Circuit States | Online Help | Qntrl | Circuit | Building blocks of a Circuit in Qntrl

Introduction to States of Circuit

States are the building blocks of a circuit that can perform tasks, make decisions, or simply pass the output from one state to another.  The state defines a specific task or process that has to be executed in that segment of the circuit.

 

Circuit states are categorized as follows:

  • Flow Control

  • Functional

  • Notification

  • IT Orchestration

  • Data Transformation

Flow Control

Flow controls help you create complex workflows that orchestrate the flow of logic and data in the circuit. Flow Controls comprises the following states:
  • Pass – Passes input from one state to another
  • Branch – Defines the execution branches, a state's input and/or output directs the execution flow
  • Parallel –  Performs simultaneous executions
  • Wait – Inserts a delay for the specified time
  • Batch – Implements multiple group executions
  • Success – Terminates an execution, returning the Success status
  • Failure – Terminates an execution, returning the Failure status

For detailed information about Flow Control states, refer to Flow Control.

Functional 

Functional states help you create real-time workflows to execute business logic in a circuit.  You can accomplish this by composing functions using a built-in editor, generating webhooks through links, or linking circuits within a circuit.

The following functional states are avaialble in a circuit:
  • Function – Execute custom logic using supported languages, enabling flexible automation and integration within the circuit.
  • Webhook – Communicate with third-party applications by making API calls or triggering actions based on workflow events.
  • Circuit  – Reuse an existing circuit within another workflow, enabling modular design and handling of complex sub-processes.

For configuring Functional states, refer to Functional.

Notification

Notification states help you automate communication within a circuit by triggering alerts or messages at specific stages of the workflow. These states ensure timely updates and reduce the need for manual intervention.

The following notification state is available:

  1. Email – Sends automated email notifications to specified recipients, keeping stakeholders informed throughout the workflow.  
For detailed information about Notification states, refer to Notification.

IT Orchestration

These controls are used to perform certain operations in an application, database, or computer in any private network. The tasks in these controls require the bridge agent to be deployed and active in the end user's network. To learn how to deploy a bridge, click here. Bridge Controls include the following:
  • Task Engine – Connects and executes an API from a closed space
  • DB Task – Executes a SQL query in a Database hosted on a private network
  • SSH Task – Perform actions using shell commands or script in the intended Linux machine.
  • Files – Create workflows for file management
    • File Upload
    • File Transfer
    • File Download
  • AD Task – Integrate and perform actions in the AD service in the client network.
    • Add AD User               
    • Add AD Group
    • Add User to Group     
    • Add AD Computer
    • Enable AD User    
    • Disable AD User
    • Reset AD Password  
    • Unlock AD User
    • Remove AD Object     
    • Update AD Object
    • Read AD Object
  1. PowerShell task Engine – Perform actions using PowerShell command or script in a Windows machine.
    • PowerShell Engine    
    • Install WindowsApp
    • Uninstall WindowsApp
    • Start Service
    • Stop Service     
    • Restart WindowsServer
For detailed information about IT Orchestration states, refer to IT Orchestration.

Data Transformation

Data Transformation states help you convert, reshape, and process data within a circuit, enabling seamless data flow between different stages without external scripting.

Data Transformation comprises the following categories:

  1. JSON Conversion: JSON Conversion states convert data from various file formats into JSON for further processing within the circuit.
    • JSON to JSON 
    • CSV to JSON 
    • XML to JSON 
    • YAML to JSON 
    • XLSX to JSON 
    • TXT to JSON 
  1. Dataset – Dataset states help you refine and manage collections of records within the circuit.
    • Limit – Restricts the number of records in a dataset
    • Remove Duplicates – Eliminates duplicate records from a dataset
  1. Date & Time – Enables operations on date and time values within the circuit.
    • Add – Adds a duration to a date or time
    • Subtract – Subtracts a duration from a date or time
    • Format – Converts date or time into a specified format
    • Difference – Calculates the difference between two date or time values
    • Current Datetime – Retrieves the current date and time
    • Extract Duration – Extracts specific units from a duration
    • Extract Datetime – Extracts components from a date or time

For detailed information about Data Transformation states, refer to Data Transformation.


Every State is defined by a set of attributes; most of the attributes are common for states, and a few states have some exclusive attributes as well.  Each state must have a Type field indicating what type of state it is.  Except for Success and Failure states, the rest require a Next field or can become a terminal state by specifying an End field.

Common State attributes

In a circuit, the attributes must be defined for each State deployed. As explained above, some of the attributes are common to all states. The common attributes to be defined for each state are given below.

NotesEvery field and its values are case-sensitive. Once a value is defined, the exact value must be passed throughout the Circuit. 

Name: A unique name assigned to states when they are added to a circuit to identify the states within the circuit. The name can be modified under the Configuration section in the right pane.

 

Type: The actual state type is mentioned in this field. While you drag and add a state to the circuit, the state will be automatically allocated in the Type field. You can also select the state from the dropdown list available in this field.

 

Next State: The name of the next state that has to be run after the completion of the current state is given in this field. Except for the terminal states 'Success' and 'Failure', all other states must define this field. The last state of the Circuit should be assigned the next state value as End.

 

Input Path: Allows you to control the actual input passed to the state. It selects parts of the input JSON to pass to the state.

 

Result Path: Allows you to manipulate the output of a state. After the input is processed by the state, the result path determines what combination of the state result and the actual state input has to be passed to the output.

 

Output Path: Output path further filters the data from the Result Path to pass it as state output.

 

Parameters: Parameters allow you to control the actual input passed to the state.  Parameters enable you to insert a collection of key-value pairs into the input. Parameter values can either be static or parts of the input JSON selected as paths.

 

For more details, visit the Input and Output processing section.












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