How to convert flow actions to the 6.1 section reference form
Summary
In 6.1+, newly created flow actions reference a section rule for their appearance and layout, promoting reuse. Flow action rules created in lower versions can be identified by the Define Formvalue on the HTML tab. The design on the Layout tab is read-only and cannot be edited. These rules are no longer supported for development but will continue to function in your applications without error.
To upgrade the old flow actions in bulk or individually, use the standard pxShowBulkFlowActionDisplay activity. It creates a section with the same name and links the section to the flow action.
Suggested Approach
How to upgrade an existing flow action
Caution - Before you begin: After the conversion process, you cannot revert rules to their original format. As a best practice, create a higher RuleSet version into which the conversion activity can save the converted rules. The source and target RuleSet versions must be unlocked, and the source flow action rules must be checked in.
The Resolve flow action shown below was created in a V5.X system and is not updated to reference a section. In the HTML tab, it uses the Define Form option, which means you cannot edit the rule in 6.1. The layout and structure are defined on the Layout tab.
To upgrade the flow action, do the following:
- Open the standard activity pxShowBulkFlowActionDisplay.
- Click ( ) to run the activity.
- At the Run Rule dialog, click the No Test Page (Rule-Obj-Activity only) radio button.
- Click Execute.The Migrate Flow Action to Use Section dialog appears:
- Select your RuleSet name.
- Select the RuleSet Version? checkbox.
- Select the source RuleSet version from the pull-down list.
- Select the During Update Move To? checkbox.
- Select the version you want to migrate the rules to.
- Enter a memo in the Memo field.
- Click List to view flow actions that require upgrading.
- By default, all the flow actions are selected. De-select those you do not want to upgrade.
- Click Run to start the conversion. After the flow actions are upgraded, the dialog should look like this:
- Click Close and lock your source RuleSet version.
- To verify that the upgrade has taken place, check to see that the new section appears in the Application Explorer. The new section has the same keys as the original flow action.
The updated flow action now uses Reference Section in the HTML tab (the Define Form option is no longer available).
The updated Layout tab references the new section rule.
Note: The activity converts the flow action headings into the Sub-Heading D style. To keep the original appearance, adjust the heading in the skin.
Manual upgrades
It is strongly recommended that you use the upgrade activity to convert your flow actions. If necessary, you can manually upgrade flow actions by changing the Define Form value on the HTML tab to Reference Section and saving the rule. Doing so removes the existing layout.
Important: Before you make the conversion, verify that there is a copy of the layout in a section rule.
To recover the original layout, drag the section rule from the Application Explorer and drop it onto the flow action Layout tab.
Note: If the original flow action contained required fields (usually marked with an asterisk icon ()), select the Enable Client Side Validation? checkbox on the new flow action's HTML tab and save the rule.