AppSheet Automation enables reusability , allowing you to build components once and reuse them in various automations to save time and accelerate development. You can create events, processes, tasks, and actions that can be reused in other components. For example, you can reuse actions and tasks within new processes, reuse events and processes within new bots, and so on.
Manage component reuse as described in the following sections:
- Enable or disable automation component reuse
- Reuse an automation component
- View the linked components
- View all reusable components
- Edit or delete a reusable component
- Disable reusability for an automation component
Enable or disable automation component reuse
Automation component reuse is:
- Disabled by default when you create a component within a bot.
- Enabled by default when you create a component as a stand-alone component (for example, Automation > Events).
When configuring a component within a bot, you can enable reuse by expanding the Linkingpanel and enabling the Linkingsetting. For events and tasks, the Linking panel appears in the Settings panel, as shown:
For processes, the Linking panel appears in the center edit pane.
You can also enable or disable linking when viewing all reusable components
You are opted in to the new editorby default, but you can switch back to the legacy editor at any time.
If you are using the legacy editor
When configuring an automation component from the relevant tab (for example, Automation > Tasks), you can enable reuse by expanding the Linkingpanel and enabling the Linkingsetting, as shown:
Similarly, when configuring an automation component within a bot, you can enable reuse by expanding the Linkingpanel and enabling the Linkingsetting in the Settings panel, as shown:
To disable automation component reuse, disable the toggle.
Reuse an automation component
When you enable automation component reuse , that component will be included as a suggestion when adding components to your bots.
For example, when adding a new task to a process, the relevant reusable automation components are listed as suggestions:
To reuse a process, when editing a bot, select Swapin the Then run...drop-down and select a linkable process in Select a linkable processdialog.
View the linked components
View the linked components that are currently using the component in the Linking panel.
For example, in the component Settingspanel, you can:
- View the number of linked components in the linking lozenge
- Expand the Linking panel to view the full list of linked components
- Click a linked component to navigate to it in the relevant component tab
View all reusable components
After you enable at least one reusable (or linkable) component for a type (event, process, or task), you can view all reusable components of a given type by selecting the type in the fly-out menu. For example, select Automation > Tasksto view all reusable tasks.
You are opted in to the new editorby default, but you can switch back to the legacy editor at any time.
If you are using the legacy editor
View all reusable and non-reusable components on the relevant tabs (such as, Automation > Processes).
Reusable components display the number of linked components in the linking lozenge. Non-reusable components do not display the lozenge. To show only reusable components, click Hide unlinked. Then, to show all components, including non-reusable components, click Show unlinked.
Edit or delete a reusable component
When editing or deleting a reusable component, your changes affect all linked components. Ensure that your changes do not negatively impact the operation of the linked components.
If you are using the legacy editor
If you try to delete a reusable component that is used by one or more bots, AppSheet will prompt you to confirm the operation. For example:
Disable reusability for an automation component
When configuring an automation component, disable reusability by selecting More > Disable linkingin the Settingspanel.
You are opted in to the new editorby default, but you can switch back to the legacy editor at any time.
If you are using the legacy editor
To disable reusability:
- When editing a component on its relevant tab (such as, Automation > Tasks), expand the component, expand the Linkingpanel, and disable the Linkingtoggle.
- When editing a component within a bot, expand the Linkingpanel in the Settingspanel, and disable the Linkingtoggle.
