows tab in the right hand panel

This will select the receiver and connection for you, speeding up your flow designing process.

Intelligent step adding to a flow

Reordering steps

You can reorder the steps you have created in each flow by:

1. Dragging the 6 dots next to the step number.

2. The step will be reordered once you let go of the step.

   OR

3. Typing the number of the step in the number field

4. Press enter to re order

Reordering steps in a flow

Deleting steps

You can delete each step by:

1. Selecting the step you wish to delete
2. Clicking the 🗑 Delete step button

This will remove the step and reorder your steps for you.

Deleting a step in a flow

Presenting flows

Presenting flows is a powerful way to focus attention on the topic you want to discuss in your System design.

There are a few ways to go through the steps:

• ⏪ Previous and ⏩ Next buttons at the top of that flow to help you step through your flow in order
• Click each step in the right-hand panel to focus and activate it in the diagram
• Click the step on a connection in the diagram to focus that step and focus it in the right-hand panel
• Use arrow keys on keyboard to swith quickly

Presenting a flow by using the presentation controls and clicking on a step in diagram

Duplicate a Flow

Duplicating flows is a rapid way to show error cases and alternate paths from the regular happy path.

To duplicate a flow:

1. Go to the diagram that you want to duplicate a flow of
2. Click on the "Diagram flow" tab in the right hand panel
3. Open the "Diagram flow" dropdown
4. Click the duplicate icon on the flow you wish to create a copy of

Deleting a Flow

To delete a new flow:

1. Go to the diagram that you want to delete a flow from
2. Click on the "Diagram flow" tab in the right hand panel
3. Open the "Diagram flow" dropdown
4. Click the 🗑 trash icon on the flow you wish to delete

Deleting a flow