In Ecoscope Desktop, workflows are created from workflow templates. Templates contain the processing logic used to generate dashboards, visualizations, and data outputs.

Unlike Ecoscope Web, the Desktop application does not include workflow templates by default. Before creating your first workflow, you must add at least one template to the application.

Templates can be added from a repository, selected from a catalog, or imported from a local folder.

Viewing the Workflow Template Library

To manage templates:

1. Open Ecoscope Desktop
2. Navigate to Workflow Templates in the top navigation bar

If no templates have been added yet, the page will display an empty library. 

Select Add Workflow Template to add your first template.

Add a Workflow Template

When adding a template, Ecoscope Desktop allows three different methods:

• Add from a GitHub repository
• Select from the template catalog
• Import from a local folder

Each option is useful for different types of users and workflows.

Add from a GitHub Repository

If you know the repository where a workflow template is stored, you can add it directly.

1. Click Add Workflow Template
2. Enter the repository URL in the GitHub Link field
3. Click Add Template

Ecoscope will clone the repository and prepare the template for use.

This option is commonly used by developers and users working with workflows that are not yet available in the official catalog.

Browse the Template Catalog

Ecoscope Desktop includes a catalog of commonly used workflow templates that can be added with a few clicks.

1. Click Browse Catalog
2. Select a template from the available options
3. Add the template to your library

Examples of templates that may appear in the catalog include:

• Events Workflow
  Creates dashboards for visualizing and analyzing events.
• Patrols Workflow
  Generates visualizations of patrol trajectories, patrol events, and patrol activity.
• Subject Tracking Workflow
  Creates movement dashboards for tracked subjects.

The catalog contents may evolve as new templates are released.

Import a Local Template

Developers or advanced users may have workflow templates stored locally.

To import a local template:

1. Click Import a Local Folder
2. Select the folder containing the workflow template
3. Confirm the import

This option is useful when developing or testing custom workflows that are not yet published in a repository.

Template Initialization

After a template is added, Ecoscope Desktop performs an initialization step. 

During initialization the application:

• Copies the template into the local template library
• Downloads the runtime environment required to execute the workflow
• Installs any dependencies needed by the template

This process may download up to approximately 1.7 GB of data, depending on the template and environment requirements.

Initialization only occurs the first time a template is added.

Creating Workflows from Templates

Once a template has been successfully added, it will appear in the Workflow Templates library.

From there you can create new workflows based on the selected template.

Each workflow you create uses the logic defined in the template to process data and generate dashboard outputs.

Deleting Templates

Workflow templates can be removed from the template library if they are no longer needed.

Because of this behavior, it is recommended to delete templates only when you are sure that the associated workflows are no longer needed.