Workflow Guide

CHAPTER 5

Workflow Modeler

This chapter has general information about how to create workflow processes using the Workflow Modeler. It has these sections:

• About the Workflow Modeler

• Starting the Workflow Modeler

• About the Modeler window

• Adding activities

• Adding links

• Using scoped paths

• Creating link expressions

• Validating a process

• Adding text labels

• Setting object display properties

• Using the layout features

• Using the zoom features

• Using the grid features

• Using the Bird's Eye View

• Creating a process resource view

About the Workflow Modeler

The Workflow Modeler allows you to create and save an XML document that can be executed by the workflow engine at runtime. Creating a workflow process is a three-step process:

1. Use the graphing environment of the Workflow Modeler to lay out the logic of your process:

   • Add activities

   • Create links between activities

   • Add labels (optional)

2. Use the Property Inspector to configure activity and link properties that link the process to the resources of your exteNd Director environment.

3. Save the process in your project resource set. The Workflow Modeler converts it to a process definition that the workflow engine can execute.

Starting the Workflow Modeler

To start the Workflow Modeler you create a new process or open an existing one.

To create a workflow process:

1. In the development environment, select File>New.

2. Click the Workflow tab:

   

3. Select Workflow Process and click OK.

   The main window of the Workflow Modeler opens in the editing area. The flag icon represents the Start activity for the process:

   

To save a workflow process:

1. Select File>Save from the exteNd Director menu.

   If the Workflow Modeler detects any mistakes in the process, a popup message informs you and asks if you would like to save anyway. This validation occurs on all save events. You can address the warnings later.

2. Click Yes.

   If this is your first save, the Save As dialog appears.

   The contents of the workflow process definitions folder display in your project resource set. Although you can specify another directory, it is recommended that you accept the default.

3. Specify a file name and click Save.

To open a workflow process:

1. Select File>Open from the exteNd Director menu.

2. Navigate to the workflow process in your project resource set.

3. Double-click to open.

Process properties

You can access the process property sheet to view current information about the process and set UI properties.

To access process properties:

1. Do one of the following:

   • Click the Properties icon on the Modeler toolbar:

     

     OR

   • With the cursor in the Modeler window, right-click and select Properties.

   The Property Inspector displays the process properties:

   

2. Edit or view the process properties:

   Property	Description
   Name	The formal name of the process. The default is the name specified for the process descriptor.
   Description	A description of the process intended for the Workflow Modeler user.
   Roles	A semicolon-delimited list of existing security roles that are authorized to start a process and create workitems. For example: authors;developers;managers     For more information, see the chapter on using security roles in the User Management Guide.
   Show Precedence Labels	Specifies whether precedence labels should be displayed in the workflow graph. When an activity is linked to more than one other activity, the Workflow engine uses precedence to determine which link to follow. Each link has a precedence number associated with it. In cases where more than one link expression might evaluate to true, the engine evaluates the links in precedence order, following the first link that returns true.
   Template	Specifies whether this workflow can be used as a template for the creation of other workflows.
   WorkName	A descriptive name for the Workflow Modeler user.

About the Modeler window

Providing more screen space   To provide more screen space you can close the Navigation and Output Panes in exteNd Director by clicking the panel view selectors:

Command features   Here are the command features of the Workflow Modeler:

Navigating, selecting, and moving objects

To navigate the window:

1. With the General tab selected, click the Pan button on the toolbar to change the cursor to pan mode:

   

2. Drag the hand cursor on the graph area to scroll the graph in the editing area.

You can also use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to achieve the same effect.

To select objects:

1. With the General tab selected, click the Select button on the toolbar:

   

   NOTE:   Select mode is the default

2. Click any object to select it.

3. To select multiple objects, click empty space and drag the selection rectangle around the group.

To move objects:

1. Select the object.

2. Drag it to where you want it.

   When you move an activity, any associated links move with it.

Adding activities

An activity represents a workitem in the workflow process. You associate the activity with a workitem and/or business logic by setting properties on the activity icon, or node.

Workflow activity types

The following is a summary of the activities in the Workflow Modeler. For details about activity properties and usage, click on the appropriate item:

To add an activity:

1. Click the Activities tab.

   The activity toolbar displays:

   

2. Select an activity type.

3. Click anywhere on the graph to place the activity. Click and drag to move.

To delete an activity:

1. Select the activity.

2. Press the Delete key or right-click and select Delete.

To access activity properties:

1. Select the activity.

2. Right-click and select Properties—or click the Eye icon on the General tab.

3. Click the appropriate tab in the property sheet.

       The properties are specific for the activity type. For more information, see Workflow activity types.

Adding links

A link is a single logical path from one activity to another activity. Each link represents a potential routing of workitems exiting a single activity. Links are represented by arrows in the Workflow Modeler.

Workflow link types

There are two types of links:

To create a link:

1. Click the Links tab.

   The link toolbar displays:

   

2. Select a link type.

3. Click on an activity and drag from the starting activity to the target activity, then release the mouse button.

       See also Drawing a link segment.

To delete a link:

1. Select the link.

2. Press the Delete key or right-click and select Delete.

To access link properties:

1. Select the link.

2. Click the Eye icon on the General tab—or right-click and select Properties.

3. Click the appropriate tab in the property sheet.

       Properties are specific for the link type. For more information, see Workflow link types.

Drawing a link segment

A segment is the line between two points of a link. Segments are purely cosmetic. You can use them to enhance the legibility and appearance of the process model:

To draw a segment:

1. Click any point on a link and drag in any direction.

   The point you drag becomes the bend in the link.

2. Release the mouse button at the point where you want to end the segment.

3. Click again and drag to add another segment.

4. For the final segment, drag to the destination activity and click on it.

Using scoped paths

Scoped paths allow you to associate data with workflow activities and links. exteNd Director provides a set of predefined scoped paths that you can access using the Scoped Path Navigator.

    For background information about scoped paths, see the chapter on working with scoped paths in Developing exteNd Director Applications.

This section describes how to:

• Associate scoped paths directly with the primary property for an activity

• Copy scoped paths before or after an activity or a link executes in the flow

Associating a scoped path with an activity

You can use a scoped path to associate an object with an activity. To do this, you specify a scoped path as the value for the activity's primary property.

Activities you can associate   You can do this with any of the following types of activities:

• Portlet activity

• User activity

• Java activity

• Rule activity

• Start activity

• Web Service activity

• Composer Service activity

Two procedures   Associating a scoped path with an activity requires two procedures:

• To associate a scoped path with an activity's primary property:

• To specify a scoped path:

To associate a scoped path with an activity's primary property:

1. Select the activity, then right-click and select Properties.

2. In the Property Inspector, click the tab that has the primary property. This tab typically has the same name as the activity. For example, the Pageflow activity has a Pageflow tab where you can set the primary property.

3. Click the primary property for the selected activity. For details, see Workflow activity types.

   The Choose The Scoped XPath dialog displays showing the default predefined path for this activity type:

   

   The Show XML File Content check box applies to the Browse option. If selected, the XPath Navigator will display the tree contents of the XML file. If not selected the contents will not display. For more information, see To browse to a new path:.

4. Complete the next procedure to specify a scoped path.

To specify a scoped path:

1. Use one of these methods to specify the path:

   To enter the path directly:

   • Type the path in the text box.

     This requires that you know the syntax for the scoped path. For more information, see the section on predefined scoped paths in Developing exteNd Director Applications.

   To select another path or a path already defined for this flow:

   • Open the dopdown list for the current path:

     

   • Select another predefined path from the top of the list, or select a current path (already defined for this flow) from the bottom of the list.

     TIP:   If you choose a current path that accesses the resource set, you can display the contents of the file by clicking the icon next to the Browse button.

   To browse to a new path:

   • Click Browse.

     When you click Browse the XPath Navigator displays:

     

     The XPath Navigator is an interactive tool that allows you to specify the path using a tree view (where applicable) and the XPath expression builder. The available options depend on the scoped path you selected.

         For more information on using the XPath Navigator, see the section on using the XPath Navigator in Developing exteNd Director Applications.

2. Click OK.

Editing a scoped path   To edit an existing scoped path, repeat the two procedures above (To associate a scoped path with an activity's primary property: and To specify a scoped path:).

Copying scoped paths

With the exception of the Start and Finish activites, you can copy scoped paths before or after the execution of any activity, and copy scoped paths after the execution of a any link.

    For design considerations that relate to copying scoped paths, see the section on copying scoped paths in Developing exteNd Director Applications.

To copy a scoped path before or after an activity:

1. Select the activity, then right-click and select Properties.

2. In the Property Inspector click the Copy Scoped XPaths tab.

   • To copy the scoped path before execution, click the link Edit Scoped XPaths under Copy Before.

   • To copy the scoped path after execution, click the link Edit Scoped XPaths under Copy After.

   The appropriate Copy dialog (Copy Before or Copy After) displays:

   

3. Click the ellipsis for From scope.

   The dialog displays the default predefined scope for this activity type. If you want to use another scope, select it from the dropdown list.

4. To specify the path, use one of the methods described under To specify a scoped path:.

5. Click the ellipsis for To scope. Repeat the procedure for specifying the From scope.

6. On the Copy Scope dialog, click Add, then click OK to exit the dialog.

7. To edit an existing scope, repeat the procedure and click Update instead of Add.

To copy a scoped path after the execution of a link:

1. Select the link, then right-click and select Properties.

2. In the Property Inspector click the link Edit Scoped XPaths under Copy Scoped XPaths.

   The Copy Scoped XPaths dialog displays:

   

3. Click the ellipsis for From scope

   The dialog displays the default predefined scope for this activity type. If you want to use another scope, select it from the dropdown list.

4. To specify the path, use one of the methods described under To specify a scoped path:.

5. Click the ellipsis for To scope. Repeat the procedure for specifying the From scope.

6. On the Copy Scope dialog click Add, then click OK to exit the dialog.

7. To edit an existing scope, repeat the procedure and click Update instead of Add.

Accessing scoped paths

You can view all of the current paths used for a selected object in the flow or for all objects in the flow.

To access current scoped paths for an activity or link:

1. Select the object.

2. Right-click and choose Scoped paths.

   The Available Scoped XPaths dialog displays.

To access all current paths in the flow:

1. Do one of the following:

   • From the Workflow menu, select View Scoped Paths.

     OR

   • With no objects selected, right-click and choose Scoped paths.

   The Available Scoped XPaths dialog displays.

2. Click a scoped path. Notice that the objects that use it are highlighted, as shown with the Java activity in this example:

   

Copying a scoped path to the clipboard

Form the Available Scoped XPaths dialog you can copy a selected path to the clipboard and paste it wherever you want.

To copy a scoped path to the clipboard:

1. Access the scoped paths using one of the methods described in the preceding section.

2. Select the path you want to copy.

3. Double-click the path or click Copy to Clipboard at the bottom of the dialog.

4. Go to where you want to copy the path and press Ctrl+V.

Creating link expressions

Link expressions let you dynamically route work based on runtime workitem values. The expression builder allows you to test workitem properties in simple or compound expressions that evaluate to true or false. Expressions apply to the Simple link only.

    For more information, see Simple link.

To specify a link expression:

1. Select a Simple link, then right click and select Properties.

2. In the Property Inspector select Edit Expression.

   The Expression dialog displays:

   

3. Click Choose Scope to access a workitem.

4. To specify the path, use one of the methods described under To specify a scoped path:.

5. In the Value field, specify the value to test against the scoped data.

6. Select the operator from the data operator dropdown list.

7. Select the data type (which must match the scoped data) in the data type dropdown.

   The expression builder validates your entry:

   • For Boolean, you must enter true or false.

   • For Timestamp, use this format:

       MM/DD/YYY < optional: HH:MM:SS>
     

8. Click Add to add the expression to the text area at the bottom.

9. To add additional clauses to the expression, select the appropriate item from the logical operator dropdown, complete the clause, and click Add for as many clauses as you need.

   NOTE:   Enable the Not check box to negate the current expression.

10. To edit or delete an expression, click Update or Delete.

11. Click OK when you're done.

Validating a process

You can validate a process at design time whenever you choose. The Workflow Modeler analyzes the process structure and displays any errors encountered. Note that the validation applies to the design-time process structure only.

To validate a process:

• Use one of these methods:

  • Select Validate Process from the Workflow toolbar menu.

    OR

  • Right-click and select Validate Process.

Adding text labels

Labels are separate objects in the graphing environment and have their own property sheets. Labels have two forms: floating and attached.

Floating labels

Floating labels are simply text you place on your workflow graph and have no association with another workflow graph object. Titles, version numbers, notes, and legends are all good uses for floating labels.

To create a floating label:

1. From the Workflow Modeler toolbar, select the Label button:

   

2. Click the location on the graph where you want the label to appear.

   The label appears as a box with the text Untitled inside.

   Each click creates a new label.

3. From the toolbar, select the arrow button.

4. Double-click inside a new label and edit the text.

5. Click outside the label to save your changes.

Attached labels

Most labels are associated with an activity or link and are called attached labels. By default, activities and links start with a label.

To edit an attached label:

1. In the Workflow Modeler, right-click an activity icon or link.

2. From the popup menu, select Create Label.

   A label appears directly below the activity or link.

