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Flow Approval Processes
A flow approval process contains stages, steps, and decisions to organize complex approval sequences. Create flow approval processes by using the Flow Approval Process tiles in the New Automation window. Create autolaunched flow approval processes in the Approval app. Build flow approval processes in Flow Builder.
Required Editions
| View supported editions for Flow Approval Processes. |
The External System Change-Triggered Flow Approval Process requires the MuleSoft for Flow add-on.
Flow Approval Processes Types
The tiles for Flow Approval Processes are Autolaunched Flow Approval Process (No Trigger), External System Change-Triggered Flow Approval Process, and Record-Triggered Flow Approval Process.
An autolaunched flow approval process launches when it’s invoked by the Request Approval component, Apex, REST API, custom buttons, or custom links. An autolaunched flow approval process can also be invoked from an autolaunched flow when the flow calls the flow-approval-process-specific version of the dynamic Request an Approval action.
A record-triggered flow approval process launches when a record is created or updated, but only after the record is saved.
Flow Usage
Flow approval processes are related to flows in 3 ways:
| Relationship | Page | list | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchestration Step Action | Orchestration Version | Uses Flows |
|
| Evaluation Flow | Orchestration Version | Uses Flows | The evaluation flow that the flow approval process version to determine whether:
|
| Request Approval Action | Orchestration | Used in Flow Versions | The flow version that uses the flow approval process from an Action element that calls the Request Approval action |
View the flows that a flow approval process version uses or the flow approval processes that a flow version uses in the Approval Lightning app. See Determine Flow Usage in a Flow Approval Process Version or Determine Flow Approval Process Usage in Flow Versions.
Available Elements and Resources
Flow Builder limits the types of elements and resources that can be a part of a flow approval process.
| Element | PUrpose |
|---|---|
| Decision | Evaluate a set of conditions, and then route execution through a flow approval process based on the decision outcome. |
| Stage | Group a series of related steps. Configure conditions to be met before a stage can be completed. |
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Constant | Stores an unchanging value that you can use throughout a flow approval process. |
| Formula | Calculates a value when the formula is used in an element or other resource in a flow approval process. |
| Step | Defines an action to take as a part of a stage in a flow approval process. |
| Text Template | Stores plain or formatted text that can include merge fields to create custom or personalized text. For example, create text templates that you specify for the subject and body of a custom email for an approval step. |
| Variable | Stores a value that is assigned at run time. For information about using variable in flow approval processes, see Variables in Flow Approval Processes. |
Variables in Flow Approval Processes
Autolaunched flow approval processes can use input variables to require input from a process that calls it.
To reference output values from flows called by flow approval process steps, use the step’s automatic output.
| Variable | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Internal-only | Flow approval processes don’t have a way to assign a value to an internal-only variable. | |
| Input | The user-defined variable is marked Available for input. When an autolaunched flow approval process with input variables is called by another process, its input variables can accept input from the parent process. | Flow approval processes can’t change the value of variables, but they can pass input variables to input parameters for flows called by steps in a flow approval process. Flow approval processes can also pass input variables to input parameters for evaluation flows that are used in a flow approval process. Each flow approval process also contains 3 variables:
|
| Output | Flow approval processes don’t use output variables. For information about output variables in flows called by flow approval process steps, see Flows in Flow Approval Processes. |
|
Recall Paths in Flow Approval Processes
Configure the Start element in a flow approval process to add a recall path. This path runs if an approval submission based on that flow approval process is recalled. The recall path can have a single stage that contains only background steps.
When an approval submission is recalled, the stage that was running and its child steps are canceled. All open approval work items associated with the approval submission are also canceled. Then the stage in the recall path runs. When the recall path stage is completed, the approval submission is recalled.
Record Refresh in Flow Approval Processes
When a flow approval process references a record variable or a record collection variable, those variables are refreshed with their latest record values each time the orchestration run associated with a parent approval submission based on that flow approval process resumes. For approval submissions based on an autolaunched flow approval process, all referenced records are refreshed. For approval submissions based on a record-triggered flow approval process, all referenced records except $Record_Prior are refreshed.
