• The AWS Systems Manager CloudWatch Dashboard will no longer be available after April 30, 2026. Customers can continue to use Amazon CloudWatch console to view, create, and manage their Amazon CloudWatch dashboards, just as they do today. For more information, see [Amazon CloudWatch Dashboard documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch_Dashboards.html). 

# Using the visual design experience
<a name="visual-designer-use"></a>

Learn to create, edit, and run runbook workflows using the visual design experience. When your workflow is ready, save or export it. You can also use it for rapid prototyping. 

## Create a runbook workflow
<a name="visual-designer-create-runbook-workflow"></a>

1. Sign in to the [Systems Manager Automation console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/automation/home?region=us-east-1#/).

1. Choose **Create runbook**.

1. In the **Name** box, enter a name for your runbook, for example, `{{MyNewRunbook}}`.

1. Next to the **Design** and **Code** toggle, select the pencil icon and enter a name for your runbook.

You can now design a workflow for your new runbook.

## Design a runbook
<a name="visual-designer-build"></a>

To design a runbook workflow, move an automation action from the **Actions** browser into the canvas. Place it where you want it in your workflow. You can re-order actions by moving them to a different location. As you move an action onto the canvas, a line shows where you can drop it. After you drop an action, its code is auto-generated and added to your runbook's content.

Use the search box at the top of the **Actions** browser to find an action by name.

After you drop an action onto the canvas, configure it using the **Form** panel on the right. This panel has **General**, **Inputs**, **Outputs**, and **Configuration** tabs for each action on the canvas. The **General** tab has the following sections:
+ The **Step name** identifies the step. Specify a unique value for the step name.
+ The **Description** helps you describe what the action is doing in your runbook's workflow.

The **Inputs** tab contains fields that vary based on the action. For example, the `aws:executeScript` automation action consists of the following sections:
+ The **Runtime** is the language to use for running the provided script.
+ The **Handler** is the name of your function. You must make sure that the function defined in the handler has two parameters: `events` and `context`. The PowerShell runtime doesn't support this parameter. 
+ The **Script** is an embedded script that you want to run during the workflow.
+ (Optional) The **Attachment** is for standalone scripts or .zip files that can be invoked by the action. This parameter is required for JSON runbooks.

The **Outputs** tab helps you specify the values that you want to output from an action. You can reference output values in later actions of your workflow, or generate output from actions for logging purposes. Not all actions will have an **Outputs** tab because not all actions support outputs. For example, the `aws:pause` action doesn't support outputs. For actions that do support outputs, the **Outputs** tab consists of the following sections:
+ The **Name** is the name to be used for the output value. You can reference outputs in later actions of your workflow.
+ The **Selector** is a JSONPath expression string beginning with `"$."` that is used to select one or more components within a JSON element.
+ The **Type** is the data type for the output value. For example, a `String` or `Integer` data type.

The **Configuration** tab contains properties and options that all automation actions can use. The action consists of the following sections:
+ The **Max attempts** property is the number of times an action retries if it fails.
+ The **Timeout seconds** property specifies the timeout value for an action.
+ The **Is critical** property determines if the action failure stops the entire automation.
+ The **Next step** property determines which action the automation goes to next in the runbook.
+ The **On failure** property determines which action the automation goes to next in the runbook if the action fails.
+ The **On cancel** property determines which action the automation goes to next in the runbook if the action is canceled by a user.

To delete an action, you can use backspace, the toolbar above the canvas, or open the context menu and choose **Delete action**.

As your workflow grows, it might not fit in the canvas. To help make the workflow fit in the canvas, try one of the following options: 
+ Use the controls on the side panels to resize or close the panels.
+ Use the toolbar at the top of the canvas to zoom the workflow graph in or out.

## Update your runbook
<a name="visual-designer-update-runbook"></a>

You can update an existing runbook workflow by creating a new version of your runbook. Updates to your runbooks can be made by using the visual design experience, or by editing the code directly. To update an existing runbook, use the following procedure:

1. Sign in to the [Systems Manager Automation console](https://console.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/automation/home?region=us-east-1#/).

1. Choose the runbook that you want to update.

1. Choose **Create new version**.

1. The visual design experience has two panes: A code pane and a visual workflow pane. Choose **Design** in the visual workflow pane to edit your workflow with the visual design experience. When you're done, choose **Create new version** to save your changes and exit.

1. (Optional) Use the code pane to edit the runbook content in YAML or JSON.

## Export your runbook
<a name="visual-designer-export-runbook"></a>

To export your runbook's workflow YAML or JSON code, and also a graph of your workflow, use the following procedure: 

1. Choose your runbook in the **Documents** console.

1. Choose **Create new version**.

1. In the **Actions** dropdown, choose whether you want to export the graph or runbook, and which format you prefer.