Skip to content

Testing while you build

Flero runs the whole workflow when you test, so the tools for fast iteration are sandbox mode, pinned data and loading a past run's data. There is no button that runs a single node on its own. This page shows how to get a short develop-test-fix loop anyway.

Test runs in sandbox mode

Flip the header switch from Production to Sandbox. The canvas gets a frame, a toast confirms "You are in sandbox mode…", and the run button reads Test Run.

In sandbox mode, connector nodes answer from mock data instead of calling the real service. Nothing is posted to Slack, no email goes out, no record changes in your CRM. Code and Terminal nodes don't run in sandbox mode.

  1. Switch to Sandbox.
  2. Click Test Run.
  3. Click any node to see its data on the Schema and JSON tabs.

The editor remembers the mode for each workflow. Sandbox runs are listed separately, under Sandbox Executions. See Sandbox mode.

The editor in sandbox mode after a test run: every node shows Completed on the framed canvas, and the HTTP Request node's panel is open on the JSON tab showing the status code and the contacts it returned.The editor in sandbox mode after a test run: every node shows Completed on the framed canvas, and the HTTP Request node's panel is open on the JSON tab showing the status code and the contacts it returned.

Pinning data

Pinning freezes a node's output so you can work on the steps after it without calling the real service again.

  1. Run the workflow once so the node has output.
  2. Open the node's panel and go to the JSON tab.
  3. Click Pin Data (tooltip: "Reuse this output on the next run."). A badge reads Node data is pinned.

You can also click Edit JSON to write the output yourself, for example to try an edge case.

On every later run, the pinned node does not run. Flero passes its pinned output downstream instead. Pinning a trigger also restores the trigger data, so $trigger expressions resolve the same way.

⚠️ Pins apply to every run, not just tests. A pinned node is skipped in production runs too, and the pin is saved with the workflow. Remove pins before you rely on the workflow for real work.

The JSON tab of an HTTP Request node in sandbox mode with pinned data: the Pin Data button is active and the pin badge on the node icon shows the data is pinned.The JSON tab of an HTTP Request node in sandbox mode with pinned data: the Pin Data button is active and the pin badge on the node icon shows the data is pinned.

Reusing a past run's data

You don't have to run again to see real data in the editor.

  1. Open the Production Executions (or Sandbox Executions) list in the header.
  2. Hover over a run and click Load to Editor.

The editor stays in edit mode and fills each node's Schema and JSON tabs with that run's data. A toast confirms "Run data loaded into editor". This is the quickest way to get field names for expressions.

Clicking the run row itself opens it read-only instead. Click Back to edit to return.

Running from a trigger

Hover over a trigger node and click Run in its toolbar to run the workflow from that trigger. This helps when a workflow has several triggers. The header button also asks you to Choose Trigger in that case.

Rerunning

To repeat a run with the same input, open the executions list and click Rerun on a finished run. A rerun uses the exact version of the workflow that the original run used. See Rerun, stop & pause.

Tips & gotchas

  • Production runs have real side effects. A run in Production posts to your real Slack, sends real emails and writes to real systems. Use Sandbox while you iterate.
  • Every run saves first. Starting a run saves your changes, which creates a new version if anything changed.
  • Forgotten pins look like stale data. If a node's output never changes, check for the Node data is pinned badge.
  • Field names come from real runs. If the Schema tab is empty, run once or load a past run.

Found something out of date? This page lives in the Flero docs content set.