Add 'Deploy to FlowFuse' button alongside each flow on flows.nodered.org

[gstout52]

Description

Add 'Deploy to FlowFuse' button alongside each flow on flows.nodered.org.

Epic/Story

No response

Have you provided an initial effort estimate for this issue?

I have provided an initial effort estimate

[joepavitt]

I don't think we can control this. nodered.org is owned by the OpenJS foundation. Us spamming FlowFuse-branded actions on there is not likely a move we can make, e.g. we'd also have to have "Deploy to AWS", etc.

@knolleary will know more

[gstout52]

I don't think we can control this. nodered.org is owned by the OpenJS foundation. Us spamming FlowFuse-branded actions on there is not likely a move we can make, e.g. we'd also have to have "Deploy to AWS", etc.

@knolleary will know more

@knolleary , can you weigh in on this?

[knolleary]

It is a tricky one as it does go further than we have previously on the Node-RED sites. But I can see value in having it there for the community - if it were done in a considered manner.

To make it work we'd need to work out how a link on a page can bring a user to the FF app, let them register if needed, then take them to the create instance page with the appropriate flows prefilled in somehow. Only once we've figured that piece out can we add a Deploy to FlowFuse button to anything, whether its the Flow Library, or content on our own site.

[gstout52]

@knolleary What if we add the category "Node-RED Library" on the Blueprint step of the Create Instance workflow, and somehow link flows.nodered.org as a 'blueprint' option?

For example, in the "Node-RED Library" category, the item there could say "Select from Community Library", with a subsequent step to select a particular item from the library and create the instance. OR, could we surface the entire Node-RED Library on this page in a clever way, like by adding the Node-RED Library category, and letting users search the Blueprint selection page to find what they're looking for?

I'm not the engineer, but those sound to me like they would involve less engineering effort than having a flow selected at flows.nodered.org 'stay with' the user all the way through account and instance creation. I'd be happy to be wrong about this, because I like the user experience of Nicks' suggestion.

[joepavitt]

OR, could we surface the entire Node-RED Library on this page in a clever way, like by adding the Node-RED Library category, and letting users search the Blueprint selection page to find what they're looking for?

Two things to bare in minds:

1. There are thousands of community flows
2. The range of quality/relevance of those flow is vast

[gstout52]

Two things to bare in minds:

1. There are thousands of community flows
2. The range of quality/relevance of those flow is vast

1. Does this pose a challenge to surfacing those flows in the instance creation workflow, especially if the user first has to click a single tile to access community contributions?
2. Since users can access those anyway when they are FlowFuse customers, I don't think this is an impediment to us surfacing them for use. We should, though, inform the user that the flows they are browsing through are not community contributions and not endorsed by FlowFuse unless indicated otherwise.

[joepavitt]

Does this pose a challenge to surfacing those flows in the instance creation workflow, especially if the user first has to click a single tile to access community contributions?

I think it presents the same challenge users stress with the community nodes - having thousands of things to choose from where hte quality of those things is generally very low and irrelevant is a distraction, and doesn't help a user get the value they need (reliable/professional templates)

[gstout52]

Does this pose a challenge to surfacing those flows in the instance creation workflow, especially if the user first has to click a single tile to access community contributions?

I think it presents the same challenge users stress with the community nodes - having thousands of things to choose from where hte quality of those things is generally very low and irrelevant is a distraction, and doesn't help a user get the value they need (reliable/professional templates)

Yes, agreed, but in light of #2 above, I think that since users can do that anyway, there is no harm in us making it easier for them to do ( = user value), and in a way that has clear business value.

[gstout52]

Can you take this one @cstns ? This would be for flows.nodered.org.

[cstns]

If the course of action is to add a new tab on the last step of the multi-step form (flows) that sources the flows from flows.nodered.org and it has a readily available API I can hook into, yes. I'm unfamiliar with the way NR is sourcing the public catalog.

[gstout52]

@knolleary Can you confirm if @cstns 's proposal could work?