Editing and Managing Workflows in TerraFlow Data Engine

Workflows are the backbone of your field data collection in TerraFlow. Each workflow defines what types of features your field crews can collect — such as utility lines, access points, or infrastructure assets — and how those features are configured with fields, icons, colors, and geometry types. This guide walks you through viewing, adding, editing, and managing workflows for your projects in the TerraFlow Data Engine.

Time needed: 10–20 minutes (depending on workflow complexity)

Before you start:

You must have an active TerraFlow Data Engine account with project-level editing permissions
Log in to the Data Engine at app.terraflow.ca
Identify the project you want to configure workflows for

Step 1: Access the Workflows Page

From the Projects page, workflows are always just one click away.

Navigate to the Projects page in the Data Engine.
Find the project you want to configure and click the Workflows button in that project's row.

The Workflows page opens, showing the project name at the top (e.g., "Advanced Sample - Workflows") along with two tabs: Workflows and Templates. The Workflows tab is selected by default and displays a table listing all workflows for the project.

Each workflow row shows the Name, Order number, and two action buttons: Edit and Delete. At the top of the page, you'll find the ← Back to Projects button and the + Add Workflow button.

The Order number controls the sequence in which workflows appear in the TerraFlow mobile apps. Lower numbers appear first.

Step 2: Add a New Workflow

When you need to create a new workflow from scratch — or from a saved template — use the + Add Workflow button.

From the Workflows page, click + Add Workflow in the top-right corner.
The Add workflow form opens with the following settings:

Name — Enter a descriptive name for the workflow (e.g., "Power", "Water", "Gas"). This name will appear in the mobile app for field technicians to select.

Composite — Toggle this on if the workflow should be a composite workflow. Leave it off for standard workflows. Composite workflows print on every single map in a map package (see Sketch). These are generally not utility specific and include surface features, survey features and offset elements that can be captured in the field.

Workflow Template — Select a previously saved template from the Select a Template dropdown to auto-populate the workflow with pre-configured types and settings. This is a huge time-saver when setting up similar workflows across multiple projects.

When you select a template, all the configuration settings — including manual types, sensor types, fields, icons, and colors — are automatically filled in. You can still customize them after the template is applied.

Workflow Type — Choose from the dropdown:

Non-Sensor: For manual data collection only (no locator or sensor device integration)
Sensor: For workflows that integrate with locating equipment such as Radiodetection or Vivax-Metrotech devices

Hue — Use the slider to set the hue value (0–360). This controls the base color used for the workflow across the platform. This also sets the button color in TerraFlow Mobile.

Color — Click the color swatch to open the color picker. You can select a color visually using the gradient picker, adjust the hue bar, or enter a specific hex value (e.g., #004ef5). Click the ✕ beside the hex value to clear the color. The RGB values are also displayed for precise color matching.

Order — Enter a number to set where this workflow appears in the list. Lower numbers appear first in the mobile app.

Scroll down to the Configuration section to add your data collection types (see Step 4).
When finished, click one of the three buttons at the bottom of the page:
- Cancel — Discard all changes and return to the Workflows list
- Submit — Save the workflow and return to the Workflows list
- Save as template — Save the current configuration as a reusable template (see Step 7)

Step 3: Edit an Existing Workflow

To modify a workflow that's already been created:

From the Workflows page, click the Edit button next to the workflow you want to change.
The Edit workflow form opens with all current settings pre-populated.
Make your changes to any of the workflow settings — the fields are identical to those described in Step 2.
Scroll down to the Configuration section to modify data collection types as needed.
Click Submit to save your changes, Cancel to discard them, or Save as template to save the updated configuration as a reusable template.

Changes to a workflow will affect how data is collected on mobile devices going forward. Existing collected data is not modified when you edit a workflow.

Step 4: Configure Data Collection Types

The Configuration section is where you define exactly what features your field crews can collect. Depending on your Workflow Type, you'll see one or both of these sections:

Manual Types — Features that are placed manually by the technician (available in all workflows)
Sensor Types — Features that are created from locator or sensor readings (available only in Sensor workflows)

Each section has its own + Add button and displays a table with columns for Name, Geometry Type, Icon, Allow Photos, and Color. Each type row also includes action buttons for editing (pencil icon), copying (copy icon), and deleting (trash icon), as well as a drag handle on the left for reordering.

At the top of the Configuration section, you'll find the Import and Export buttons, which allow you to import or export your type configuration as a file. This is useful for sharing configurations across projects or backing up your setup.

Adding a New Type

Click + Add in either the Manual Types or Sensor Types section.
A side panel opens with the following settings:

Name — Enter the feature name (e.g., "Hydro Primary", "Manhole", "Valve").

Geometry Type — Select from the dropdown:

Point — For individual locations such as manholes, poles, or service stubs
Line — For linear features such as utility lines, cables, or pipes

Configure the remaining settings as described in Step 5.
Click Save to add the type, or Close to cancel.

Editing an Existing Type

Click the Edit button (pencil icon) on any type row to open the Edit Type side panel. The panel contains all the same settings as the add panel, pre-populated with the current values.

Copying a Type

Click the Copy button (copy icon) to duplicate an existing type. This creates a new type with the same configuration, which you can then modify as needed.

