Things I think would improve Advanced Flows

This is partly a copy of my post in advanced flow q&a… Sorry for that…

After fiddling with Advanced Flows for a couple of days, I have a few things I would love to see as new features:

  • Replace an item with the item in copy buffer
  • Drop an item on a connection and have it merge into that connection
  • (and as a consequence) be able to move a output-connection from one connection-point to another (from true to false …)
  • A teleport item-pair - (invisible connections) to allow connections to go from one end of the sheet to another without a line crossing the entire thing.
  • And on the same note. the possibility to make sub routines with “go-to”, “start/label” and “end/return” items.

From my side:
Something, known from programming languages as “switch/case”, or may-be here better to do as multiple-IF (“AND”-cards in therms of AF). For example…

based 'temperature'
      case <10 :  -> heat aggressively
      case < 20:  ->  just heat
      case > 40:  ->  cool down
      default       -> I'm confused

Or, just multiple conditions instead of case “if temperature < 10”

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How do you see that implemented in the card visually?

You can already do that.

It depends, how this instrument is finally implemented :wink:
But actually, for me it visualizes like a high block with header and condition “stripes” parallel with outgoing connectors. Actually, it’s may be something “equalizing” the low but wide blocks, used now. But… sorry, i’m not the best visual artist - hope, Athom’s team will implement it as beautifully, they implemented other things in GUI.

Yes, i know, virtually all the things are doable with current instrument set (and also with standard flows, and may-be also with Turing Machine) - but, the main goal is to minimize amount of cards to describe such multi-condition situations and give better overview.

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Also an improvement I would like to see: improve the visuals of the connectionlines by adding the possibility to connect the flowcards by their top or bottom (the color of the line allready visuzalize the type of connection (e.g. blue, yellow or red)). Right now we are forced to orient horizontaly, which can make a visual mess if you have to many ´if this and this and this…´ flowcards.

If you have two cards:
image
Now you try to put a line between the bottom of the top card and the top of the bottom card, but what are you connecting:

  1. Top card output to bottom card input?
  2. Top card Error output to bottom card input?
  3. Bottom card output to top card input?

I’m not saying it can’t be done, but there are details to consider, so maybe you could offer possible solutions to the requests.

In my case I would like to connect top card output to bottom card input, like: The time is 8:30h AND Today is a tuesday (this second card will be below the ‘The time is…’ card).
The error output is the example I would like to see for other outputs as well. Logically you will work from top to down, so bottom up is not a wish for me.

This is what i’m missing too. In node-red I use “Link in” and “Link out”