Versions: compare and restore

For agents

Guide: Versions: compare and restore

This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-builder/versions-compare-and-restore

Topic: Flow builder

Time: about 3 minutes

Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager

Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)

Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox

Result when done: You can see what changed between saves, put an older version back, or copy it as a new flow.

Context: Every save that changed something is a version: the whole flow, who saved it, whether it was live, and what changed (steps added, removed or changed, wires, the start, settings, moves). Preview one on the canvas with marks on what is different now, restore it as unsaved changes, or copy it as a new paused flow. Named versions are kept for good, plus the last 100 saves.

Before you start

1. Versions start once the flow is saved.

2. A Tidy up is a version that reads as moved, not edited.

3. Restoring never goes live by itself: it puts the version on the canvas, and you save.

Steps

Step 1 of 4: Open Versions.

Where: Versions is in the bar at the top right of the canvas, the button with the clock. On a phone, the same button without its label.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions.en.webp (Versions, in the bar, and the list it opens.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions-phone.en.webp (Versions on a phone.)

You should see: Every save, newest first, grouped by day: its number (v3), its name or time, who saved it, Live now or Was live, and a line of what changed (such as +1 step · 1 wire).

Step 2 of 4: Open a version to compare it with now.

Where: Click a version in the list. The canvas shows the flow as it was at that save, and a bar above it names the version (Version 4), when and who saved it, and counts what differs from now, such as 1 step removed since. A step that was changed or removed later is marked Changed since or Removed since on its card.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions.en.webp (The open version in the list; the canvas shows it, and the bar counts what differs.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions-phone.en.webp (The open version on a phone.)

You should see: The version on the canvas with its count of differences; the newest one says This is the flow as it is now.

Step 3 of 4: Restore it, or copy it as a new flow.

Where: With the version open on a computer, Restore, the green button in the bar above the canvas, puts it on the canvas as unsaved changes: nothing goes live until you save, and Cmd+Z takes it back. The icon right after Restore is Copy as a new flow (paused): it makes a separate flow from this version and leaves this one alone. On a phone you can open and name versions; Restore is on a computer.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions.en.webp (Restore; the icon right after it copies the version as a new flow.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions-phone.en.webp (On a phone: the open version in the list. Restore is on a computer.)

You should see: Version N restored. Save to keep it. Or: Version N copied as a new paused flow.

Step 4 of 4: Name the versions worth keeping.

Where: Name this version, under the open version in the list: a name (for example Before the summer sale) and an optional note. The chips All and Named, above the list, show every version or only the named ones.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions.en.webp (Name this version.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-versions-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)

You should see: The name on the version in place of its time (here, Saturday tastings on v8 and First live version on v2); named versions are kept for good.

If something is off

Problem: Versions is greyed out

Fix: Versions start once the flow is saved. Save it once and every later save keeps one.

Problem: An old version is gone

Fix: Named versions are kept for good, plus the last 100 saves. Name the ones you want to keep.

Problem: I restored by mistake

Fix: Restore only changes the canvas. Press Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z), or leave without saving.

Common questions

Question: How many versions are kept?

Answer: Every named version, for good, plus the last 100 saves.

Question: Does restoring a version put it live?

Answer: No. Restore puts that version on the canvas as unsaved changes. Nothing reaches people until you save, and Cmd+Z takes it back.

Question: Does an edit affect someone in the middle of a run?

Answer: No. Each run keeps the version it started on; new runs use the version you save.

Related guides

Follow a run step by step: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-builder/follow-a-run-step-by-step

Change a flow with AI: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-builder/change-a-flow-with-ai

Read the numbers on a flow: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-builder/read-the-numbers-on-a-flow

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-builder/versions-compare-and-restore.md

All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt