2024 December Release

WorkflowPermanent link for this heading

Users, organizations, organizational units and external organizations can be involved in the processing of business objects via a workflow.

Typical processes are approval and release processes.

Executing an Ad Hoc ProcessPermanent link for this heading

An ad hoc process allows you to define the process flow by yourself. Consequently, you can react flexibly to situations for which no predefined processes are available.

To execute an ad hoc on an object, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate to the desired object.
  2. Make sure that all process participants have the necessary access rights on the object. If necessary, authorize the users in the respective Teamroom.
  3. On the context menu of the object click “Tools” > “Start New Process”.
  4. Select a template for an ad hoc process or start with an empty template. The step is omitted if there are no predefined processes.
    Note: In an empty template, you can also use an existing ad hoc process template by clicking the “Insert Template” button.
  5. If you start with an empty template, define an activity and a participant for the first task in the process. Further information about the possible settings can be found in the next chapter.
  6. Click “Next”, if you do not want to add further activities.
    Otherwise, click “Take”. You can add further activities by selecting an activity and participants and clicking “Take” again. The last activity with a defined participant is considered even if you do not click “Take”.
    Note: If you need the ad hoc process regularly, you can save it as template. You can specify the storage location. All saved personal ad hoc process templates can be found under “account menu (your user name)” > “Advanced Settings” > “Workflow” > “Personal Settings” tab > Ad Hoc Process Templates.

The first activity is placed in the work list of the defined participant.

Note:

  • In an ad hoc process (possibly parallel), activities with different participants can be defined. Further sequence flows can only be used in predefined processes.
  • For ad hoc process templates, the applicability can be defined in the same way as for BPMN processes (Applicable for, Object Class/Category of the File, Object Class/Category of the Teamroom).
  • Deadlines can be defined for activities, depending on your settings (“account menu (your user name)” > “Advanced Settings” > “Workflow” > “Personal Settings” tab).
    • Deadlines as dates can be entered directly in the overview.
    • Initially invisible time spans can be defined using the “Advanced Settings” button.
    • You can either define a time span starting from the current time or using a base date. If the base date changes, the deadline is recalculated.
    • app.ducx expressions for calculating the deadlines can be defined using the “Advanced Settings” button. The expressions are re-evaluated when the activity would become startable and no value already exists.
      Note: If an activity is suspended or delegated, expressions can only be defined if the user has the “Edit BPMN Process Diagrams” policy.
      Example:
      datetime visibledate = coonow + 86400;
      if (coonow.year == 2023) {
        visibledate =       coonow + 172800;
      }
      visibledate;

Activities and ParticipantsPermanent link for this heading

Activities

By default, following activities are provided (apps can provide additional activities):

  • Edit
    Allows editing a document.
  • Forward for Editing (only available in BPMN processes)
    Allows editing a document.
  • Close
    Allows closing a document, such that no further changes are possible.
    Note: The corresponding context menu command is “Tools” > “Close”. If the object should be editable again, you can execute the “Tools” > “Revert Status ‘Closed’” context menu command.
  • Close Documents
    Allows closing documents within a folder, such that no further changes are possible.
  • Close File
    Allows closing a file, such that no further changes are possible on the file and assigned objects.
  • Release
    Allows releasing a document. The document will be signed with a corresponding signature. If the document is released, additionally a release version is created for the document.
  • Release and Close
    Allows releasing and closing a document. The document will be signed with a corresponding signature and closed, such that no further changes are possible.
  • Release Documents
    Allows releasing documents within a folder. The documents will be signed with a corresponding signature. If the documents are released, additionally a release version is created for the documents.
  • Release and Close Documents
    Allows releasing and closing documents within a folder. The documents will be signed with a corresponding signature and closed. If the documents are released, additionally a release version is created for the documents.
  • Approve
    Allows approving a document. The document will be signed with a corresponding signature.
  • Approve and Close
    Allows approving and closing a document. The document will be signed with a corresponding signature and closed, such that no further changes are possible.
  • Approve and Close Documents
    Allows approving and closing documents within a folder. The documents will be signed with a corresponding signature and closed.
  • Forward for Approval (only available in BPMN processes)
    Allows a document to be forwarded for approval.
  • Review
    Allows reviewing a document.
  • Forward for Review (only available in BPMN processes)
    Allows a document to be forwarded for review.
  • Take Note
    Allows taking note of a document. The document will be signed with a corresponding signature.
  • Add Remark
    Allows adding a remark to a document.
  • Add Comment
    Allows adding a comment to a document (see also chapter “Commenting Documents”).
  • Sign Digitally
    Allows creating a PDF document with a digital signature and saving it as final form with the document. In addition, a corresponding signature is applied to the document and the document is closed if it is not already closed.
  • Prepare Signature Folder
    Allows collecting, visually signing and digitally signing several documents of a file.
  • Send
    Allows sending an object as a link or public link.
  • Send Link
    Allows sending an object as a link.
  • Send Public Link
    Allows sending an object as a public link.
  • Release for Usage (only available in BPMN processes)
    Allows a template, form, etc. to be released for usage. In addition, a corresponding signature is applied.

