# Question regarding sub flows

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916>\
**Category:** Core Development\
**Created:** [20 October 2019 08:39 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916 "2019-10-20T08:39:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2019 16:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916/21 "2019-10-20T16:05:33Z")

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> [@krambriw](#):
>
> it would anyway not make a flow configuration easier to make and maintain, fiddling around with env variables like that

When you use the subflow you don't have to fiddle around with env variables, you set it up in the subflow properties. You only need to know the feature is implemented using env variables when you are building the subflow.

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**Author:** ![krambriw](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/krambriw/32/5429_2.png) [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2019 16:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916/22 "2019-10-20T16:29:32Z")

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Yes Colin, I know  
But I was initially not looking for such "work-arounds", especially since they are not covering all cases (or node properties), I thought what I felt missing would be a nice NR feature that would enhance the overall user experience and at the same time make it intuitive, easy to use and understand. But I might be the only one left alone on this island...

(In the mean time, even though not exclusively just targeting that, I have looked into how I could put a number of big timers into a sub flow (one of my potential candidates) but it would not work out very well since there are so many configuration properties that anyway cannot be set using env variables)

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**Author:** ![afelix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/afelix/32/9743_2.png) [@afelix](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/afelix)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2019 16:53 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916/23 "2019-10-20T16:53:46Z")

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> [@krambriw](#):
>
> such "work-arounds", especially since they are not covering all cases (or node properties)

I wouldn’t call those workarounds. This is the implementation of the functionality you’re after. Having properties available for subflows is a relatively new feature, 0.20.x from mind. The proper editing interface that you’re seeing now only got added in 1.0.

But because the subflow properties are rather new, older contrib nodes aren’t prepared for using that functionality.

Personally, I don’t see the need for something else in overhead put on top of everything else, when the functionality is already there.

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**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2019 17:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916/24 "2019-10-20T17:08:54Z")

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You are right in that it isn't perfect. In the long run as more nodes allow the use of subflow properties in this way it will get better. Which reminds me, I will have to go through my nodes and bring them up to scratch.

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [20 October 2019 20:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916/25 "2019-10-20T20:47:12Z")

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Yes subflows are an ongoing area for development.

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**Author:** ![krambriw](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/krambriw/32/5429_2.png) [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)\
**Post date:** [21 October 2019 04:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916/26 "2019-10-21T04:56:13Z")

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I had to sleep on this one,,,  
I think I might have been unable to express what I meant. English is not my native...so

I think I should have talked about _inheritance_

Like you have in java and others, a _superclass_ and _subclasses_. That is really what I meant. So maybe flows should be left as is, thats fine

Instead, imagine you create a collection of nodes, in similar way you create a subflow. When you use the,,,_supernode_,,,the instance, the _subnode_, will inherit all methods, properties etc including the _original_ configuration views

In this way it would be really easy to use for the end user. When you configure the nodes "inside" the instance, you really see what you configure and you would configure using the familiar original views.

[Previous page](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/question-regarding-sub-flows/16916.md?page=1)