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Previously completed activities in a workflow can be viewed by all users but editing data is only allowed for the user that initiated the flow. For example, if the Summary step is part of a screenflow performed by the same user, editing is allowed when this user clicks on the Details button. Once the flow navigates to a different user, previous steps are rendered read-only and cannot be edited. Refer to Flow Processing Modes for more information.
The Print button is available on Summary steps by default. Refer to Printing Flows for the details.
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http Wait
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Notify
HTTP Waithttp Wait-Notify is a new type of activity that can be added to a flow. It is configured with a post url. The flow data is posted to this url when the task is executed. A call back url is included in the post. The flow and task are suspended until the receiver posts back.
The timezone must be added programmatically by the service you are using. HTTP http activities can be performed by an anonymous user.
Let’s consider this scenario. Your company has a purchase process workflow. One of the steps in the workflow requires approval from several other approvers before the flow can continue to the next step. These approvals should happen in parallel and not one after the other. A web component that would manage those approvals is in place. An HTTP An http Wait-Notify can be added to the Live forms flow with a URL to the web component to collect the signatures. The callback URL will be included in that post. The flow will be suspended until all the signatures are collected. The remote web component will notify the Live Form flow using the callback URL when the signature task is completed. If the HTTP the http step in the flow has doc actions configured, they will be performed and the flow will proceed to the next step.
Now let’s take a look at a simple flow that will accomplish the scenario described above. This flow contains the Purchase Request form submitted by the company purchasing manager as the first activity, followed by an HTTP an http activity which provides the url to the web component that handles collecting the signatures from all the required approvers, followed by a Summary activity. Remember the flow will be suspended until all the approval signatures have been collected by the web component. The web program will then use the callback url to proceed to the Summary step of the flow.
To set up the HTTP http URL, click on the HTTP http activity and enter the URL for your post. In the image below, we are entering the URL to a remote test server running a service that can be used to test this feature: http://localhost:8082/services/testwaitnotify
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10:14:13.071 |-INFO [http-nio-8080-exec-2] [ c.f.f.s.FlowService] - HttpWaitNotifyhttpWaitNotify: POSTing to http://localhost:8080/services/testwaitnotify Jun 21, 2013 10:14:13 AM org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve invoke INFO: TestHttpWaitNotifyServletTesthttpWaitNotifyServlet: notify URL is: http://localhost:8080/frevvo/web/tn/willstenant/user/designer/app/_fZMUEK5vEeKl1rJ0IEAosw/flowtype/_pJUvcMFJEeKKR-e9RKn4zg/notify?embed=true&_method=POST&nextActivityTypeId=next&locale=eng&_method=post&embed=true&_submission=4a3850a2-4c62-4a1b-b2e1-f50bba6547c8 |
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You cannot reset a flow to an HTTP http activity. There is a new flow status, WAITING, that you can use to find activities in a flow that is in a suspended state.
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If navigation is used to go to previous activity, the HTTP http activity will be skipped. In this case if a user who has navigated back, makes some changes in a form and proceeds forward through the flow, the backend system will not have updated data. If you use the HTTP http activity, it is important to realize that it will not get called again if the user navigates around. The designer may not want to have the navigation bar visible or prior steps' data should be read-only. The HTTP http activity will get recalled if you reset to a prior step and the flow continues through it's normal steps. |
Configure a History Message on the activity before the HTTP http activity if you want to see relevant information in the audit trail.
Anonymous Email
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offers the flow designer many ways to send emails from workflows. You can:
The Email in the flow designer palette is ONLY used to route a workflow to someone who does not have a login(anoymous user). It does send an email to the anonymous user that contains a link to the step in the flow that the anonymous user performs. The anonymous user completes the step and then the workflow is routed back to a user who must login for the workflow to continue. Examples of workflows that would have an an anonymous email step would be a request to an outside vendor for a quote, or a Purchase Order that is sent to the customer for approval. Refer to the Flow Tutorial for step by step instructions to implement this feature for a Purchase Order a Purchase Order workflow.
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Many business scenarios require a step in the workflow to be performed by a person who is not an authenticated user - someone who is not logged into .
The email activity allows the design of a flow where some steps are performed by authenticated users/roles and other steps are performed by an anonymous user. The anonymous user receives an email, clicks on a link in the email and accesses the task without being authenticated, performs the anonymous step, clicks continue, and the flow is routed back to an internal, authenticated user. The Email activity suspends the flow (saves the flow to the database), sends an email to the specified email address with a back link. The email recipient clicks the link and the flow renders even though he/she is not logged in.
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the link and the flow renders even though he/she is not logged in.
A typical situation is an employee who submits a request to an outside vendor for a quote, which then needs to be approved by the employee's manager. The second step of the flow sends an email to the vendor, the flow is suspended until the vendor submits his quote, then the flow continues for the manager's approval. The Vendor Quote Workflow Tutorial consists of step by step instructions to completely build/test a workflow that uses the email activity.
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Email activities can be performed by an anonymous user.
The anonymous email activity will show up in the navigation bar for other users as usual; you can assign it a decorator but you cannot click on it.
The task will show up in the Audit Trail in the Waiting state when it is waiting for an anonymous recipient. You can search for it, do all the usual things.
Users can reject anonymous steps in a flow by clicking the Reject button but a subsequent user cannot reset a flow back to these steps. See the topic below for more information.
If navigation is used to go to previous activity, the EMail activity will be skipped. It would get recalled if you reset to a prior step and the flow continues thru it's normal flow.
Configure a History Message on the activity before the Email activity if you want to see relevant information in the audit trail. The History Message can be templatized so you can see who the email address of the recipient.
Email Properties
When you drag/drop an Email activity into your flow and click on it, a Properties panel displays. The The Name, Pending Message and Editing Activity Properties#PendingMsg, Precondition and Decorator properties work exactly like they do on other types of activities. Task Info and Precondition do does not apply and if to an EMail activity. If you want to set up a a History Message you you must do so on the step in your flow that the anonymous user is going to see. Note Note the envelope decorator to identify the Email activity in the flow.
Activity Doc Actions work exactly like they do on other types of activities.
When you click on the step in your flow that is seen by the anonymous user, a Properties pane displays. Several of these properties, do not apply to a task performed by a non-authenticated person and will have no effect. These properties are: Role List, Role, User, Task Info, CSS class, Precondition, Save Load, Save to Role, and Save to User and . You can customize the button label, history message and select a decorator for this task that will display on the Navigation toolbar.
The Task Notification Email wizard also works exactly like it does on other types of activities except that the default message content is slightly different. It references {task.notify.url} which is the back link URL that the non-authenticated person clicks in the email to perform their step in the workflow. The designer can customize this message however, if you don't include the {task.notify.url} in your email content, the email recipient will never be able to access the task.
Resetting a Flow with an Email Activity
Consider a flow with the following navigation: Step 1 is performed by an Employee > Step 2 is an Email activity > Step 3 is performed by an Anonymous user > Step 4 is performed by a manager.
- Employee starts flow, email gets sent, the anonymous step is performed and a task is generated for manager.
- A flow cannot be reset to the Email or Anonymous user step. In this example, only a reset to the employee step is allowed.
- The Employee performs the step again and clicks Continue. The Email activity is performed again and another email will go to the anonymous user.
The same behavior applies to a flow with an HTTP http activity.
Searching Tasks with an Email Activity
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The same behavior applies to a flow with an HTTP http activity.
Form Viewer Control
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