Flow builder overview
The flow builder opens when you select an automation on the Automations page. It needs a screen at least 1024 pixels wide.
The three areas
| Area | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Step library, left | The step types, the flow checks and the keyboard hints. It is hidden on screens narrower than 1280 pixels, where you add steps by right-clicking the canvas. |
| Canvas, centre | Your steps and the connections between them. |
| Right panel | Settings for the selected step or connection. With nothing selected, it shows the automation's recent activity. Test flow replaces it with the test panel. |
Step types
- Keyword trigger
What starts the automation: a comment, DM or story reply. See triggers and keywords.
- DM message
Sends text, optionally with quick replies or buttons. See messages, quick replies and buttons.
- Branch condition
Splits the flow by follower status, tag or message text. See conditions and branching.
- Tag action
Adds or removes tags on the contact. See tag actions.
- Delay
Waits minutes or hours before the next step. See delays and waiting for replies.
- Wait for reply
Pauses until the person answers, optionally with a timeout.
Working on the canvas
- Add a step
Select a step type in the library. If a step is selected, the new step is connected below it. You can also right-click the canvas and choose a type under Add here.
- Connect steps
Drag from the dot at the bottom of a step to the next step. A connection runs in the order it was drawn.
- Select and move
Drag a step to move it. Drag across empty canvas to select several steps and move them together.
- Duplicate or delete
Right-click a step for Duplicate and Delete step, or a connection for Delete connection. The Delete and Backspace keys remove the selection.
- Pan and zoom
Drag with the right mouse button to pan, scroll to zoom, or use the zoom controls, which also reset the zoom and fit the flow to the screen.
- Undo and redo
Use the toolbar buttons, Ctrl+Z to undo and Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y to redo (Cmd on a Mac). Inside a text field, these keys undo your typing instead.
Flow checks
Flow checks in the step library lists everything that would stop the flow from running as shown, and says Ready to publish when nothing is open. Select a check to jump to its step. Publish runs the same checks and refuses to publish while one is open. Among them:
Exactly one trigger, set to comment keyword, DM keyword or story reply, and at least one message with text connected to it.
A comment trigger set to specific posts has at least one post, and its first message has no options, because a private reply can only be text.
Messages stay within Instagram's 1,000 byte limit, and options follow Instagram's limits for quick replies and buttons.
Condition steps have exactly two connections, and wait for reply steps no more connections than they have branches.
Delays and timeouts are between 1 minute and 23 hours, and tag actions name at least one tag.
Toolbar
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Automation name | Select it to switch to another automation. Double-click it to rename the current one. |
| Undo and Redo | Step back and forward through your recent edits. |
| Test flow | Opens the test panel. See test a flow. |
| Save draft | Saves the flow and keeps the automation as a draft. Shown while the automation is not live. |
| Pause | Stops a live automation. Unsaved edits stay in the editor and are not saved. |
| Publish or Publish changes | Checks the flow, saves it and sets the automation live. |
The toolbar shows Unsaved changes until you save. Leaving the builder with unsaved changes asks whether to discard them. If someone saved a newer version of the automation in the meantime, for example you in another tab, ChatPeak offers to reload that version instead of overwriting it.
Activity and stats
With no step selected, the right panel lists the automation's latest runs: who commented or wrote what, the public reply, and whether the run succeeded, is waiting or failed, with the reason. It refreshes on its own while the builder is open. With a step selected, Flow stats shows the automation's replies, open rate, leads and status.