---
title: "Step by step and All at once"
description: "Step by step and All at once edit the same Fincanva strategy: one walks you through it a decision at a time, the other puts every settings card on one page."
canonical_url: "https://fincanva.com/docs/strategies/step-by-step-and-all-at-once"
last_updated: "2026-08-23"
md_url: "https://fincanva.com/docs/strategies/step-by-step-and-all-at-once.md"
---

# Step by step and All at once

**Step by step** and **All at once** are Fincanva's two editing views for one and the same strategy. [Step by step](/docs/getting-started/step-by-step) walks you through the strategy one decision at a time; [All at once](/docs/getting-started/all-at-once) puts its settings cards on a single page you can work through in any order. They are two views of one strategy, not two strategies: neither can set something the other cannot on the settings they share, and the view you used never changes what the strategy does or what its [backtest](/docs/getting-started/backtest) computes. On a saved strategy you move between them with one control on each side.

## How do you switch between Step by step and All at once?

You switch with one control on each side, and the switch takes effect immediately:

- **Step by step → All at once** — press **All at once** in the walk-through's header.
- **All at once → Step by step** — press **Step by step** in the strategy's **Settings** header.

Both controls move you between two views of the same open strategy, and both views read and write the same working copy, so nothing you have entered is discarded when you switch. What was unsaved before the switch is still unsaved after it — the switch is not a save.

A new strategy always starts in **Step by step**: you pick its [strategy type](/docs/getting-started/strategy-type) in the **Create new** dialog, and the walk-through opens on the first step that type requires. **All at once** becomes reachable once the strategy is saved — from **Settings** on the strategy's page, or with **All at once** when you reopen it in **Step by step**.

## Which view should you use: Step by step or All at once?

Use **Step by step** when you would rather be walked past every decision, and **All at once** when you already know which setting you want to change. The two differ in how much of the strategy is on screen at once — nothing else.

{/* VISUAL: svg-diagram — one strategy drawn twice side by side: Step by step as a vertical step rail with a single step open, All at once as a grid of settings cards — tracked in VISUAL_BACKLOG */}

|  | Step by step | All at once |
|---|---|---|
| **What it shows** | One step at a time, each titled as a task — **Set up your strategy**, **Pick assets**, **Set risk conditions**, **Distribute capital**, **Define exit rules**, **Review & launch** — with **Back** / **Continue** and a step counter. Only the steps the strategy type requires are on the rail. | The strategy's settings cards together on one page — **Strategy type**, **Rebalance**, **Asset selection**, **Allocation**, **Risk**, **Position exits** — each edited in place, in any order. |
| **When to use it** | A first build, or any change where the order of the decisions is itself the help. | Changing settings you can already name, especially two or three unrelated ones: you edit them on one page, save once, and re-run once. |
| **Where you land from** | Creating a strategy starts here; the **Step by step** control reopens a saved one in it. | **Settings** on the strategy's page, or **All at once** from inside the walk-through. |

The full step rail is described in [Step by step](/docs/getting-started/step-by-step); what each card controls is described in [All at once](/docs/getting-started/all-at-once) and in [Editing a strategy: the settings cards](/docs/strategies/editing-a-strategy-the-settings-cards).

## Limits and edge cases

- **A member strategy opened inside a Combined has no Step by step control** — it is edited in **All at once**. The [Combined](/docs/getting-started/combined) itself does have one, and its walk-through acts on the Combined: how often the Combined rebalances, which of your strategies it blends, how capital is split across them, and the recap. See [Which steps does a Combined walk?](/docs/getting-started/step-by-step#which-steps-does-a-combined-walk).
- **Neither view shows every setting unconditionally.** A setting that is optional for the strategy type is offered under **Optional add-ons** on the **Review & launch** step in **Step by step**, and as an **Add** chip in **All at once**; once you set it up it becomes a full step or a full card.
- **A strategy that doesn't match its strategy type is gated.** In **Step by step** the gate blocks the step and states the fix: "Pick exactly 1 instrument." on a **Single instrument** strategy, "Pick 2 or more instruments." on **Multiple instruments**, "Add at least 1 screener." on **Screener**. Fix the selection, or take the dialog's **Change strategy type** action. In **All at once** the same requirement appears in the **Strategy type** card's confirmation, which lists what the new type requires before you confirm the switch.
- **A Public strategy opens in either view but cannot be saved from it.** Save is disabled, and its tooltip reads:

  > Public strategies can't be saved. Use "Copy to Mine" to make an editable version.

  Make your own copy first and edit that — see [Mine / Public](/docs/getting-started/mine-public).

## Related

To build a strategy from scratch, follow [Create a strategy](/docs/strategies/create-a-strategy-and-choose-its-instruments). To change one you already have, see [Editing a strategy: the settings cards](/docs/strategies/editing-a-strategy-the-settings-cards). To pick the shape that fits your idea, see [Choosing a strategy type](/docs/strategies/choosing-a-strategy-type). To save and re-run after an edit, see [Saving, running, and copying a strategy](/docs/strategies/saving-running-and-copying-a-strategy).