Flow Nodes

Flow Nodes

Flow nodes are the building blocks of automation workflows. Each node performs a specific action when executed, transforming data and routing it to subsequent nodes.

Tip

Nodes are executed by the Go service (ion-binaries). The frontend (ion-components) provides the visual editor.

---

Node Categories

Generic Nodes

Core logic nodes for flow control: Condition, Iterator, Switch, Timer, Mapper.

Storage Nodes

Persistent data operations: Add, Get, Update, Delete, Search.

App Nodes

Integration-specific actions from registered apps (Shopify, FedEx, etc.).

---

Node Anatomy

Every node has:

• Module ID: Unique identifier (e.g., ion.action.condition)
• Input Handle(s): Where data enters the node
• Output Handle(s): Where data exits (success, error, conditional)
• Configuration: Node-specific settings stored in node.data

       ┌─────────────────────┐
       │                     │
input ─┤     Node Logic      ├─ output
       │                     │
       └─────────────────────┘
                             └─ error

---

Quick Reference

Generic Nodes

Node	Module	Description
Condition	ion.action.condition	If/then/else branching
Iterator	ion.action.iterator	Loop through arrays
Switch	ion.action.switch	Multi-way routing
Timer	ion.action.timer	Delay execution
Mapper	ion.action.mapper	Transform data visually
Flow	ion.action.flow	Execute subflow

Storage Nodes

Node	Module	Description
Store Add	ion.store.add	Create record
Store Get	ion.store.get	Read record by key
Store Update	ion.store.update	Update record
Store Delete	ion.store.delete	Delete record
Store Check	ion.store.check	Check if exists
Store Search	ion.store.search	Query with filters
Store Count	ion.store.count	Count records

---

Execution Model

When a flow runs:

1. Data enters through the trigger node
2. Each node receives data via its input handle
3. Node executes its logic using node.data configuration
4. Results are sent to connected output handles
5. Process continues until no more nodes to execute

graph LR
  A[Trigger] --> B[Node 1]
  B --> C{Condition}
  C -->|then| D[Node 2]
  C -->|else| E[Node 3]
  D --> F[End]
  E --> F

---

Error Handling

All nodes have an error output handle. When an error occurs:

• Error data is sent to the error handle
• If connected, execution continues on that branch
• If not connected, the flow records the error but continues

Caution

Always connect the error handle for critical nodes to handle failures gracefully.

---

See Also

• Flow Component
• Flow Hooks API