Manage app deprecations in Zoho Flow

Managing deprecation


Deprecation is the process of marking an application or feature as outdated, indicating that it will no longer be supported, and that users should migrate to newer alternatives.

Why do we deprecate triggers, actions, and apps?  

Sometimes you will come across triggers, actions, or even apps that are labelled as deprecated. This may be more common when you access older flows/flows.
As part of our continuing effort to make apps and their associated triggers and actions more useful for our users, we deprecate them for better ones. We will alert you about the planned removal of apps, their supported triggers, or actions from the platform. This is usually followed by the release of newer versions, unless the app or its triggers or actions are permanently removed by the app owner. When this happens, we will inform you well in advance to make changes in your flows and maintain your existing workflows.
The most common reasons for deprecation are:

  • API version changed

  • Authentication scheme changed

  • Some services or apps may no longer be supported

Once the deprecation period of an app is over, the deprecated version will no longer be functional, and will be termed Sunsetted. All the flows that use the sunsetted version of the app will be automatically switched off.
An example of the process is given below.




How to manage deprecated apps/triggers/actions?
Deprecation usually does not affect your flows immediately, and they will continue to work as with their previous setup until they are sunsetted. However, it is advised to switch to the updated version to get the best out of your flows. You may come across the following scenarios:

Idea
Tip: To be extra careful, you can create copies of the flows in which you are reconfiguring triggers or actions. Next, make changes in the newly copied flows. This will ensure that your configuration will be unaffected and can be referred to, if required.

When an app is entirely deprecated 

An app gets deprecated when the app's API version or authentication method is updated. All triggers and actions from this app will still be functional until the app is deprecated. If a newer version of the deprecated app is available, follow these steps: (5-7 minutes)

  1. Duplicate your flow that is using the older version of the app.

  2. For triggers:

    1. Click on a trigger marked as deprecated.

    2. In the configuration window that appears, select the trigger you want to reconfigure and click Next.

    3. Click +New to create a new connection and authorise the same.

    4. Click Test to ensure the connection works correctly, then click Done.

  1. For actions:

    1. Click on an action marked as deprecated.

    2. Remove the old action, then add a new one.



  1. Reconfigure the new action in your flow either by creating a new connection or using the connection created while reconfiguring the trigger, ensuring that all fields have the correct variables mapped. You can refer to the old action for data mapping.

  2. Test the new flow and switch it on, then switch off the old one.


When an app's trigger or action alone is deprecated   

An app's triggers/actions are deprecated when the app's API version is updated. If there is an updated trigger or action available for the deprecated ones, follow these steps: (7-10 minutes)
  1. In the MyFlows page, navigate to All>Deprecated flows to view all your deprecated flows. Please note that this dropdown only displays flows within the immediate folder. To access flows in child folders, you'll need to navigate into the respective folders.



  2. Identify the flows that use the deprecated trigger or action.

  3. For triggers:
    a. Click on a trigger marked as deprecated.
    b. Choose a trigger from the list of triggers and click Next.
    c.  Click Test to ensure the connection works fine, verify the mappings, and click Done.

  4. For actions:
    Click on an action marked as deprecated.
      5.          
        If the action is read-only, this means the action needs to be removed and replaced with a new one.



        If the action is editable, you will either need to manually map all the fields (if the input and output fields have been updated), or, if the fields are auto-mapped, simply verify the mappings and click Done to complete the mapping.



  1. Make sure you verify that all the variables have been mapped to the appropriate fields(You can refer to the original flow’s actions/versions for data mapping).

  2. Test and switch the flow on.

  3. Repeat steps 2-6 for all the flows that are using an app's deprecated triggers/actions.


How to manage sunsetted apps in Zoho Flow?

If you missed reconfiguring the app's triggers or actions during the deprecation period, your flow will be switched off automatically. To switch the flows back on again, follow these steps: (5-7 minutes)

  1. In the MyFlows page, navigate to All>Deprecated flows to view all your sunsetted flows. Please note that this dropdown only displays flows within the immediate folder. To access flows in child folders, you'll need to navigate into the respective folders.



  2. Click on a trigger marked as sunsetted. In the configuration window that appears, click +New to create a new connection and reconfigure the triggers using the new connection.



  3. Replace the sunsetted action with the new action and reconfigure it using the new connection.
    Ensure that all fields have the right variables mapped to them(You can refer to your original flow's actions for data mapping).



  4. Test and switch the flow on.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 for all the flows that are using an app's sunsetted triggers/actions.


When do we stop supporting an application? 

There might be situations where we need to stop supporting an app due to the following reasons:

  • The service has stopped supporting its own APIs
    Sometimes, a service provider may decide to deprecate their API. This makes it necessary for us to stop providing support for the app.  

  • Major changes to the service APIs
    There are cases where the API changes so significantly that the existing integration becomes incompatible. This could be due to technical limitations or legal/contractual changes that prevent continued support.

  • Service merges/acquisitions
    If one app buys another and merges their services, the original app might be discontinued. In such cases, integration with the original app is no longer needed.

  • Service shutdowns
    If a service owner decides to shut the service permanently, we won't provide further support for the app, and it will be removed from our platform.


Notes
Important note: While reconfiguring flows that use sunsetted triggers/actions, please note that you can't always use the older version of triggers and actions for data mapping as the field mappings might not be available. However, this behaviour is app-specific.