3. Double-click inside the label and edit the text.

4. Click outside the label to save your changes.

An activity or link can have many labels. You can reposition the attached by dragging it to a new location. Note the line that appears as you drag. This line indicates the activity or link the label is attached to.

To format any label:

1. In the Workflow Modeler, right-click the label and select Properties.

   The Property Inspector displays showing the current formatting properties. (If the Property Inspector is already open, just click the label.)

2. Select the Design UI tab.

3. Make the changes you want.

       For a description of the UI properties, see Setting object display properties.

To delete a label:

1. Select the label.

2. Press the Delete key.

Setting object display properties

Each activity, link, and label has a set of graphical properties associated with it. Select and right-click an element, and the properties of the element are displayed in the Design UI tab in the Property Inspector. The table below describes the graphical properties found on some or all of the elements:

Using the layout features

The layout is the arrangement of the activities, links, and labels in your graph. The Workflow Modeler has a sophisticated layout feature that can completely rearrange your graph to maximize readability and minimize space.

You can specify whether you want the new arrangement to have a horizontal or vertical orientation and whether you want links drawn as diagonal lines or composed of perpendicular segments.

There are two kinds of layout: full layout and incremental layout.

Full layout

Full layout gives the Workflow Modeler great freedom to move activities, links, and labels around the graph.

For example, this figure displays a hand-arranged layout:

This figure shows the result of applying a full layout to the hand-arranged layout:

To apply a full layout:

• Choose Workflow >Full Layout.

  OR

• Press Ctrl+Shift+L.

Incremental layout

Incremental layout attempts to make a graph more attractive and organized but also tries to keep the basic design of your hand-arranged layout.

This figure shows the result of applying an incremental layout to the hand-arranged layout:

To apply an incremental layout:

• Choose Workflow>Incremental Layout.

  OR

• Press Ctrl+Shift+M.

TIP:   Try a layout on your graph and select Edit>Undo to back out of a layout you don't want.

Setting preferences

You can set layout preferences for a workflow graph. These preferences let you specify whether you want the new arrangement to have a horizontal or vertical orientation and whether you want link links drawn as diagonal lines or composed of perpendicular segments.

To set layout preferences:

1. Choose Workflow>Layout Settings.

   

2. Select an orientation.

3. Select a link style.

4. Click OK.

Undoing a layout

You can undo a layout selection and return to the previous layout.

To undo or redo a layout:

• From the Main Menu select Edit>Undo.

• From the Main Menu select Edit>Redo.

Using the zoom features

The Workflow Modeler gives you four ways to zoom:

To zoom using the toolbar:

• Select the appropriate icon from the General tab on the toolbar.

  OR

• Right-click in the Modeler window and select Zoom><option> from the popup window.

Using the grid features

The Workflow Modeler includes a drawing grid that works much like the grid in any graphics program:

• When the grid is visible, the corners of activity and label objects stick to the intersections of horizontal and vertical grid lines. This makes it much easier to line up objects and use consisting spacing.

• When the grid is invisible, objects can be positioned without constraint in one-pixel increments.

• Turning the grid on does not reposition existing items to align with the grid.

To turn the grid on or off:

• Choose Workflow>Toggle Grid.

  OR

• Click the Grid button from the Workflow Modeler toolbar:

  

  OR

• Press Ctrl+Shift+G.

To change the spacing of grid lines (grid size):

1. Choose Workflow>Grid Size.

   The Grid Size dialog displays:

   

2. Enter a value in pixels from 7.5 to 1000.

   The default is 10.

3. Click OK.

Using the Bird's Eye View

The Bird's Eye View is a popup window that gives you a view of the entire workflow graph to help you find your way around in a large graph. The Bird's Eye View window:

• Appears when you click the Bird's Eye View button on the Workflow Modeler toolbar:

  

• Stays on top as you work in the graph area

• Is dismissed by clicking the X button in the upper-right corner

• Can be resized by dragging the corners

• Indicates the area visible in the graph window with a blue outline box

You can use the blue outline box of the Bird's Eye View window to do several useful things:

Creating a process resource view

You can create a custom view of all resource files associated with a workflow. Once you've created the view, you can use display it on the View tab.

TIP:   To get to the View tab, you need to first click on the Resources tab in the Navigation Pane.

To create a custom view for a workflow process:

• Choose Workflow> Create Resource View.

Copyright © 2004 Novell, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 SilverStream Software, LLC. All rights reserved.  more ...