I need to be able to tell when I have put an order through to my warehouse, I need a timeline stamp for when I put a ‘Process’ tag on an order. I would like this automated so the Process tag automatically creates either a timeline comment or a timeline event. I can’t see a way to do this with Flow. I just need some way to track that an order has been but through to the warehouse and when.
I don’t think there’s a way to add timeline comments or events, something I’ve been wanting to do for years now.
In the meantime, you could try to think of alternative ideas, for example:
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add order notes
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add order additional details
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tag the order
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if it’s necessary to be in the timeline, create an auto notification to staff, to then add the comment
Thanks, let’s hope one day Shopify lets us use Flow to add to the timeline, I’ll use an auto notification instead so I have a timestamped record at least.
Wow this explains why none of the Helpdesk applications put “Ticket was created…” comments on the timeline. It’s so weird.
Just bit my teeth out on this as well. I wanted to add a comment with an attachment as well, though. Adding information to the timeline would be a groundbreaking feature, documenting step by step what an automation did on an order.
Especially, since the Flow logs are purged after 14 days.
If there’s an MSM give them direct feedback, otherwise contact a support-advisor directly on the help/chat site https://help.shopify.com
These are the peer to peer forums , feature requests here are like whispering in hurricane.
Whats is a MSM?
The topic is also discussed in different forms on the developer community forum, where there are mostly devs and the Shopify team is listening as well.
And I feel like documenting the interest in features gives some visibility and other the chance to jump on it. But yeah, typically they don’t get any acknowledgment.
I made sure that this specific feature request is discussed there now as well:
If I don’t hear anything back, I will try reaching out to Partner Support, to put it on their radar.
Similar topics:
Some workaround:
- Create an order metafield called “notes” (if you don’t want to use the native order notes)
- Update this field using flow
MSM = merchant success manager , used to be a a selling point of Plus but they pulled that ladder up too so there’s a money threshold to get one now.
Beside metafields, metaobjects might also be an option now that the entry limits are a bit higher.
If you must have comment interactions, and flow doesn’t matter, then it becomes a robotic process automation(RPA) approach.
We’ll probably use metafields for now, as a middle ground.
When metaobjects came out, we ran a test on how many entries were available, before they were properly documented.
How high are they now?
Even with the limit being higher, I don’t like using them for something that could keep filling them up over time with no end in sight 
The limits are in dox now:
Each metaobject definition can have up to 1,000,000 entries.
So this looks like a lot, but actively using them as a comment system entry in a busy shop may hit the limit unexpectedly soon.
Nice, thank you for the link.
I didn’t know they switched to a per-definition limit and increased it that much.
The last number I knew was 40k 