Amazon CodeCatalyst is no longer open to new customers. Existing customers can continue to use the service as normal. For more information, see [How to migrate from CodeCatalyst](migration.md).

# Creating a workflow
<a name="workflows-create-workflow"></a>

A *workflow* is an automated procedure that describes how to build, test, and deploy your code as part of a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) system. A workflow defines a series of steps, or *actions*, to take during a workflow run. A workflow also defines the events, or *triggers*, that cause the workflow to start. To set up a workflow, you create a *workflow definition file* using the CodeCatalyst console's [visual or YAML editor](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//codecatalyst/latest/userguide/flows.html#workflow.editors).

**Tip**  
For a quick look at how you might use workflows in a project, [create a project with a blueprint](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//codecatalyst/latest/userguide/projects-create.html#projects-create-console-template). Each blueprint deploys a functioning workflow that you can review, run, and experiment with.

Use the following procedure to create a workflow in CodeCatalyst. The workflow will be stored as a YAML file in a `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/` folder in the chosen source repository. Optionally, you can store the workflow in a subfolder of `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/` by prefacing the workflow file name with a folder name when you commit it. For more information, see the following instructions.

For more information about workflows, see [Build, test, and deploy with workflowsBuild, test, and deploy with workflows](workflow.md).

------
#### [ Visual ]<a name="workflows-create"></a>

**To create a workflow using the visual editor**

1. Open the CodeCatalyst console at [https://codecatalyst.aws/](https://codecatalyst.aws/).

1. Choose your project.

1. In the navigation pane, choose **CI/CD**, and then choose **Workflows**.

1. Choose **Create workflow**.

   The **Create workflow** dialog box appears.

1. In the **Source repository** field, choose a source repository where the workflow definition file will reside. If no source repository exists, [create one](source-repositories-create.md).

1. In the **Branch** field, choose a branch where the workflow definition file will reside.

1. Choose **Create**.

   Amazon CodeCatalyst saves the repository and branch information in memory, but the workflow is not yet committed.

1. Choose **Visual**.

1. Build the workflow:

   1. (Optional) In the workflow diagram, choose the **Source** and **Triggers** box. A **Triggers** pane appears. Choose **Add trigger** to add a trigger. For more information, see [Adding triggers to workflows](workflows-add-trigger-add.md).

   1. Choose **\$1 Actions** (top-left). The **Actions** catalog appears.

   1. Choose the plus sign (**\$1**) inside an action to add it to the workflow. Use the pane on the right to configure the action. For more information, see [Adding an action to a workflow](workflows-add-action.md).

   1. (Optional) Choose **Workflow properties** (top-right). A **Workflow properties** pane appears. Configure the workflow name run mode, and compute. For more information, see [Configuring the queuing behavior of runs](workflows-configure-runs.md) and [Configuring compute and runtime images](workflows-working-compute.md).

1. (Optional) Choose **Validate** to validate the workflow's YAML code before committing.

1. Choose **Commit**, and on the **Commit workflow** dialog box, do the following:

   1. For **Workflow file name**, leave the default name or enter your own. The file will be stored in a `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/` folder in the chosen source repository and branch. You can preface the file name with a folder or subfolder. Examples:
      + Specifying `my-workflow` (no folder) stores the file as `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/my-workflow.yaml`
      + Specifying `folder/subfolder/my-workflow` stores the file as `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/folder/subfolder/my-workflow.yaml`

   1. For **Commit message**, leave the default message or enter your own.

   1. For **Repository** and **Branch**, choose the source repository and branch for the workflow definition file. These fields should be set to the repository and branch that you specified earlier in the **Create workflow** dialog box. You can change the repository and branch now, if you'd like.
**Note**  
After committing your workflow definition file, it cannot be associated with another repository or branch, so make sure to choose them carefully.

   1. Choose **Commit** to commit the workflow definition file.

------
#### [ YAML ]

**To create a workflow using the YAML editor**

1. Open the CodeCatalyst console at [https://codecatalyst.aws/](https://codecatalyst.aws/).

1. Choose your project.

1. In the navigation pane, choose **CI/CD**, and then choose **Workflows**.

1. Choose **Create workflow**.

   The **Create workflow** dialog box appears.

1. In the **Source repository** field, choose a source repository where the workflow definition file will reside. If no source repository exists, [create one](source-repositories-create.md).

1. In the **Branch** field, choose a branch where the workflow definition file will reside.

1. Choose **Create**.

   Amazon CodeCatalyst saves the repository and branch information in memory, but the workflow is not yet committed.

1. Choose **YAML**.

1. Build the workflow:

   1. (Optional) Add a trigger to the YAML code. For more information, see [Adding triggers to workflows](workflows-add-trigger-add.md).

   1. Choose **\$1 Actions** (top-left). The **Actions** catalog appears.

   1. Choose the plus sign (**\$1**) inside an action to add it to the workflow. Use the pane on the right to configure the action. For more information, see [Adding an action to a workflow](workflows-add-action.md).

   1. (Optional) Choose **Workflow properties** (top-right). A **Workflow properties** pane appears. Configure the workflow name, run mode, and compute. For more information, see [Configuring the queuing behavior of runs](workflows-configure-runs.md) and [Configuring compute and runtime images](workflows-working-compute.md).

1. (Optional) Choose **Validate** to validate the workflow's YAML code before committing.

1. Choose **Commit**, and on the **Commit workflow** dialog box, do the following:

   1. For **Workflow file name**, leave the default name or enter your own. The file will be stored in a `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/` folder in the chosen source repository and branch. You can preface the file name with a folder or subfolder. Examples:
      + Specifying `my-workflow` (no folder) stores the file as `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/my-workflow.yaml`
      + Specifying `folder/subfolder/my-workflow` stores the file as `~/.codecatalyst/workflows/folder/subfolder/my-workflow.yaml`

   1. For **Commit message**, leave the default message or enter your own.

   1. For **Repository** and **Branch**, choose the source repository and branch for the workflow definition file. These fields should be set to the repository and branch that you specified earlier in the **Create workflow** dialog box. You can change the repository and branch now, if you'd like.
**Note**  
After committing your workflow definition file, it cannot be associated with another repository or branch, so make sure to choose them carefully.

   1. Choose **Commit** to commit the workflow definition file.

------