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First Steps on IONFLOW

By the end of this guide, you’ll have created and activated your first automation board in IONFLOW. This hands-on tutorial walks you through connecting an external app, building a simple workflow with visual nodes, testing it safely, and deploying it to production.

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First Time User?

If you haven’t logged in yet, start with the Introduction guide to understand what IONFLOW can do. This tutorial assumes you already have access to your IONFLOW account.

Before You Begin

Section titled “Before You Begin”

What you’ll need to complete this tutorial

Active IONFLOW Account

You must have login credentials. Contact your admin if you don't have access yet.

Read Guide →

External App Access

Optional: credentials for Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, or HubSpot to connect.

Read Guide →

10 Minutes

This tutorial takes 10 minutes from start to finish. You can pause anytime.

Read Guide →
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Pro Tip

Don’t worry about making mistakes! Boards can be tested in preview mode without affecting real data, and you can always delete or edit them later.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Section titled “Step-by-Step Tutorial”

Build your first automation board from scratch

Create Your First Board

Access IONFLOW Dashboard

Open your browser and navigate to your IONFLOW URL (typically https://yourcompany.ionflow.io)

Log in with your work email and password. If using SSO, click Sign in with SSO and follow your organization’s authentication process.

Expected Result: You should see the Dashboard with summary widgets showing Boards, Connections, and Executions.

Create a Connection (Optional for First Board)

In the left sidebar, click Connections to see available app integrations.

For this tutorial, you can use Global Connections (pre-configured by IONFLOW) or create your own:

  • Click + New Connection
  • Select an app from the list (e.g., Gmail, Slack, HTTP Request)
  • Enter credentials or authorize access via OAuth
  • Click Test Connection to verify
  • Click Save

Expected Result: Connection appears in the list with a green checkmark indicating it’s active.

Create Your First Board

In the left sidebar, click Boards (formerly called Workflows)

Click the + New Board button in the top-right corner

In the dialog that appears:

  • Enter a name like My First Automation
  • Optionally add a description: Testing IONFLOW board creation
  • Click Create

Expected Result: The visual editor opens with an empty canvas and a sidebar of available nodes.

Add a Trigger Node

Every board needs a trigger to start execution. From the node library on the left:

  • Drag a Manual Trigger node (looks like a play button icon) onto the canvas
  • Alternatively, use a Schedule Trigger if you want time-based automation

Click on the trigger node to configure it:

  • For Manual Trigger: No configuration needed
  • For Schedule: Set interval (e.g., Every 5 minutes)

Expected Result: Trigger node appears on the canvas with a blue outline (indicating it’s selected).

Add an Action Node

Now add an action that executes when the trigger fires:

  • Search for HTTP Request in the node library (this works without external connections)
  • Drag it onto the canvas to the right of the trigger
  • Connect the trigger’s output port (small circle on right edge) to the HTTP Request’s input port by dragging a line between them

Configure the HTTP Request node:

Expected Result: Two nodes connected by a line (edge). The HTTP Request node shows a green checkmark if configured correctly.

Test the Board (Preview Mode)

Before activating, always test in preview mode:

  • Click the Preview button in the top toolbar (looks like a play icon with a test tube)
  • The system executes the board once without saving to execution history
  • Check the output panel at the bottom to see the HTTP response

If you see JSON with your IP address like {"ip":"123.45.67.89"}, the test succeeded!

Expected Result: Output panel shows green success indicator with response data.

Save the Board

After testing successfully:

  • Click Commit in the top toolbar (saves changes like git commit)
  • Enter a commit message like Initial version - working HTTP test
  • Click Save

Expected Result: The board is saved. You’ll see a confirmation message and the is_dirty indicator disappears.

Activate the Board (Optional)

To run the board automatically (if using Schedule Trigger) or make it available for manual execution:

  • Toggle the Active switch in the top-right corner from OFF to ON
  • Confirm activation in the dialog that appears

Expected Result: Board status changes to Active. If using a schedule trigger, executions will appear in the Executions section automatically.

Common Issues

Section titled “Common Issues”

Troubleshoot problems you might encounter

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Connection Not Authorized

Issue:

Error message: 'Connection not authorized' when testing board

Solution:

Cause: Insufficient permissions or expired OAuth token.

Solution:

  • Go to Connections section
  • Find the connection showing an error icon
  • Click Re-authorize and follow the OAuth flow again
  • Test the connection before using it in your board
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Board Won't Execute

Issue:

Preview mode runs fine, but board doesn't execute when activated

Solution:

Cause: Trigger not properly configured or board not activated.

Solution:

  • Verify the Active toggle is ON
  • Check trigger configuration (e.g., schedule is set correctly)
  • For Manual Trigger, you must click Execute manually from the board list
  • Check Executions history for error messages
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Nodes Won't Connect

Issue:

Can't drag a line between nodes

Solution:

Cause: Incompatible port types or incorrect connection direction.

Solution:

  • Always connect from output port (right side of node) to input port (left side of next node)
  • Some nodes require specific data types - check the port tooltips
  • Use a Mapper node if data transformation is needed between incompatible ports
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Can't Find Node in Library

Issue:

Searching for a specific node but it doesn't appear

Solution:

Cause: Node belongs to a Grapp (integration app) that’s not installed or requires a specific connection type.

Solution:

  • Check if the app is available in Connections - if yes, create a connection first
  • Use HTTP Request node as a generic alternative for REST APIs
  • Contact your admin if you need access to a specific Grapp not in your list

Congratulations!

Section titled “Congratulations!”

You’ve completed your first IONFLOW automation

You’ve successfully created, tested, and saved your first board in IONFLOW! Here’s what you accomplished:

  • ✅ Logged into the IONFLOW platform
  • ✅ (Optional) Created a Connection to an external app
  • ✅ Built a board with a trigger and action node
  • ✅ Tested the board in preview mode to ensure it works
  • ✅ Saved your board with version control (git-like commits)
  • ✅ (Optional) Activated the board for automatic execution
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What's Next?

Now that you understand the basics, explore more advanced features like adding conditional logic with Decision nodes, looping through data with Iterator nodes, or saving data to Persistent Data for use across multiple executions.

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”

Continue your IONFLOW journey

Learn Boards in Depth

Understand advanced board features like branching, looping, scripting, and version control.

Read Guide →

Connect More Apps

Explore Connections to integrate Gmail, Slack, HubSpot, Google Sheets, and 50+ other apps.

Read Guide →

Monitor Executions

View detailed logs, replay failed executions, and analyze performance metrics.

Read Guide →

Use Persistent Data

Store data between board executions using IONFLOW's mini-database feature.

Read Guide →

Set Up Webhooks

Trigger boards automatically when events happen in external apps (real-time automation).

Read Guide →

Troubleshooting Guide

Get help with common errors and learn debugging techniques for complex boards.

Read Guide →

See Also

Section titled “See Also”