Overview
The Flow Element Selector is a unified UI control used throughout Etlworks to select, create, view, and edit reusable components such as Connections, Formats, Listeners, and Flows.
Instead of navigating away from your current screen, the selector lets you work with these elements in context, reducing interruptions and making it easier to build and maintain complex workflows.
This selector is used across multiple areas of the application, including the Flow Editor, Nested Flow Editor, Explorer, Scheduler, and Agent Scheduler.
What You Can Do with the Flow Element Selector
Depending on where it is used, the selector allows you to:
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Select an existing Connection, Format, Listener, or Flow
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Create new Connections, Formats, or Listeners inline
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View or edit existing elements without leaving the current screen
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Filter elements by name or tag
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Navigate complex nested or reusable Flow structures safely
The same selector behavior is reused consistently across the UI, so once you learn it in one place, it works the same everywhere.
Using the Selector in the Flow Editor
Selecting Connections, Formats, and Listeners
When configuring a Transformation (FROM → TO), the selector is used to choose:
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Source Connection and Format
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Destination Connection and Format
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Optional Listener
You can:
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Click an item to select it
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Press Enter to confirm selection
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Start typing to filter results by name
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Toggle tags to narrow results
This makes it easy to reuse existing components or quickly locate the right one in large environments.
Creating and Editing Elements Inline
From within the selector, you can:
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Click Add to create a new Connection, Format, or Listener
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Click View/Edit to open an existing element for inspection or modification
Both actions happen without leaving the Flow Editor. When you save, the selector refreshes automatically and the updated element becomes immediately available.
This workflow is especially useful when:
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A required Connection does not exist yet
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A Format needs a quick adjustment
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You want to confirm settings without losing context
Selecting and Viewing Flows Using the Selector
The selector is also used in places where Flows themselves need to be selected or referenced.
Nested Flow Editor
In the Nested Flow Editor, the selector allows you to:
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Select existing Flows as steps in a nested pipeline
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View Flow metadata before adding it to a pipeline
This enables building large, reusable workflows without duplicating logic or losing track of structure.
Steps
1. In the Nested Flow Editor, click the Flow selection row for a step.
2. The Flow Element Selector opens and displays the list of available Flows.
3. To add a Flow as a step, select it from the list.
Once selected, the Flow becomes part of the nested pipeline and can be configured using step-level settings such as conditions, loops, or parallel execution.
4. To review a Flow before selecting it, click View.
The Flow opens in a read-only modal dialog, allowing you to inspect its structure and configuration without leaving the Nested Flow Editor.
Scheduler and Agent Scheduler
When configuring execution:
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Scheduler uses the selector to choose which Flow to run
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Agent Scheduler uses the same selector to bind Flows to specific Integration Agents
In both cases, the selector ensures:
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Only valid Flows are selectable
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Tags and filters can be used to locate the correct Flow
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Flow reuse is consistent across environments
Keyboard and Interaction Shortcuts
The Flow Element Selector supports efficient keyboard and mouse interaction:
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Enter – select highlighted item
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ESC – close the selector
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Click outside – close the selector
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Type – filter by name
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Tag toggles – filter by tag
These shortcuts are consistent everywhere the selector appears.
Why This Matters for Complex Workflows
As workflows grow, managing reusable components becomes more important than creating them.
The Flow Element Selector is designed to:
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Reduce context switching
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Encourage reuse instead of duplication
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Make large environments easier to navigate
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Support advanced patterns like nested flows, dynamic execution, and multi-agent deployments
Whether you are editing a Transformation, exploring data, composing nested pipelines, or scheduling execution, the same selector provides a consistent and predictable experience.