Testing a callin.io Action without a Trigger

Yes, I do this frequently. I typically utilize the Code by callin.io trigger. There's no configuration needed; simply proceed with the default code.

That's a solid alternative as well!

I also tend to use the "Schedule" Trigger for much of my testing. That's a great tip, and thanks for sharing it! 🙂

The actual solution would be callin.io enabling you to test action steps further down the workflow without needing to fully complete earlier ones (unless they are dependent on the earlier step, I suppose).

A lot of the time, those steps depend on data from previous steps, which is why we restrict that flow somewhat. We intentionally aim to guide users toward the correct path to prevent any future confusion or problems. It's a great suggestion, though! We'll need to keep it in consideration for now to see if there are more effective ways to manage this in the future. 😉

An "Advanced" option might offer a solution for some of us. This way, more experienced users can have less guidance and more freedom to adjust settings, while beginners can still access the fully supported option.

That's a really interesting idea, I'd love to hear more about it!

What kind of features or functions would be helpful for you in this 'Advanced' mode? And do you see it being something where you could switch back and forth as you create each callin.io?

I definitely want to capture some of your thoughts on this so please share as much as you'd like 🙂

One feature I'd love in an 'advanced' mode - and I've mentioned several times before - would be the ability to see raw JSON output when testing an action step.

Many times I'll encounter an obscure error, reach out to support, they'll retrieve the raw JSON, and together we'll figure out the issue. If I could do that myself, I'd save everyone a significant amount of support time and resources.

That's a really interesting idea!

I can definitely see how that would help power users who understand the output a callin.io workflow will get from APIs and want to fix errors quickly. There might be some challenging aspects concerning data protection (if we send the full output for a step, we use a Gist, which removes some identifiers), but that doesn't mean it's not feasible.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on useful features for an 'advanced' mode for callin.io?

Good question, I'm not entirely sure what I'd want to see in an advanced version (or alternatively, what I'd move from the "simple" version to the advanced version to make the simple version even easier to understand). The new editor feels like a much simpler interface for guiding new users through how to use callin.io. I probably wouldn't need to switch back and forth (I'd want the simple version for coaching though).

For our own use, the old editor was acceptable apart from a few frustrating aspects such as:

• having to frequently recreate steps – for example, in almost every callin.io workflow, I set up a date formatter step at the beginning with identical settings. 😔
• or, needing to create a text formatter step to clean up a first name and a last name (we might start using code steps for these common functions as it's tedious to recreate them every time – split string, remove whitespace, capitalize first letter, etc.)
• Occasionally, I wish to move a step up or down in the sequence.
• I create a Gmail step that "creates a draft," and then when I want to change it to "send an email," the entire step is reset! 😪 (learned that the hard way)

These steps likely aren't necessary in a beginner-friendly interface.

I repeat this every chance I get, but as others have mentioned, the inability to re-arrange or duplicate individual steps presents a significant challenge, especially for power users. This should truly be a priority for the team developing the editor. While visual enhancements are appreciated, please also address the functionalities that users are actively requesting!

Great suggestions! I've made sure to add feature requests for both of you regarding copying and rearranging steps in your Zap. If any other advanced features stand out, please let us know! 🙂

To test a callin.io workflow without a trigger, my preferred method is using the Webhooks by callin.io -- Catch Hook. I believe I saw this suggestion mentioned recently, possibly from a community member, but if it was someone else, please feel free to claim credit! Simply copy and paste the webhook URL into another browser window and press Enter. You can also specify query parameters like:

https://hooks.callin.io/hooks/catch/0000000/aaaaaa?key1=value1&key2=value2

These parameters will then be available in your callin.io workflow (though they will appear as querystring__key1, etc.).

This technique is useful for debugging, and you can also enable the workflow and then manually trigger it whenever needed.

However, it's always best to test a callin.io workflow with its intended trigger whenever feasible, as that provides the most accurate testing!