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Moving projects between environments is a common requirement in enterprise software development. FlowX.AI provides robust export and import functionality to help you promote your projects from development to testing and production environments.
In recent versions of FlowX.AI, the export/import functionality has moved from the process definition level to the project level, allowing for more comprehensive and consistent transfers between environments.

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Project vs. process export/import

Project-Level Operations

Modern versions of FlowX.AI use project-level export and import operations rather than process-level ones. This approach ensures that all related resources, dependencies, and configurations are transferred together, maintaining the integrity of your application.
This documentation covers the updated project export/import approach. If you’re using an older version of FlowX.AI that still handles exports at the process definition level, some details may differ.

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Exporting a project

1

Navigate to the Projects Section

  1. Open FlowX.AI Designer and go to the Projects section
  2. Select the project you want to export
2

Access Export Functionality

  1. Open the project actions menu (typically a three-dot or “More” icon)
  2. Select the Export option
Project Export Option

Project Export Option

The screenshot above shows the legacy process export UI. The project export interface may look different but follows similar principles.
3

Configure Export Options

Depending on your version, you may have options to:
  1. Export the entire project or specific versions
  2. Include or exclude certain resources
  3. Select dependency handling options
4

Complete the Export

  1. Click the Export button to generate the export package
  2. The system will create a downloadable file containing your project
  3. Save this file to your local system
Use a clear naming convention for your export files to help identify their contents later, such as [project-name]_[version]_[environment]_[date].zip.

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Importing a project

1

Navigate to the Projects Section

  1. Open FlowX.AI Designer in the target environment
  2. Go to the Projects section
2

Access Import Functionality

  1. Look for an Import Project or similar button
  2. Click this button to start the import process
Import Process Button

Import Process Button

3

Select the Import File

  1. The system will open a file browser dialog
  2. Navigate to and select your previously exported file
  3. Click Open or Select to proceed
4

Review Import Options

Before completing the import, the system will display information about what’s being imported:
  1. Project details and versions
  2. Potential conflicts with existing content
  3. Dependency status
Pay careful attention to any warnings about version conflicts or missing dependencies, as these might require manual resolution.
5

Confirm and Complete the Import

  1. Review all information carefully
  2. Make any necessary adjustments to import options
  3. Click Import or Confirm to complete the process
Import confirmation

Import confirmation

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Import scenarios

When importing a project, you may encounter different scenarios depending on whether the project already exists in the target environment and what versions are present.

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New project import

New project

If the project does not exist in the target environment, it will be created with all its resources, and you’ll see all versions from the export file.
New Project Import

New project import

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Existing project with no additional versions

Update Existing Project

If the project exists but doesn’t have versions beyond those in the import file, the system will update the existing project with any changes from the import file.
Updating Existing Project

Updating Existing Project

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Existing project with additional versions

Version conflict

If the target environment has versions not present in the import file, or if versions have diverged, you’ll need to resolve these conflicts during import.
Version Conflict Resolution

Version Conflict Resolution

Be cautious when overwriting versions, as this can impact any running processes or deployed applications that use those versions.

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Cross-workspace import

Available starting with FlowX.AI 5.3.0: Cross-workspace import removes the previous limitation that restricted a project (identified by its UUID) to exist in only one workspace per environment.
You can import the same project into multiple workspaces on the same environment. This removes the previous limitation that restricted a project (identified by its UUID) to exist in only one workspace per environment.

Cross-Workspace Import

Import a project build (and optionally a version) into a different workspace on the same environment. The imported project maintains its own independent lifecycle with separate active policies and access controls.
Key behaviors for cross-workspace import:
AspectBehavior
LifecycleThe imported project has its own independent lifecycle in the new workspace
Active PolicyThe imported build is automatically set as the active policy, regardless of what was active in the original workspace
Access ControlsSeparate access controls and policies are defined for each workspace
No Impact on OriginalThe import does not affect the original project’s settings, policies, or process instances
User AccessWorkspace users must be granted appropriate project rights (e.g., project viewer) to interact with the imported project
Process InstancesProcess instances are workspace-specific; the imported project starts with no instances until processes run in the new workspace
DatabaseProjects across workspaces on the same environment share the same database
Use case: Use this feature to represent different operational environments (UAT, Staging, Pre-production) as separate workspaces on a single FlowX deployment, reducing infrastructure and DevOps costs.

Workspaces documentation

Learn more about cross-workspace project management

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Best practices for export/import

When transferring projects between environments:
  • Plan your promotion path - Establish a clear workflow for moving from development to testing to production
  • Use consistent naming - Name your projects, versions, and export files consistently across environments
  • Document dependencies - Keep track of dependencies between projects and libraries
  • Test after import - Always validate your project in the new environment after import
  • Version control - Consider using external version control systems in addition to FlowX.AI’s built-in versioning
  • Incremental imports - For large projects, consider importing incrementally rather than all at once
  • Backup before import - Always back up the target environment before performing significant imports

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Common issues and solutions

Issue: Import fails due to version incompatibility between environments.Solution: Ensure all environments are running compatible versions of FlowX.AI. If necessary, upgrade the older environment before attempting import.
Issue: Imported project references libraries or resources not present in the target environment.Solution: Export and import dependencies first, or update the project to use dependencies available in the target environment.
Issue: Conflicts between imported versions and existing versions.Solution: Carefully review the differences and decide whether to overwrite or preserve existing versions. Consider merging changes manually for complex conflicts.
Issue: Hard-coded environment-specific values in processes or configurations.Solution: Use environment variables and configuration parameters instead of hard-coded values to ease transitions between environments.

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Next steps

After importing your project, you should:

Verify Project Resources

Ensure all process definitions, UI components, and other resources imported correctly

Configure Environment Settings

Adjust any environment-specific settings for the new environment

Test Process Flows

Validate that all process flows work as expected in the new environment

Create a Build

Create a build from your imported project for deployment