Upgrading Shapes for the Rich Text Editor

Coming late May 2026

This article describes our upcoming Rich Text Editor, planned for release in late May. The feature is not yet available in production. Details and timelines are subject to change.

Why am I being asked to upgrade a shape?

Procedureflow is introducing a Rich Text Editor that makes editing content easier and more visual.

Most shapes upgrade automatically. However, a small number of shapes contain older formatting patterns that can’t be automatically converted. When you open one of these shapes, it will open in Plain Text Mode instead of Rich Text mode.

To enable Rich Text editing, the shape must first be upgraded.

Note Upgrading a shape only affects how the content is edited.

End users will not see any changes until you save the shape and publish the change request - if formatting issues are not corrected before saving, the formatting may not appear as expected.

You can review your changes before saving to ensure everything displays as expected.

What does “Upgrade this shape” mean?

Upgrading a shape converts its content to the new Markdown format used by the Rich Text Editor.

When you click Upgrade to Rich Text:

  1. The shape’s content switches to the new Markdown formatting engine.
  2. The editor checks whether the existing text follows valid Markdown syntax.
  3. If formatting issues exist, you can correct them before saving.
  4. Once saved, the shape can be edited using the Rich Text Editor toolbar.

Important notes:

  • Your content is not automatically changed or rewritten.
  • You may need to fix some formatting before saving.
  • Until the shape is upgraded, Rich Text editing will remain disabled.

After upgrading, the shape behaves like any other Rich Text-enabled shape.

What happens if I don’t upgrade?

You can continue editing the shape in Plain Text Mode.

However:

  • The Rich Text Editor will not be available
  • You will see the underlying Markdown formatting
  • The upgrade prompt will continue appearing when you open the shape
Scenario Steps Outcome
Immediately undo the shape update
  1. Upgrade shape to Rich Text.
  2. Click update on the shape.
  3. Immediately click undo.
 Shape will be reverted to state prior to upgrading to Rich Text.
Close window without saving
  1. Upgrade shape to Rich Text.
  2. Click update on the shape.  
  3. Close window without saving.
 Shape will be reverted to state prior to upgrading to Rich Text.
Decline change request
  1. Upgrade the shape to Rich Text.
  2. Click update on the shape.
  3. Save the flow and submit the change request.
  4. Change request is declined.
 Shape will be reverted to state prior to upgrading to Rich Text.
Cancel change request
  1. Upgrade the shape to Rich Text.
  2. Click update on the shape.
  3. Save the flow and submit the change request.
  4. Change request is cancelled.
  5. New change request is opened (by same or different user)
 Shape will be reverted to state prior to upgrading to Rich Text.

How to fix formatting issues

If your shape cannot be automatically upgraded, it usually means the text contains invalid or outdated Markdown formatting.

You can resolve this by correcting the formatting in Plain Text Mode.

This article covers the most common Markdown formatting patterns used in Procedureflow.

Known Formatting Issues

The following are known instances requiring manual upgrade. Other edge cases involving markdown syntax errors may also require manual upgrade.

  • Email Addresses: Previously email addresses rendered as plain text. They will now be clickable links. Upgrade to rich text to apply this change and reformat the text if necessary.
  • Website URLS: The new rich text editor more intuitively interprets URLs as clickable links. Upgrade to rich text to apply this change and reformat the text if necessary. URLs with spaces in them will need spaces removed in order to work properly.
  • Lists with extra spaces: If your list has extra empty lines inserted using markdown, it might look slightly different after the upgrade. Upgrade to rich text to apply this change and edit the list spacing if the upgraded rendering needs adjustment.
  • Tables handle empty cells more accurately: Tables will be more accurate, but you might notice small layout changes if some cells were left blank. Upgrade to rich text to apply this change and edit the table layout if the upgraded rendering needs adjustment.

Tip  If upgrading to Rich Text renders an email address or URL as clickable and you prefer it to render as plain text, highlight the text and click the bin icon to remove the link.

What if my content still doesn’t render correctly?

You can easily start fresh using the Rich Text Editor once a shape has been upgraded.

  1. Copy any text you want to keep.
  2. Delete the existing content in the shape.
  3. Recreate the content using the Rich Text Editor toolbar.

This can often be faster than troubleshooting complex Markdown formatting, especially for shapes that contain older or complex formatting patterns.

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