Note:

  • Activities can also be defined parallel. If a predecessor exists, this can be done via a parallel gateway or otherwise the first activities can be inserted loosely without a connection by an edge (duplicating the first activity with Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V).
  • Multi-instance activities can be used for processing an activity sequentially or in parallel by several participants.
  • If the activities “Review”, “Approve” or “Release” are used in ad hoc processes, the following applies:
    • Negative results (e.g. “Approval denied”) are reported via an automatically inserted activity to the person who started the ad hoc process. The remaining commonly prescribed activities that have not yet been completed are set to “Not Executed”.
    • Activities for positive results (e.g. “Released”) are only automatically inserted if they are the last activity in the process.
  • If the activities “Review”, “Approve” or “Release” are inserted in running processes, negative results are reported to the person who inserted the activities. The remaining commonly inserted activities that have not yet been completed are set to “Not Executed”.
  • For objects that are in the worklist, the work steps are also available in the object actions. Conversely, the standard actions of the concerned object are also available in the actions of the activity.
  • For activities, the associated work steps are displayed in the properties and in the info box. For each work step, the following additional information is displayed if it applies:
    • Multiple
    • Must Be Executed
    • Completes Activity
    • Conditionally Visible
    • With Precondition
    • Executed by (for activity instances)
    • Started or Completed (for activity instances; process administrators additionally see the time)

Participants

By default, following participants can be defined:

  • Abstract Participant
    Abstract participants allow generic sequence flows.
    • Process Initiator
      The participant who starts the process.
    • Current User
      The participant who has executed the previous activity or for the first activity, the participant who has started the process.
    • Property of the Object
      The participants are evaluated based on a property of the object (e.g. Last Signature by).
    • Role by Property of the Object
      If an organizational structure is defined in your organization, you can use it in the workflow to determine the process participants. Thus, for example, workflows for material requisitions or leave requests can be easily implemented.
      • Property
        Select a property that contains a user or organizational unit.
        If it is a user, the primary position of the user is determined and thus the assigned organizational unit.
        If it is an organizational unit, this organizational unit is used.
      • Position
        Select the position type (staff member or head) that must be assigned to the primary position of the process participant to be determined.
      • Organizational Unit Type
        Optionally, select a level that must be assigned to the organizational unit of the process participant to be determined. If the organizational unit determined by the property does not have the required level, the organizational unit with the necessary level is determined via the organizational unit hierarchy.
    • Property of the File of the Object
      The participants are evaluated based on a property of the object’s file (e.g. Last Signature by).
    • Role by Property of the File of the Object
      If an organizational structure is defined in your organization, you can use it in the workflow to determine the process participants. Works as the “Role by Property of the Object” abstract participant except that a property of the object’s file is used for the evaluation.
    • Property of the Teamroom of the Object
      The participant is evaluated based on a property of the object’s Teamroom.
    • Role by Property of the Teamroom of the Object
      If an organizational structure is defined in your organization, you can use it in the workflow to determine the process participants. Works as the “Role by Property of the Object” abstract participant except that a property of the object’s Teamroom is used for the evaluation.
  • User
    A concrete participant.
  • Organizational Unit
    A whole organization, organizational unit or external organization.
  • Distribution List
    A list of participants (only usable for multi-instance activities).

Note:

  • Users not yet registered can already be selected as process participants. The users will also receive workflow notification e-mails with a link that allows them to register.
  • Distribution lists can only be used together with multi-instances.
  • An organizational unit or property of the object can be used both in multi-instances and in non-multi-instances.
  • In the case of multi-instances, a separate activity instance is created for each resolved process participant, in the case of non-multi-instances only one activity instance for the entire organizational unit or property of the object is created.
  • Distribution lists are immediately resolved at the start of the process. When a Property of the Object or Organizational Unit is used, the process participants are resolved during the runtime of the workflow (when the state of the corresponding activity is set to “Can Be Started”)

Executing a Predefined ProcessPermanent link for this heading

Recurring processes can be efficiently represented with predefined processes.

To execute a predefined process on an object, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate to the desired object.
  2. Make sure that all process participants have the necessary access rights on the object. If necessary, authorize the users in the respective Teamroom.
  3. In the context menu of the object click “Tools” > “Start New Process”.
  4. Click “Start Process” to directly start the desired process or click “Open Process” to view the process beforehand.

The first activity is placed in the work list of the defined participant.

Handling Processes TogetherPermanent link for this heading

When processes are started together, the same activities that a user needs to execute are shown grouped together in the worklist. The number of identical activities currently in the worklist is displayed in parentheses after the name of the grouped activity. Executing a work step (for example, "Approve") affects all current activities in a grouped activity.

Note: For example, you can start processes together by selecting multiple objects, executing the “Tools” > “Start New Process” context menu command and clicking the “Process Together” button in the following dialog.

Summary Dashboard

Clicking on a grouped activity takes you to the overview dashboard. Which processes are displayed depends on your access rights.

  • Overview of Related Processes
    Shows the processes in progress and the completed processes.
  • My Activities of Processes in Progress
    Shows the activities of the current user (planned, in progress, completed) of the processes in progress.
  • My Activities in Progress
    Shows the activities in progress of the current user of the related processes. Thus, you can also process the activities of the grouped activity individually.
  • All Activities in Progress
    Shows all activities in progress of all process participants of the related processes.

Via the “Show Process Overview” action, you can display all related processes among each other as individual process diagrams.

Work ListPermanent link for this heading

The work list allows processing the respective activities. By default, the work list can be accessed via “Home”.

The work list consists of following lists (only visible if at least one entry is present):

  • To Do
    Contains the current activities that have to be processed.
  • Suspended
    Contains activities that are suspended for a defined time span.
  • Last Finished
    Contains completed activities.
  • Concerned Objects
    Contains objects of the current activities.
  • Tracking
    Contains objects of already completed activities.

Executing a Work Item of an ActivityPermanent link for this heading

An activity can consist of one or several work steps. Work steps can behave differently:

  • One or more work steps of the activity can be defined such that they complete the activity. The process flow continues after executing the work step.
  • A mandatory work step (bold) has to be executed before an activity can be completed. If only mandatory work steps are still available that also complete the activity, only one of these work steps must be executed.
  • A repeatable work step can be executed repeatedly.

To execute a work step, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the work list in the “To Do” list.
  2. Localize the desired activity.
  3. Click the desired work step. Depending on the work step, the corresponding action is carried out (e.g. “Open” opens a document in the corresponding third-party product).

In addition to the name of the work step, the status is indicated in parentheses, if applicable:

  • Work step has not yet been executed: no status text
  • Work step has already been executed: (repeat)
  • Work step could only be carried out once: (executed)
  • Mandatory work step that does not complete the activity has not yet been executed: (to do)
  • Work step is not yet executable: (not executable)
  • Mandatory work step that cannot yet be executed: (to do, not executable)

Note: For work steps that require a password to be entered, the mobile app offers the option of using biometric authentication instead of a password. This requires an active code lock in the mobile app (including biometric unlocking) and permanent login.

Suspending an ActivityPermanent link for this heading

An activity can be suspended to move the processing to a later date. The activity will be moved from the “To Do” list to the “Suspended” list. After the defined time period has elapsed, the respective activity will be moved again to the “To Do” list.

To suspend an activity, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the work list in the desired activity.
  2. Click the “Suspend” action.
  3. Define the desired time span and click “Next”.

Note: By clicking the “Activate” action, a suspended activity can be prematurely moved to the “To Do” list.

Delegating an ActivityPermanent link for this heading

A user can delegate an activity to another user who should complete the activity.

To delegate an activity, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the work list in the desired activity.
  2. Click the “Delegate” action.
  3. Select a participant and click “Next”.

The activity will be stored in the work list of the selected participant.

Note:

  • If an activity is set to ignore completion, no new activities can be inserted if the following activity has already been prescribed. In this case, the “Delegate Multiple” action is available to still be able to assign a copy of the current activity to multiple process participants.
  • If the Team Members Visible to All Members option is disabled for the Teamroom and you do not have “Full Access” in the Teamroom, the “Delegate” action is not available.

Adding an ActivityPermanent link for this heading

The context menu command “Add New Activity” of an activity can be used add ad hoc activities to the process. When adding new activities the current activity is completed. If mandatory work steps of the current activity are still open, you will get the current activity again in your work list as soon as the added activities are completed.

Viewing Processes of an ObjectPermanent link for this heading

To view the processes of an object, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the desired object.
  2. Click the “Properties” action.
  3. Click the “Processes” tab.
  4. Click “Open Process” to display the complete process with any loops and conditions. The process flow that has already been executed is indicated by bold lines. Paths that were not traversed are visualized with dashed lines.
  5. You can use the context menu of the process elements to execute the commands allowed in each case. For example, if you have the appropriate rights, you can change the participant of an activity that has not yet been executed using the “Edit” context menu command.
  6. To make it easier to terminate processes that are no longer relevant, the “Change State” button is available. This allows you to change the state to “In Progress”, “Suspended”, “Completed” or “Aborted”.
  7. A started process can be deleted via the "Delete" button as long as no activity has been started.

Note:

  • The “Processes” tab is only visible if at least one process is present.
  • Completed processes are collapsed by default.
  • When you collapse or expand processes, the state is saved.

Viewing Activities of an ObjectPermanent link for this heading

To view the activities of an object, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the desired object.
  2. Click the “Properties” action.
  3. Click the “Activities” tab.

All current, planned and completed activities are shown.

Note: The “Activities” tab and the fields for current, planned and completed activities are only visible if at least one activity is present.

Process StatisticsPermanent link for this heading

To obtain an overview of the running processes, several process statistics are available that illuminate the individual aspects of process execution.

In the organization policies, on the “Processes” tab, you can define process administrators. The statistics can be displayed for:

  • Process Administrators
    Provides an overview of all predefined and ad hoc processes of the organization.
  • Process Owners
    Provides an overview of all predefined processes for which the user is defined as the process owner.

Note: The process owner can be defined on the “BPMN Process Diagram” tab of a BPMN process diagram.

You access the process statistics via your worklist. The statistics are available for the following three levels: general overview, process definition and specific process.

General Overview

  • Process Statistics
    Provides an overview of the number of running processes and delayed processes.
  • Process Throughput
    Shows the number of started and completed processes and their difference in the selected time period.
  • Running Processes
    Shows the number of running processes and their changes in the selected time period.
  • Running Processes per Process Definition
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the process definitions of the running processes.
  • Current Activities
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the current activities of the running processes.
  • Delayed Activities
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the delayed activities of the running processes.
  • Planned Activities
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the planned activities of the running processes.
  • Activities With Participants Without Access Rights
    Shows the activities in which the participant does not have access to the affected object.
  • Start Date of Running Processes
    Shows the number of running processes grouped by the start date in the selected time period.
  • Due Date of Activities
    Shows the activities of the running processes that need to be processed in the next two weeks.

Process statistics

Based on a Process Definition

  • Process Throughput
    Shows the number of started and completed processes and their difference in the selected time period.
  • Running Processes
    Shows the number of running processes and their changes in the selected time period.
  • Current Activities
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the current activities of the running processes.
  • Delayed Activities
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the delayed activities of the running processes.
  • Planned Activities
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the planned activities of the running processes.
  • Activities With Participants Without Access Rights
    Shows the activities in which the participant does not have access to the affected object.
  • Start Date of Running Processes
    Shows the number of running processes grouped by the start date in the selected time period.
  • Due Date of Activities
    Shows the activities of the running processes that need to be processed in the next two weeks.
  • Processes
    Displays all processes (including completed processes) of the process definition.

Process statistics

Based on a Process

  • Runtime
    Shows the runtime of the process in days compared to the average runtime of the underlying process definition.
  • Activities
    Shows the percentage breakdown of the status of the process's activities.
  • Overview
    Shows the most important metadata of the process.

Note: The “Settings” action can be used to define the time period (from last week to last year) of the time-dependent statistics.

SubstitutionPermanent link for this heading

You can set up a workflow substitution. The substitutes receive all activities of the user they substitute within the defined period of time. Objects to which the substitute has no access are filtered.