Deleting a Type

Click the Delete button (trash icon) to remove a type from the workflow.

Reordering Types

Use the drag handle (the six-dot icon on the left side of each row) to drag and drop types into your preferred order. The order here determines how types appear in the mobile app's feature selection list.

Step 5: Configure Type Settings

When adding or editing a type, the side panel provides several configuration options:

Fields

Click + Add next to Fields to add custom data fields that technicians will fill out when collecting this feature type.

Each field requires:

Name — The label displayed to the technician (e.g., "Direction of Photo", "Pedestal Type", "Notes")
Type — Choose from:
- Text — A free-text entry field
- DropDown List — A selectable list of predefined values
- Radio — Radio button selection from predefined values
Default Value — An optional pre-filled value

For DropDown List and Radio fields, additional options appear:

Allow Other — Toggle on to let technicians enter a custom value not in the list
Values — Click + Add to add options to the list. Each value is added through a dialog where you enter the Name and click Submit. Values can be reordered using the drag handle, edited with the pencil icon, or deleted with the trash icon.

Plan your dropdown values carefully before deploying to the field. Common examples include direction values (North, South, East, West), material types, or condition ratings.

Attachment Types and Attachment Fields (These are specific to Pole Mapper)

Click + Add next to Attachment Types or Attachment Fields to configure additional attachment options for the feature type. Attachments are vertical elements on poles such as transformers, crossbars, insulators and the like. Attachment fields allow you to add field elements directly to the attachments.

Normally Visible

Normally Visible controls printing for utility specific maps and what elements show up. For example, on a Gas map, only Gas and Composite workflows will print. If you select a Water Valve as a measurement point for a Dimension Line and Water Valve is set to Normally Visible then that particular Water Valve will print on the Gas map.

Allow Photos

Toggle Allow Photos on to let technicians capture and attach photographs to features of this type. When enabled, a green checkmark appears in the Allow Photos column of the types table.

Icon

Assign a map icon to help technicians identify this feature type visually:

Click Select Icon to browse the icon library
Click Clear Icon to remove the current icon

The icon library is organized in a folder tree under terraflow, with two main categories:

alphabet_svgs — Letter-based icons for quick identification
general_locate — Utility-specific icons organized by category, including: Photo, access, comm, control, electric, gas, general, irrigation, power, safety, sewer, storm, survey, transport, and water

Use the Filter field at the top to search for icons by name.

Choose icons that your field crew will quickly recognize. Consistent icon usage across projects helps technicians work more efficiently.

Color

Click the color swatch next to Color to set a specific color for this feature type on the map. If no color is set, the type inherits the workflow's default color.

Step 6: Delete a Workflow

To remove a workflow from a project:

From the Workflows page, click the Delete button next to the workflow you want to remove.
Confirm the deletion when prompted.

⚠️ Warning: Deleting a workflow removes all of its configuration and types. This action cannot be undone. Any data previously collected using this workflow will remain in the system, but no new data can be collected with it.

Step 7: Save and Use Workflow Templates

Templates let you save a workflow's complete configuration — including all types, fields, icons, and colors — so you can quickly apply it to new workflows in any project.

Saving a Template

While adding or editing a workflow, click the Save as template button at the bottom of the page.
In the dialog that appears, enter a Name for the template (e.g., "Water Template").
Click Save template to save.

Using a Template

When adding a new workflow, select your saved template from the Workflow Template dropdown.
The workflow's Name, Type, Hue, Color, Order, and all Manual/Sensor Types are populated automatically.
Customize any settings as needed, then click Submit.

Viewing Templates

Click the Templates tab on the Workflows page to view and manage all saved templates for the project.

Templates are especially useful when you set up the same utility types across multiple projects. Create your templates once, then reuse them to ensure consistency and save setup time. Templates also help when moving data between projects. If two projects use the same template, data can be moved from one project to another very easily.

Troubleshooting

I can't see the Workflows button on my project.

Ensure you have the correct permissions for the project. Contact your organization administrator to verify your access level.

My template didn't populate all the types I expected.

Check that the template was saved after all types and fields were fully configured. Open the original workflow, verify the configuration, and save the template again.

The color picker isn't showing the right color.

Try entering the hex value directly instead of using the gradient picker. Ensure the hex code is in the correct format (e.g., #ff0000 for red). You can also adjust the Hue slider first to get close to your desired color.

I accidentally deleted a type from my workflow.

If you haven't clicked Submit yet, click Cancel to discard all changes. If you already submitted, you'll need to re-add the type manually or import a previously exported configuration.

Tips for Success

Use consistent naming conventions across projects (e.g., always "Water Main" instead of sometimes "WM" or "Water-Main") to keep your data clean and searchable.
Set the Order field strategically — put the most commonly used workflows at the top with lower order numbers so field crews can find them quickly.
Export your workflow configuration regularly as a backup before making major changes. Use the Export button in the Configuration section.
Save frequently used configurations as templates to standardize setups across multiple projects and reduce setup time for new projects.
Assign distinct colors to each workflow so features are easy to distinguish on the map. Stick with industry-standard colors where possible (e.g., blue for water, red for power, yellow for gas).

Need more help? Contact TerraFlow Support at support@terraflow.ca