When you customise a mobile flow in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you copy the standard flow instead of editing it directly. This lets you keep your changes when the standard flow gets updated from the back end.
To make a copied flow appear in your mobile flow overview, you must certify it and assign it to the correct groups, such as production and material. The group setup controls what shows up in your flow overview.
To replace an old flow with your new version, you deactivate the old flow in its group settings. Once deactivated, only your new flow appears on the shop floor.
Why you copy a standard mobile flow instead of editing it
If you want to change a mobile flow, for example to give it a different name or caption, you make a copy of the standard flow rather than editing the original. In this example, the standard flow “Consume Quantity” is copied and renamed “Consume New Quantity” so it can get a different caption.
The reason for working this way is practical. We can update the standard flow from our back end, and if you had modified the standard flow directly, our update would overwrite your changes. By copying the flow, your version stays untouched when we push updates.
How to make a copied flow appear in the mobile flow overview
A newly copied flow does not show up in the mobile flow overview right away. It is not yet certified or set up correctly. To get it working, you need to do two things.
First, find the flow you just created, “Consume New Quantity”, and change the caption as needed. When you copy a flow, it takes over all the settings from the original, so you should check that the groups are still correct. Make sure the flow is assigned to the right groups, such as production and material, because this setup defines whether the flow appears in your flow overview.
Second, certify the flow. Once it is certified, it will be available the next time you open your production overview.
How to deactivate the old flow
After certifying the new flow, both flows are active. If you open the production overview at this point, you see two flows: “Consume Quantity” and “Consume New Quantity”.
To remove the old one, find the original “Consume Quantity” flow, go into its groups, and mark it as deactivated. After that, when you enter the shop floor, you only see your new flow.
Q&A
Why should I copy a standard mobile flow instead of editing it directly?
So you can keep your customisations when the standard flow is updated. The standard flow can be updated from the back end, and editing it directly means your changes would be overwritten. Copying the flow keeps your version safe.
Why does my new flow not appear in the mobile flow overview?
Because it is not yet certified and may not be assigned to the correct groups. To make it appear, certify the flow and make sure it is assigned to the right groups, such as production and material. The group setup controls what shows in the flow overview.
How do I replace an old flow with a new version?
Find the old flow, go into its groups, and mark it as deactivated. Once deactivated, only your new flow appears on the shop floor.