The substitute can be defined in the worklist via the “Define Substitutes”. Alternatively, the substitution can also be defined via “account menu (your user name)” > “Advanced Settings” > “Workflow” > “Substitutes” tab.

For substitutes, the activities in the worklist are made available on the “To Do as Substitute” or “Suspended/Pending as Substitute" tabs.

Note: Organization administrators can also define or change a substitution in the member properties on the “Substitutes” tab. In the organization policies, on the “Workflow” tab it can be defined whether members can define substitutes themselves.

SettingsPermanent link for this heading

In the account menu (your user name), the “Advanced Settings” > “Workflow” entry provides following settings:

“Personal Settings” tab

  • Notify Me About the Following Events
    You can define for which workflow events you want to be informed by e-mail or push notification.
    Note: To receive push notifications, you must allow them in your web browser or Fabasoft Cloud App. Push notifications must be additionally allowed in your organization and, if applicable, in the organization of the affected object in order to be sent.
  • Use Tabular Mode for Prescriptions
    Defines whether the graphical or tabular process editor is used for prescriptions. The tabular process editor is especially defined for users who rely on keyboard operation.  
  • Define Deadlines as Time Span (Instead of a Date)
    Defines whether deadlines are entered as time span instead of a date.
  • Show Advanced Settings for Deadlines in Ad Hoc Processes
    Allows you to change the way you enter deadlines. Additionally, you can specify the type of escalation.
  • Show Deadlines for Ad Hoc Processes per Default
    Defines whether the deadlines are displayed by default when prescribing.
  • Show News About New Activities on the Welcome Screen
    Defines whether news about new activities in the worklist are shown on the welcome screen.
  • Show News About Activities Which Have to Be Done in Substitution on the Welcome Screen
    Defines whether news about new activities in the worklist, which have to be carried out as substitute, are shown on the welcome screen.
  • Automatically Open the Next Activity After Finishing an Activity
    Defines whether when finishing an activity, the next activity will be opened or whether the “to do” list will be opened.
  • Ad Hoc Process Templates
    Contains your personal templates for ad hoc processes. If a template is no longer needed you can remove it.
  • Predefined BPMN Processes
    Contains your personal BPMN processes that are released for execution.

Business Processes With BPMN 2.0Permanent link for this heading

The support of BPMN 2.0 (Business Process Model and Notation) allows you to model business processes and benefit from the advantages of a platform-independent notation. The created process diagrams can be directly executed with the workflow engine.

Note: You can only create, edit and release BPMN process diagrams if you are authorized in the Edit BPMN Process Diagrams organizational policy. Explicit authorization is required as app.ducx expressions can be created in the context of BPMN process diagrams.

Creating a BPMN Process DiagramPermanent link for this heading

BPMN process diagrams are used to model business processes, which can be directly executed. The BPMN process diagrams can be used in the context in which they are defined or referenced. To make BPMN process diagrams generally available for Teamrooms (but not for app rooms), use a collection for templates and presettings in “Customizing”. Otherwise, BPMN process diagrams can be stored in app configurations (“Processes” widget), in app rooms (“Templates and Presettings” action > “Process Templates” widget) or in Teamrooms (“Templates and Presettings” action > “Process Templates” widget).

To create a process diagram, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the “Processes” or “Process Templates” widget in the desired context.
  2. Click the “Create Process” action.
  3. Enter a name and click “Next”.
  4. In the context menu of the process diagram, click “Open”.
  5. Model the desired process and click “Next”.
    More information about working with the BPMN editor can be found in the next chapter.
  6. In the context menu of the process diagram, click “Release for Usage”.

Note:

  • In the properties of the BPMN process diagram, on the “Process execution” tab, the Automatically Suspend the Process When Deleting the Affected Object and Activate It When Restoring field defines whether the process is automatically suspended when the affected object is deleted or canceled and again activated when the object is restored.
  • To use a BPMN process, on the one hand the users must be authorized in the corresponding room and on the other hand the BPMN process must be released for usage.
  • On the “Process Execution” tab, all released instances are displayed in the Release Version field and the Formerly Released for Execution field.
  • Changes can be released using the “Re-Release” context menu command. Processes that have already been started continue to run according to the old released BPMN process diagram. New processes are initiated based on the currently released version.
  • You can withdraw the release with the “Withdraw Release” context menu command.

