Steps are the building blocks used to create workflows. Each step automates a specific action, and these actions are then put together and executed in a logical order. The steps library provides access to a wide selection of pre-configured steps, and you can also easily create custom steps. Torq is constantly improving by adding new steps and updating the existing ones.
Adding Steps to Your Workflow
To add a step:
Drag it to the workflow designer.
Required input parameters are displayed in the step Properties tab
Use the cogwheel icon to add optional parameters if you need them.
See a warning sign? It's an indicator of one or both of these scenarios. Click the icon for details:
A step might have an empty required input parameter.
A step could have an update waiting. Click the warning to find out more and fix it.
Steps Library Overview
You can use different types of steps to build your workflows:
Public Steps: Ready-to-use steps for connecting with external services. Pre-set to perform key tasks using basic settings.
HTTP Mode: HTTP-based steps can be switched to HTTP mode to modify the underlying API request.
HTTP Requests: Use the Send an HTTP request step to create custom requests to external services, which you can then save as custom steps for easy reuse.
Cases: Use steps under this tab to automate Torq case management.
Utilities: Steps for manipulating or transforming data. Categories include steps for arrays, strings, dates, and more.
Custom Steps: Create your own steps. These could include modified public steps, HTTP requests, cURL commands, and more.
Nested Workflows: These steps run multiple actions in sequence (the nested workflow the step is based on will be imported to your workspace). Torq has pre-made options, or you can make your own from existing workflows to make them easily accessible in the steps library.
Execution Options
You can enable extra settings for each step:
Runner: The step runner executes steps using the specified arguments. It uses Kubernetes or Docker to schedule the execution and retrieve the output. If no runner is set, steps are executed on Torq's secure hosted step runner service in the cloud. Steps that use cloud-to-cloud communication and leverage public cloud APIs can be executed on this runner. Steps that require access to components hosted in private VPCs or data centers will require deploying a self-hosted step runner in these environments.
Ignore failure: By default, if a step fails, the whole workflow stops and is marked as failed. If you choose Yes, the workflow will continue even if the step fails.
Retry after: You can set it to retry a failed step after a specified delay for the set number of attempts. Without this setting, failed steps won’t retry.
Discard data: If set to Yes, any data from the step is discarded once the workflow is done and isn't accessible in the step execution log. Any files generated by the step are also discarded. This option is useful, for example, when dealing with sensitive data in a step.
Return the response as a file: Choose Yes to receive step results as a file. This is useful for binary content, such as pictures, or big data sets that exceed the step output size limit. You'll get a file link and details in JSON format. Turning this on also shows the Shareable link option explained below.
Shareable link: The Shareable link toggle is only visible when the Return Response As File toggle is set to Yes. By default, these file links are private and only for use in Torq steps. Select Yes to get a link that can be shared with third parties for a limited time.
Referencing Step Output Examples
Once a step is executed, its output is available in the workflow context for further use. If you prefer to continue building your workflow without execution, check if the step has an example output. You can then reference it in later steps using autocomplete or tree mode.
To view the output example, select the step and choose Output Example from the three-dot menu.
Torq also supports mock outputs, enabling you to simulate step execution with preconfigured responses for testing purposes without making actual API calls.
Step Status Codes
When you run a step, Torq returns a status code to indicate the success or failure of the operation. If there's an error, you'll get the reason and a suggested solution. The table below shows what each status code means. Also, you can see the HTTP status code if the step made an HTTP request.
Step status code | Status | Description | HTTP status code |
1 | OK | The step was executed successfully. | 2xx |
2 | InvalidArgument | One or more input parameters contain an invalid value. | - |
3 | DeadlineExceeded | The step's operation timed out. | 408 |
4 | NotFound | The requested resource or entity was not found. | 404 |
5 | AlreadyExists | The resource or entity you tried to create already exists. | - |
6 | PermissionDenied | Insufficient permissions to perform this step's operation. | 403 |
7 | Aborted | The step execution was aborted (not failed). | - |
8 | OutOfRange | The step's operation is trying to be performed on data outside the available range. For example, accessing an index item that doesn't exist. | - |
9 | Internal | An internal system error caused the step to fail. | 500 |
10 | Unavailable | The step's service is currently unavailable. You can try to execute the step again. | - |
11 | Unauthenticated | Invalid authentication credentials | 401 |
12 | On hold | Generally seen for steps waiting for user input, for example, Ask a question. | - |
View Step Execution History
All step executions, whether standalone or as part of the workflow, are recorded in the step Execution Log tab.
Both successful and failed step executions are logged, and in the case of failure, the step status code offers insights into the cause. Each log entry includes the execution ID, the entity that executed the step (workflow or user), the execution time and duration, the step input and output JSON objects, and execution debug details.
The step execution history is retained for the past 30 days.
Disable Steps
Disabling a step keeps it in the workflow but excludes it from being executed as part of the workflow execution. To disable a step, select it in the designer and click the Disable icon in the menu above it. Remember, if other steps depend on it, you might need to change some settings for everything to work right.
