Library flows

A Library flow is a reusable, non-standalone flow designed to encapsulate common logic that can be shared across multiple flows.

It cannot be executed independently and can only be invoked from within other flows. Library flows help reduce duplication by centralizing shared functionality, ensuring consistency, easier maintenance, and reuse across different flow types.

Add a library flow

1. Open the left sidebar and select Visual Identity Orchestrator from the menu.

2. This will display a list of flow categories, select Libraries.

3. Press ADD button.

4. Complete the configuration by following the steps described in the add flow section, starting from step 5.

When to use library flows

Library flows are ideal for:

Common validation logic

• Email format validation

• Phone number verification

• Data format checks

• Business rule validation

Shared processing steps

• Data transformation routines

• API call patterns

• Error handling procedures

• Logging and audit functions

Reusable UI components

• Standard forms

• Common information displays

• Consistent error messages

• Branded content blocks

Integration patterns

• Third-party API wrappers

• Database query patterns

• External service calls

• Data synchronization routines

Benefits of library flows

Consistency

• Same logic across all flows

• Uniform error handling

• Consistent user experience

• Standardized integrations

Maintainability

• Update once, apply everywhere

• Easier to fix bugs

• Simplified testing

• Centralized documentation

Development efficiency

• Faster flow creation

• Reduced code duplication

• Reusable patterns

• Team knowledge sharing

Quality assurance

• Well-tested components

• Known behavior

• Reduced errors

• Better reliability

Invoking library flows

To use a library flow within another flow:

1. Add a "Call Library Flow" node to your flow

2. Select the library flow to invoke

3. Map input variables to the library flow

4. Handle the output from the library flow

5. Continue with your main flow logic

Best practices

Design for reusability

• Keep library flows focused on a single purpose

• Use clear, descriptive names

• Accept parameters for flexibility

• Return consistent output structures

Documentation

• Document purpose and use cases

• Specify input requirements

• Describe output format

• Provide usage examples

• Note any dependencies

Versioning

• Plan for library flow evolution

• Consider backward compatibility

• Version library flows appropriately

• Communicate changes to users

Testing

• Test library flows independently

• Test with various input scenarios

• Validate error handling

• Verify performance under load

Library flow structure

Inputs

Define clear input parameters:

• Required vs optional inputs

• Expected data types

• Validation rules

• Default values

Processing

Implement the core logic:

• Process input data

• Call external services if needed

• Apply business rules

• Handle errors gracefully

Outputs

Return structured results:

• Success/failure indicators

• Processed data

• Error messages

• Status information

Common library flow patterns

Validation library

Input: Data to validate
Process: Apply validation rules
Output: Valid/Invalid + error details

API wrapper library

Input: API parameters
Process: Call external API
Output: Response data + status

Data transformation library

Input: Raw data
Process: Transform and format
Output: Transformed data

Notification library

Input: Notification details
Process: Send via appropriate channel
Output: Delivery status

Managing library flows

Organization

• Group related library flows

• Use consistent naming conventions

• Maintain a catalog or documentation

• Tag for easy discovery

Lifecycle

• Regular reviews and updates

• Deprecation process for old versions

• Migration support for changes

• Archive unused library flows

Governance

• Ownership and responsibility

• Change approval process

• Testing requirements

• Documentation standards

Examples

Email validation library

Validates email format and optionally checks if domain exists.

Input: Email address

Output: Valid (true/false), Error message (if invalid)

SMS sender library

Sends SMS messages through configured provider.

Input: Phone number, Message text

Output: Success (true/false), Message ID, Error details

User lookup library

Retrieves user information from identity store.

Input: User identifier (email, username, ID)

Output: User object or error

Next steps

• Custom flows

• Design flows

• Add flows