Working With the BPMN EditorPermanent link for this heading

In the graphical BPMN editor, besides the modeling of the process, cloud users and activities can be assigned to BPMN elements, in order to be able to execute the process directly with the workflow engine.

The BPMN editor is subdivided in three areas. The left pane contains the BPMN elements that can be dragged and dropped on the middle design pane. The right pane (folded by default) shows properties for the element that is currently selected in the design pane. The right pane is also used to assign cloud users and activities for process execution.

The keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y can be used to undo and redo actions. Ctrl + S allows saving changes made in the editor. For copying, cutting, pasting and deleting elements the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + C, Ctrl + X, Ctrl + V and Del are provided. The executability of the process can be checked with the “Check Executability” button.

Executable process must or may contain following elements:

  • Pool
    The pool consists of activities of a delimited unit (e.g. an organization). Exactly one pool per process diagram can be put into execution. Thus, the Is executable property must be set to “Yes” for one pool.
    • In the Applicable for field, click the “Edit” button to define the following settings.
      • The Applicable for property is used to restrict processes to object classes and categories. This way processes are only offered if they are useful for the object, on which the process should be executed. When selecting activities for tasks in the BPMN editor, only activities are provided that correspond to the applicability of the process diagram. If the process is restricted to a category of a user-defined form, the defined fields can be used in the condition editor. If the process is restricted to the category of a user-defined base form, the process can also be used for forms derived from the base form.
      • The Object Class/Category of the File property can be used to define the object class or category of the object’s file. This allows access to the properties of the file when defining the abstract participants “Property of the File of the Object” and “Role by Property of the File of the Object”.
      • The Expression for Determining the Visibility property defines an app.ducx expression that determines whether the process is offered for selection when a process is started.
      • The Expression for Determining the Usability property defines an app.ducx expression that determines whether the process can be started. This allows, for example, to check preconditions that must be fulfilled before the process can be started.
    • In the Initializations field, click the “Edit” button to define the following setting.
      • The Expression for Initializations property defines an app.ducx expression that allows defining common initializations and global process parameters.
  • Lane
    Lanes represent responsibilities. A participant can be assigned to a lane. When creating tasks, the values defined for the lane are used as default values for the tasks, which allows comfortable working.
    Note: When creating a pool one lane is implicitly generated.
  • Start event
    The process flow starts with a start event. For documentation purposes, all types of start events can be used in executable processes. However, the start event type has no effect on the execution of the process.
  • Conditional start event (optional)
    A wait action can be implemented using an conditional start event. The process is not started until the condition (app.ducx expression) has been fulfilled. The check interval determines how often the condition is checked.
  • Intermediate conditional event (optional)
    A wait action can be implemented using an intermediate conditional event. The process is not continued until the condition (app.ducx expression) has been fulfilled. The check interval determines how often the condition is checked.
  • End event
    The process flow ends with an end event.
  • Terminate end event (optional)
    Terminates the whole process (incl. subprocesses) and the process is marked as completed. When used in subprocesses, only the subprocess is terminated (without special marking).
  • End error event (optional)
    Terminates the whole process (incl. subprocesses) and the process is marked as aborted. When used in subprocesses, only the subprocess is terminated (without special marking).
  • Task
    A task represents an atomic unit of work that has to be done within a process. Currently, tasks of type “User” are supported. The task must have a Fabasoft Cloud activity and one or more participant assigned. When carrying out a process the tasks are displayed in the worklists of the corresponding users.
    • If the activity “Execute Expression in Background” is used, an app.ducx expression can be executed in the background. The process is not continued until the background task has been executed.
    • Deadlines can be defined as date, time span or expression (Enter Deadline as field). The “Advanced Settings” button takes you to all deadlines.
    • The Started Activity Remain in All Worklists field can be used to define whether the corresponding activity is removed from the worklists of the additional affected participants when the activity is started.
    • The Ignore Completion field can be used to define whether subsequent activities can be started although this activity has not yet been completed.
    • The Skip Invalid Participant field can be used to define whether the activity is skipped for an invalid participant (e.g. inactive user, missing license).
    • The Display Activity Only if the Participant Has Access to Affected Object field can be used to define whether the activity is only displayed in the worklist if the participant has at least read rights to the affected object of the process.
      Note: If the activity is not visible to any participant, the process stops. When starting the process, no warning is displayed if the activity goes to a team in which at least one user has rights to the affected object.
    • The Disable Substitution field can be used to define whether the activity may be executed by a substitute.
    • The Escalation field you can overwrite the escalation definition that is stored with the respective activity definition. The default escalation is defined for all Fabasoft Cloud activity definitions. If the default escalation is used, a welcome screen entry is shown and a notification e-mail is sent to the current workflow participant if the start or completion date is exceeded.
    • In the Expression When Completing the Activity field an app.ducx expression can be defined that is executed when completing the activity.
      In the app.ducx expressions, you can use object to access the object of the process.
    • A loop type can be defined for tasks.
      • None
        From the defined activity, one instance is created, which is offered to the defined process participants in the worklist. The first process participant, starting the processing, takes over the activity. The activity will be removed from all other worklists.
      • Standard
        Tasks can be run in a loop. The loop condition can be tested before or after the iteration. The maximum number of iterations can be defined, too.
      • MI Parallel
        From the defined activity, one instance is created for each defined process participant and stored parallel in the respective worklists. All process participants must process the activity.
      • MI Sequential
        From the defined activity, one instance is created for each defined process participant and stored sequentially in the respective worklists. All process participants must process the activity one after the other.
    • If an activity such as "Approve", "Release", "Review", “Sign”, “Close”, “Approve and Close”, “Release and Close” or “Close File” is denied, activities are not executed if they belong to the same multi-instance task. The default behavior can be changed by the process parameter keepactivitiesstarted: process.SetProcessParameter("keepactivitiesstarted", true);
    • The signdialogtitle, signdialogheading and signdialogdescription process parameters can be used to customize the texts of the sign dialog. For multilingual strings, a LanguageStringList can be provided.
      For example: process.SetProcessParameter("signdialogtitle", "Sign");
  • Sequence flow
    The sequence flow describes the order of events, tasks and gateways. A condition expression (Fabasoft app.ducx Expression Language) may be assigned to a sequence flow outgoing from a gateway. The expression can be entered directly in the text field or can be defined with the condition editor.
    See also: https://help.cloud.fabasoft.com/doc/Reference-Documentation/prop-fscdiagrameditor-eventpropscondition.htm: new window
  • Gateway (optional)
    A gateway allows the distinction between cases or parallelization in a process. Currently data-based exclusive gateways and parallel gateways are supported. For a converging parallel gateway, the join type (AND or OR join) can be defined.
  • Subprocesses (optional)
    Subprocesses are used to enclosure complexity. Subprocesses can be nested and run in a loop (type “Standard”). The loop condition can be tested before or after the iteration. The maximum number of iterations can be defined, too.
    • Expanded subprocess
      An expanded subprocess is embedded in the process as structuring element.
    • Collapsed subprocess
      A collapsed subprocess references a separate BPMN process diagram that is therefore reusable. Released changes to subprocesses are taken over when subprocesses are expanded.
  • Artifacts and data objects (optional)
    For documentation purposes all artifacts and data objects can be used in executable processes. However, these elements have no effect on the execution of the process.

