Connectors

A Gated connector is the link between two steps that keeps the second step hidden on mobile until the first step is done. It is the right pick whenever order matters, like making sure a photo is taken before a temperature reading is recorded. You build it on the canvas; staff feel its effect in the mobile app.

What a Gated connector is for

When you wire two steps together with a Gated connector, the second step does not appear in the work run on the mobile app until the first step has been completed. Staff finish step 1, the next step pops in, then they can carry on.

The tooltip on the Gated button in the connector picker reads: Next step stays hidden until this one is completed.

Good fits include:

• Enforcing a real-world order, like "take a photo of the cleaned surface before recording the temperature"
• Gating a sensitive step so the worker can not skip past prep work, like signing off only after the inspection is filled in
• Building a step-by-step procedure where each step builds on the last
• Cutting visual clutter on mobile, so staff only see the next thing they need to do

How to pick a Gated connector on the canvas

You pick the connector type when you add a step below an existing step. The Gated option only appears when you are adding below an existing element step, not directly below the trigger.

1. Click the round + button below the step you want to connect from
2. The connector picker opens with two options: Open (down-arrow icon) and Gated (lock icon)
3. Click Gated
4. A second picker opens showing the element types you can add
5. Pick the element type for the new step

The new step is added below, and the line between the two steps shows a small padlock at the midpoint.

How to tell a Gated connector on the canvas

A Gated connector shows a padlock icon in a small circle at the midpoint of the line between two steps. Hover over the padlock and a tooltip reads: Gated — next step stays hidden until this one is completed.

When you click the line itself, the padlock is replaced with a small toolbar. The + button (tooltip Insert step here) drops a new step into the middle of the line, and the red bin button (tooltip Delete connection) removes the connector. Clicking elsewhere on the canvas returns the padlock to view.

How a gated step looks to staff on mobile

Staff never see the words "Open" or "Gated". They just see the steps appear in order. A step behind a Gated connector stays hidden in the work run until the step before it is marked complete.

Once a gated step becomes visible, it shows a small ↳ arrow in the left margin to signal that it depends on an earlier step. If a whole group of steps sits behind one gate, the arrow appears at the group's top and the group is indented. Chained gates work the same way: if step A gates step B and step B gates step C, then C only appears once both A and B are complete.

Tips

• Use Gated only where order genuinely matters. Over-using it makes mobile feel slow and rigid
• The padlock on the canvas is your at-a-glance signal that a step is gated. If you scan a template and only see plain lines, you can be confident nothing is hidden behind another step
• A gate is on the connector, not on the step itself. The same step can be Open in one template and Gated in another
• If you change your mind, click the line, delete the connection with the red bin button, then re-add the step with an Open connector. The step itself stays put
• The ↳ arrow staff see on mobile is the live result of your Gated connector. If staff report a step appearing out of order, check the connector on the canvas first

A decision connector lets Poppi read a worker's answer on a step, judge it against a rule you write, and branch the workflow onto a Yes path or a No path. You add it by attaching a Poppi rule to a single step on the canvas, then building out a Yes branch and a No branch underneath it. Poppi picks the branch at run time, so staff only ever see the steps on the path that applies to them.

What a decision connector is for

A decision connector lets a workflow take a different path depending on what a worker actually entered, not just on what was scheduled. You write the rule, Poppi reads the answer on the step above and judges it Yes or No, and only the matching branch runs.

This is the third way to link steps together on the canvas. An Open connector lets staff do both steps in any order, a Gated connector hides the next step until the first is done, and a decision connector splits the flow in two and follows only one branch.

Good fits include:

• Routing a number entry onto a "fine" or "out of range" path, like revealing an escalation step only when a temperature reading is too high
• Splitting a complaint check onto a "minor" or "major" path based on the photo and the worker's note
• Branching after an inspection so the No branch runs a fix-it sequence and the Yes branch runs a quick sign-off
• Picking between two different chains of follow-up steps based on the live answer, not just on a fixed schedule

How a decision connector is built

A decision connector is not a separate node you drop between two steps. It is a Poppi rule attached to a single step. When you write a rule on a step, two extra connection points appear under that step: a green Yes handle on the left and a pink No handle on the right. You build a branch out of each one.

The step keeps its normal bottom handle for the main flow, so a step can carry on down the main column AND fork on a Yes / No rule. Only steps that capture an answer can carry a rule, because Poppi needs something to judge. Guidance steps, which only show information, cannot carry one, and the rule field does not appear on a step that sits inside a group.

Only one branch runs in any given workflow run. Poppi reads the worker's saved answer, judges it against your rule, then reveals the steps on the matching branch.

How to add a decision connector to a step

You add the rule from the step's own card on the canvas, then wire up the two branches.

1. Click the step on the canvas to focus it
2. Find the field labelled Instructions for Poppi (AI) to make a decision near the bottom of the card
3. Type the rule as a plain instruction. The placeholder reads e.g. is the entered number above 8
4. The green Yes handle (left) and pink No handle (right) appear under the card, each with its own + button

Once a rule is written, build out each branch from its + button:

1. Click the + button under the green Yes handle or the pink No handle. The tooltip reads Add step
2. A picker opens showing the element types you can add
3. Pick an element type. The new step spawns on that branch, already connected
4. Keep adding to that branch using the connector picker on the new step, the same way you build the main column

A branch root must be a step, so the picker only offers element types, not groups. Write the rule so the Yes branch is the "happy path" and the No branch handles the exception. It makes the canvas easier to scan.

How a decision connector behaves on mobile

On mobile a worker never sees the branch steps up front. They see the step that carries the rule, answer it, and save.

The moment the answer is saved, a quiet line reading Poppi is checking... appears under the step while Poppi judges it. Once the verdict lands, the steps on the matching branch appear, and the steps on the other branch never show at all. The first step of the branch that ran carries a short note headed Poppi (AI) decision explaining why that path was chosen.

The same thing happens in the workflow runs view on the web app. A step being judged shows Poppi is checking..., and once Poppi decides, the matching branch steps appear with the Poppi (AI) decision note on the first one.

How to remove a decision connector

To take the rule off a step, clear the Instructions for Poppi (AI) to make a decision field back to empty.

If the Yes or No branches are already wired up, a confirmation popup appears titled Remove this Poppi rule?. It reads: "Removing the rule also deletes its Yes and No connections. The steps on those branches stay on the canvas as unconnected steps, so you can rewire or delete them." Click the red Remove rule button to confirm, or Cancel to keep the rule.

To clear a single branch without removing the whole rule, click the line between the step and the first step on that branch, then click the red trash icon in the line's toolbar. The + button on that branch reappears so you can wire a different first step.

Tips

• Use a decision connector when a step's answer should change what runs next. If you only need to gate a later step on completion order, a Gated connector is simpler
• Phrase the rule as a clear yes or no question, like "is the entered number above 8", so Poppi has something definite to judge
• Keep the Yes branch as the happy path and put the exception handling on No. It makes a quick scan of the canvas easier to follow
• Each branch can be as long as you like. Staff on mobile only ever see the path that ran, never the other branch
• Poppi judges the answer at run time when the worker saves the step, so there is no preview button on the canvas. To see how a rule plays out, run the workflow and watch the branch appear in the workflow runs view
• Removing a rule leaves its branch steps on the canvas as loose steps rather than deleting them, so check the canvas afterwards and rewire or delete anything you no longer need