Upgrading Flows

When a Verizon Connect® Flows™ update is released, any new flows you create automatically use the latest version, but none of your existing flows are automatically upgraded. Upgrading existing flows can be risky, so you have to decide whether upgrading a flow makes sense for your situation.

Note that only the latest two versions of Verizon Connect® Flows™ are available to download from the Developer Console.

When Should I Upgrade a Flow?

You should only upgrade a flow if there is a good reason to do so. If an update includes a new feature that would enhance the flow, or if it includes a fix for a bug you want to patch, then you should consider upgrading.

What are the Risks?

Upgrading flows has some risks, but there are precautions you can take to protect yourself:

Risks

Precautions

Flow upgrades are not backwards compatible. It is possible for a flow to break following an upgrade due to a change in functionality. For example, if a new feature is added to a node you use in the flow, then the change may affect how your flow behaves.

Before upgrading, test out the flow with the new version. There are two ways to do this:

•From the Flow Editor, select the nodes you want to test, then export to JSON from ≡ Menu > "Export" > "Clipboard". Create a new flow, then import the JSON using ≡ Menu > "Import" > "Clipboard".
•If the flow is stored in a repository, create a new flow and click Clone from repository.

After creating a duplicate flow using the new Verizon Connect® Flows™ version, test out how the flow behaves, and verify that everything works as expected.

Only files stored in the /home/flow directory are saved; everything else is deleted. By default, the /home/flow directory includes the ftp, runtime, and src folders for the flow. If you made changes to your flow environment or have stored content in any other directory, it is possible those changes will be lost following an upgrade.

If your flow contains any files that you want to persist following an upgrade, make sure these files are stored somewhere in the /home/flow directory.

If you have installed any Linux packages in your flow, make sure you add those changes to upgrade.sh, so that they are reinstalled when you upgrade the flow.

Which Version Should I Select?

You have two options when you upgrade a flow:
 

•Upgrade to a production (stable) version. Upgrading to a stable version is always the safest choice. All of the new features and bug fixes included in stable versions have been tested and approved for release.
•Upgrade to a nightly build version. Upgrading to nightly builds is risky, because these can include untested new features. However, nightly builds can be used for production flows if needed. For example, if a new feature is included in a nightly build, and you do not want to wait for the final stable release, then you can test out using one of the nightly builds. However, use the nightly builds with caution.

How Do I Upgrade a Flow?

Only Development flows can be upgraded. To upgrade a Production flow, first you must change it back to a Development flow. To do this, from the flow's Admin menu, select "Change environment".

 

1.From the Developer Console, click the down arrow to the right of the flow you want to upgrade, and select "Change version".
2.From the Version drop-down menu, select the version you prefer.
3.Click Change version.
The flow is upgraded to the selected version.

Can I Downgrade a Flow?

You can change the flow version at any time.

Before you upgrade a flow, take note of the current version, so that you know what version to select if you choose to return to an older version. You can find the current version of the flow from the Developer Console: click the down arrow to the right of the flow, and select "Change version". The current version is listed in the popup.