Note:

  • Go-to sequence flows can currently not be executed.
  • In the app.ducx expressions global process parameters can be defined, to influence the process execution.
    process.ClearProcessParameters();
    process.SetProcessParameter("key", "value");
    process.GetProcessParameter("key");
    process.GetProcessParameters();
  • The keeporiginaldiagramversion process parameter can be used to specify whether the at the start of the process released versions of subprocesses are retained. This way, re-releasing subprocesses does not affect processes that are already running: process.SetProcessParameter("keeporiginaldiagramversion", true);
  • GetNextActivityInstances can be used to determine the following activity in app.ducx expressions. HasValidParticipant can be used to check the validity of the participant.
  • When initially defining a condition, you can decide whether you want to define the condition using the condition editor (graphical user interface with predefined properties) or the code editor (app.ducx expression). Subsequent changes will open the corresponding editor directly. You can switch from the condition editor to the code editor using the “Open Code Editor” button. In doing so, the condition is taken over, but must be manually converted into a valid app.ducx expression.
  • Condition expressions are evaluated with NOCHECK. This avoids evaluation errors that properties are not assigned to the object class.
  • Using the “Show Overview of app.ducx Expressions” context menu command, you get an overview of all app.ducx expressions defined in the process and, if applicable, in the subprocesses. This facilitates troubleshooting in particular.

