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Deprecating Workflows

Overview

Deprecating a workflow marks it as outdated or no longer recommended for use. This signals to other developers—through visual indicators in the Workflow Designer—that the workflow should be replaced or avoided in new implementations, while still allowing existing references to function without disruption.

What You Will Learn

  • How to deprecate a workflow
  • How to identify and locate references to deprecated workflows

When To Use This

Use this when you have a workflow that has been superseded by a newer implementation, is no longer safe or efficient to call, or that you want to discourage new callers from invoking.

Prerequisites

Deprecating a Workflow

Deprecating a workflow updates its status flag to signal that it should no longer be actively used. The change takes effect immediately and is reflected wherever that workflow is referenced.

Marking a Workflow as Deprecated

To deprecate a workflow, open its configuration and enable the Deprecated flag:

  1. Open the workflow you want to deprecate in the Workflow Designer.
  2. In the Workflow Designer toolbar, click the Show the workflow configuration button to open the Configuration view.
  3. In the Configuration view, select the General tab.
  4. Check the Deprecated field.

Expected result: The workflow is now marked as deprecated. Visual indicators appear throughout the Workflow Designer wherever this workflow is referenced.

How Workflow Deprecation Works

Once a workflow is marked as deprecated, Martini surfaces warnings in two key places in the Workflow Designer: content-assist search results and existing Invoke Workflow nodes.

In content-assist search results:

When you add a new node via content-assist, deprecated workflows appear crossed out in the search results. When you highlight a deprecated workflow in the results, additional information is shown confirming that it is deprecated and discouraging new callers from invoking it.

On existing Invoke Workflow nodes:

Any Invoke Workflow node that references the now-deprecated workflow displays a warning overlay icon. These warnings are also listed in the Problems view for centralized review.

Identifying and Resolving Deprecation Warnings

After deprecating a workflow, the Problems view can be used to locate remaining references in the current workspace. It lists deprecation warnings for Invoke Workflow nodes that still point to the deprecated workflow, making it easier to identify and update affected workflows.

  1. In the Martini Designer toolbar, click View.
  2. Click Problems to open the Problems view.
  3. Review the listed warnings for entries related to deprecated workflow references.
  4. Double-click any deprecation warning entry to navigate directly to the Invoke Workflow node that references the deprecated workflow.

Expected result: The relevant workflow opens and the Invoke Workflow node associated with the deprecation warning is highlighted.

Deprecation Warning Benefits and Best Practices

Deprecation warnings help teams manage the workflow lifecycle and prevent accidental use of outdated logic.

  • Safe migration path: Deprecated workflows continue to execute, so existing functionality is not broken while you plan a migration to a newer workflow.
  • Clear communication: The crossed-out appearance in content-assist search results and the warning overlay icon immediately communicate to other developers that a workflow should not be used in new implementations.
  • Centralized audit: The Problems view gives you a single place to see all deprecation warnings in the current workspace, so no references are accidentally overlooked.
  • Documentation: It is good practice to document the reason for deprecation directly on the workflow, so team members understand the context and the replacement workflow.

Helpful Resources