In Spotler SendPro, a flow is a defined sequence of actions that processes an incoming message—typically an email—before it is delivered to the intended recipient. You can think of it as a customized pipeline: the message enters the system, is processed according to the flow steps you've configured, and then exits the system to be sent.
Each environment can support multiple flows, but every setup begins with a set of standard flows as the foundation.
In this article you will read more about:
What are the standard flows
The standard flows when you start with Spotler SendPro are the following:
BCC Messages
When the BCC flow step is activated, it generates a copy of the message, which is then routed through the BCC Messages flow. By default, no flow steps are applied to this flow.
Default
The default flow acts as a basic relay. If a message does not meet any specified conditions, or if no custom flow is configured, it will automatically pass through the default flow and be delivered to the recipient. By default, no flow steps are applied during this process.
Re-sent messages
If you choose to re-send a message—whether through the interface or the API—the triggered message will be processed by the Re-sent Messages flow. Similar to the Default and BCC flows, no flow steps are applied to this flow by default.
How do flows work?
Flows operate based on a set of mechanisms. The flow order and conditions determine which flow will handle your message:
Flow order
You can view and adjust the flow order by navigating to Design > Flows and clicking the Change Flow Order button at the bottom of the page.
The flow order is evaluated from top to bottom. You can rearrange the flows by dragging the three dots in front of each flow. Be sure to click Save to confirm and apply the new order.
You can view and adjust the flow order by navigating to Design > Flows and clicking the Change Flow Order button at the bottom of the page.
This overview also provides a clear view of the conditions defined for each flow, helping you understand how those conditions interact and influence message processing.
Example for the Force TLS in the image below. A message will only end up in this flow if the source is Postman API 2025 and the provided flow selector is tlstestflow.
Conditions
When you click on an existing flow or create a new one, you'll be able to view its flow conditions. It's important to note that these conditions operate using a strict AND logic—meaning a submitted message must match all specified conditions exactly in order to be processed by that flow.
There are two ways to edit the conditions: you can use the guided method for step-by-step assistance, or switch to the advanced interface to access and configure all available options.
Sequence
Messages are processed from left to right as they move through the flow. The sequence of your flow steps can significantly impact the final message output and what is displayed in your dashboard.
For instance, if a message is archived before a template is applied, the archived version will not reflect the final formatted message. As a result, if you choose to resend this message, it will be sent in its archived form—not as it originally appeared to the recipient. Depending on your objectives, this behavior may be entirely appropriate.
Creating and editing Flows
When creating or editing a flow, you can add a description to help clarify its purpose. Ensure that the
description is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
If custom flow types are available in your environment, you can assign a specific flow type to your flow. If no custom flow types exist, this option will not be displayed.
Note!
Once you save a flow, it becomes active immediately.
In this description about creating and editing flows:
Conditions
After entering a description and optionally selecting a flow type, you can configure the flow conditions. These conditions operate using an AND-AND logic, meaning all specified conditions must be met.
There are two ways to define these conditions:
- Guided mode using the graphical interface (GUI), which simplifies the process
- Advanced mode, which gives you full access to all available condition options
When using the guided mode, you can choose conditions based on the sender, subject, or a specific header. Once selected, the condition is added to the conditions field. You can then enter the desired value in the input field to complete the condition setup.
When choosing the advanced mode, all condition input fields are displayed immediately, allowing you to enter your conditions directly.
In this mode, you can use wildcards and Apache FreeMarker expressions in the input fields, giving you greater flexibility and control to create more advanced and dynamic conditions.
Flowsteps
Once all conditions are configured, you can begin building your flow by dragging templates and flow steps onto the flow canvas. While templates are displayed separately for ease of use, they function just like any other flow step.
To apply a flow step to your message, simply drag it onto the grey flow area. Keep in mind that messages are processed from left to right, meaning the order of your flow steps can influence both the final outgoing message and what is displayed in your dashboard.
➡️ Learn more about all available flow steps
Flowtypes
When a flow type is selected, its predefined flow steps are automatically applied—either before or after the flow steps in your main flow, depending on the configuration.
Flow types are ideal for applying reusable flow steps that you want to use consistently across multiple flows. Common examples include tracking steps or a standardized sender configuration. You can manage and update these flow steps centrally within the flow type, making it easier to maintain consistency and efficiency.
➡️ Learn more about flow types
Copying flows
By clicking Copy flows to other account you can transfer your flows to another account where you have access as either a Designer or Administrator—in both the current and the target accounts.
Before copying, ensure that a source is available in the target account to allow the flows to function correctly.
After clicking the button, you’ll be able to select one or more flows to copy. If needed, you can also choose to copy the associated flow types. This option is only available if you have Administrator rights in both accounts.
After clicking next you can select the account you want to copy the flows to.
In the next step you need to select the source these flows have to use in the destination account.
After selecting the source and clicking Next, you’ll see an overview of the flows and templates that will either be updated or created in the target account.
The copy mechanism scans the destination account for existing flows and templates with matching names. Based on this comparison, it will indicate whether each item will be updated (overwritten in the target account) or newly created.
Deleting flows
In addition to creating and editing flows, you also have the option to delete them. However, to prevent accidental mass deletions—since flow deletions cannot be undone—this action is intentionally restricted.
To delete a flow, navigate to Design > Flows, then click on the specific flow you wish to remove. Scroll to the very bottom of the screen, where you will find a red Delete button.
After asking for a confirmation you can delete the flow.