Multilingual Names

If you assign or change your own names for process elements in the BPMN editor, these are saved in the current user language. For users with different language settings, you can store the translated names on the “Translations” tab. In this way, the name is displayed in the BPMN editor and also in the worklist according to the language settings of the respective user.

Downloading and Uploading a BPMN Process DiagramPermanent link for this heading

BPMN process diagrams may be exported and imported. In case of an executable process diagram, possibly assignments to cloud users and activities have to be adapted, if the objects are not available in the target system.

When downloading BPMN process diagrams, the following options are available:

  • Download Diagram With Preview
    Downloads the XML representation and preview images of one or more BPMN process diagrams including any sub-processes that may be contained.
  • Download
    Downloads the XML representation of one or more BPMN process diagrams including any sub-processes that may be contained.
  • Upload
    The downloaded BPMN process diagrams can be uploaded again (also in another installation if applicable). Either a single XML file or an entire ZIP file can be uploaded. If a ZIP file is uploaded, existing diagrams can be updated.

Download

To download a process diagram, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the process diagram and click the “Download” or “Download Diagram With Preview” action.
  2. An XML file or ZIP file will be downloaded that contains the process diagram as XML file.

Note: To download several processes at once as a ZIP file, select them and execute the “Download” or “Download Diagram With Preview” context menu command.

Upload

To upload a process diagram, proceed as follows:

  1. Navigate in the process diagram and click the “Upload” action.
  2. Click the “Select File” button.
  3. Enter the path to the process diagram XML file and click “Next”.
  4. Click “Next” and “Close”.

Note: To upload several processes at once as a ZIP file, navigate in a process list and click the “Upload” action.

Creating Escalation DefinitionsPermanent link for this heading

When workflow deadlines expire, the affected workflow participant is notified by default via welcome screen and e-mail. However, you can also define your own escalation definitions and use them with the respective activity.

The escalation definitions can be used in the context in which they are defined or referenced. To make escalation definitions generally available for Teamrooms (but not for app rooms), use a collection for templates and presettings in “Customizing”. Otherwise, escalation definitions can be stored in app configurations (“Processes” widget), in app rooms (“Templates and Presettings” action > “Process Templates” widget) or in Teamrooms (“Templates and Presettings” action > “Process Templates” widget).

Settings of an Escalation Definition

  • Name
    The name of the escalation definition.
  • Escalations
    Defines the desired escalations.
    • Escalation Time
      Defines the time of escalation.
      • Time Span
        Defines a time span in days, hours and minutes (working days are not considered). If no operator and base date are specified, the time span is starting from now.
      • Operator
        Defines whether the time span is added to or subtracted from the base date.
      • Base Date
        Defines the base date for calculating the deadline (“Visible in Worklist From", “To Be Started at the Latest by” or “To be Completed at the Latest by”). If the base date changes, the deadline will be recalculated.
        Note: For “Visible in Worklist From", escalations probably do not make sense, as the activity is automatically moved to the “To Do” list.
    • Repetition
      Defines how often the notification should be repeated.
      • Time Span Until Next Escalation
        Defines a time span in days, hours and minutes until the next notification (working days are not considered). Leave blank if you do not want a repetition.
      • Repeat Until
        Defines how long the notification will be repeated (“Infinite”, “Date”, “Date Value of a Property”).
      • End Date/Date Value of a Property
        Depending on Repeat Until an end date or a property can be defined.
    • Recipients of Escalation Message
      Defines the recipients of the notification (e.g. "Current Participant" or "Responsible for Process").
    • Expression for Computing the Subject
      Allows using an app.ducx expression to change the default subject of the notification e-mail.
    • Expression for Computing the Additional Message
      Allows using an app.ducx expression to add an additional text to the notification e-mail.
  • Applicable for
    The use of the escalation definition is restricted to the listed object classes and categories of the object.
  • Object Class/Category of the File
    The use of the escalation definition is restricted to the specified object classes and categories of the object's file.
  • Object Class/Category of the Teamroom
    The use of the escalation definition is restricted to the listed object classes and categories of the object's Teamroom.

Note:

  • If no date can be determined, no notification will be sent.
  • If the escalation definition is no longer usable in the corresponding context (e.g. due to a change in usability), no notification is sent.

Default Escalation

With the generally available default escalation, a notification is sent to the current workflow participant one minute after the expiration of To Be Started at the Latest by and To be Completed at the Latest by. The notification is repeated daily. The default escalation is defined for all Fabasoft Cloud activity definitions.

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