Sub-Workflows are great, but I find them limited in many cases.
These features would make the experience much better:
1. Default values:
If I could set default values for fields using the example JSON, that would be great. Most of the time, certain variables have a default value. This would also partly solve feature request #3 on this list. If the field name is ‘priority’ for example, users could include those as a default value "low/medium/high". It pre-populates all available options, then the user removes the ones they don’t want. It’s not very efficient, but it’s closer to having dropdowns as a field type.
2. Support for groups/categories:
Ability to create ‘sections’ as JSON objects, and for the output to be like this:
And for the ‘Execute Sub-workflow’ node to show them as groups/titles when they’re detected as JSON objects in the json example, this would make it easier for the user to map the data like a well organized form.. currently all the field appear the same, and it can be a little confusing to deal with when it’s a lot of fields..
3. Dropdown menu as a field type:
Can be represented in the JSON example as an array of strings (‘options’)
"priority":["low","medium","high"]
4. Help tips:
Include an option for adding help tips for certain fields that require specific instructions. For example, when the date format in a field should be a certain format, that could be included in the help tip as 'Only accepted date format is YYYY-MM-DD'
5. Collapse fields/make the UI more compact:
I prefer the ‘Define using JSON example’ option over the UI, just because it’s hard to organize and think through when many fields are involved.
6. Convert from UI fields to JSON, and vice versa
This will help bridge both options, but also allow for fast editing via JSON, and switching to a JSON editor when necessary, or replacing everything with a json object without having to copy-paste the node. This is especially important since it’s not currently possible to add another workflow trigger node when one is already present, even when the other one is disabled.
7. Toggle to show the sub-workflow in the nodes panel
Add a toggle in the settings of the sub-workflow trigger node "expose sub-workflow to nodes panel". This would allow the user to have their most used sub-workflows right in the node selector, with a custom name without having to edit it each time. This would be very helpful - it’ll be like a small custom internal node. (This would include the ability for these sub-workflows to appear as searchable tools for AI agents)
Might be too much for a single post, but once we have all of this, the sub-workflow node will unlock new capabilities and a much better user experience. We can safely call it Execute Workflow Trigger node version 2.0 then!
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