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Your first workflow

Build a two-step workflow on the canvas: read the text you select on a page, reshape it, and check each step's output.

Lesson 2 of 5· 6 min · Level 1 Works on-device
You will
  • Create a workflow on the canvas
  • Add a trigger and two steps
  • Run it and read each step's output
Before you start

A workflow is a chain of steps, called nodes. A trigger starts it, and each node passes its output to the next one. You’ll build the smallest useful workflow: read the text you select on a page, and turn it into a small report.

workflow · first-workflow.awf 3 steps

My first workflow: a workflow with 3 steps, starting with When Started and ending with Edit Fields.

  1. When Started(Trigger — open its doc page)
  2. Get Selected Text(In-page action — open its doc page)
  3. Edit Fields(Data — open its doc page)
Open in AWFlow
What you'll build: When Started → Get Selected Text → Edit Fields.

Steps

Section titled “Steps”

Step 1:Create a blank workflow

In the AWFlow side panel, open Workflows and click Add Workflow. In Create a workflow, choose Blank canvas, then Triggered. Name it My first workflow and click Create & open.

Check: an empty canvas opens with an Add Trigger button.

The Create a workflow dialog, step 1 of 3 (Source, Choose, Details): Start from a template (recommended) at the top, then Blank canvas, which is selected, From the marketplace and Import, with Cancel and Continue buttons. The Create a workflow dialog, step 1 of 3 (Source, Choose, Details): Start from a template (recommended) at the top, then Blank canvas, which is selected, From the marketplace and Import, with Cancel and Continue buttons.
  1. Steps: Source, Choose, Details
  2. Blank canvas
  3. Continue

Step 2:Add a trigger

Click Add Trigger (in a narrow panel: Add trigger in the middle of the canvas). In Choose a node, type when in the search box and pick When Started. It starts the workflow when you press Test Workflow.

Check: a When Started node is on the canvas.

Step 3:Read the selected text

Click the + on the right edge of When Started, search for Get Selected Text and pick it. In its settings, set Output field name to text, then click Done.

Check: Get Selected Text is linked to When Started by a line.

Step 4:Run it

Switch to your other tab and select (highlight) a sentence. Come back to the AWFlow panel and click Test Workflow at the top of the canvas. Then open Get Selected Text and look at its Output tab, under Actual.

Check: Get Selected Text → Output → Actual shows a text field with your sentence.

Step 5:Reshape it with Edit Fields

Click the + on the right of Get Selected Text and add Edit Fields. Under Fields, add a field named processed_text of type String, and paste this as its value:

Value
Text: {{ $input.text }}
Length: {{ $input.text.length }} characters

{{ $input.text }} reads the text field from the step before. Click Done, select some text again, and click Test Workflow.

Check: Edit Fields → Output → Actual shows processed_text with your sentence and its length.

Step 6:Save it

AWFlow doesn’t save automatically: click Save in the canvas header, or press ⌘/Ctrl + S. You’ll reuse this canvas in the next lesson.

Check: the header says Saved.

What you’ve learned

Section titled “What you’ve learned”
  • Every workflow has a trigger and one or more nodes, joined by lines that carry data.
  • Each node’s Output tab shows what it produced on the last run.
  • {{ $input.field }} reads a field from the previous step. See Expressions for more.

The nodes in this lesson: Get Selected Text and Edit Fields.

Ask Aria