Flow form
Interacting with the Diagram tab

From the Diagram tab, you cannot alter the structure of the flow until you start Visio. You can create, review, or update rules and properties for most shapes.

• Click a shape using a harness rule such as a starting shape or an assignment to see an approximate preview of the runtime presentation corresponding to that location in the flow diagram. Clicking shapes that do not have an interface such as decision, router, and utility rules display a description of the rule used in the shape.
• Double-click a shape to open the rule form that is most directly associated with that shape. For example, double-clicking on an assignment opens the harness and not the section rules used in it.
• Right-click a shape to open a pop-up shape review panel . Select the View tab to review the rules associated with the shape. Click the Edit tab to review the shape's property panel.
• Select an item in the View menu to display a summary report of task volumes, flow analysis, or task duration, or to identify update properties linked to OnChange rules.

When you right-click on specific shapes in the flow diagram, a shape review panel opens. This feature enables you to review and navigate to the rules, and to open the property panel settings associated with these shapes:

1. Select and right-click a flow shape. The shape review panel appears. In addition, a golden arrow points to the selected shape.
2. To view the rule instances referenced by a flow shape, select the View tab. To open the rule form, select the rule link in the panel. If you modify and save the rule, the shape uses the updated rule when you execute the flow. You do not need to save the flow rule for your updates to take effect.
   To open a connector flow action rule — one that exits from an assignment shape — click the Flow Action link on an assignment panel.
3. To open a shape's property panel, select the Edit tab. The panel is the same one used in the Visio editor. Review the panel information and modify it if necessary. You cannot modify the shape name.
4. Click Apply to keep your updates and leave the viewer open. Alternatively, click OK to apply your updates and close the viewer. You can only use the viewer with one shape at a time. That is, if the viewer is open and you right-click on another shape, the original viewer closes and a new one opens. The original updates are automatically applied.
5. Save the flow rule when you are finished with your design session. When you save, any changes in an open viewer are applied. To cancel your changes, exit without saving. A warning message appears indicating that there is changed data (assuming that the Exit warning is set in General Preferences).

• You can move the viewer to any position on the flow diagram. Click the pin icon () to anchor it. The viewer remains open in that position and does not move when you right-click on another shape. Updates are applied each time you switch shapes. To close the viewer, unpin it to display the OK button or use the exit icon ( ).
• You can work concurrently with other flow rules using a viewer in each diagram. Switching between rules does not apply viewer updates.
• You cannot open a viewer on an unconnected shape (grayed out).

Use the View drop-down list to display report overlays of process throughput statistics, display a list of any orphaned assignments or flow actions, and to identify flow actions subject to policy overrides. See Understanding policy overrides and suspended work objects.

Standard View is the default. Overlays and policy override information are not displayed.

You can select the following report overlays:

• Task Volumes — Select to display the current volume of work object assignments for each step in the process. Those that are on time, past goal, and past deadline are indicated as such. Click the link (total number) to open a list view of the items comprising the assignment. You can also access the Timeliness by Task summary report from the Analyze Performance group within the Monitor Activity workspace. The report includes a graphical representation of the data for all the assignments in the flow.
• Flow Analysis — Select to display the summary statistics describing the flow action path that work objects have taken at each assignment.  The percentages displayed represent the actual usage patterns in the system and may be used to benchmark and update the design-time percentages that are defined when editing the flow. Click an action link to open a summary view of the items comprising each assignment. You can open a summary view for all the assignments in the flow by clicking  Flow Analysis  in the Design tab. You can also access the Action Analysis summary report from the Analyze Performance group within the Monitor Activity workspace.
• Task Duration — Select to display the average time that an operator takes to process each of the assignments in a flow. The duration is displayed in the HH:MM:SS format. Click a link to open a summary view of the items comprising each assignment. You can access the Task Duration summary report from the Analyze Performance group within the Monitor Activity workspace. The report includes a graphical representation of the data for all the assignments in the flow.
• Policy Overrides — Select this option  to identify those flow actions that include properties that are linked to a declarative OnChange rule. Each such action is marked with an OnChange button (). See Interacting with the OnChange display

Orphan assignments and flow actions

Task Volumes, Flow Analysis and Task Duration also display, under the drop-down list, a table of orphaned assignments or flow actions that may exist in the system but no longer have valid references as shown in this example for Flow Analysis.

These orphan items can occur when an assignment shape is missing or renamed through design or implementation errors, access issues, RuleSet issues, or database integrity issues. Click a link (Action item in this example) to open a list of orphan items. You can drill down to the item to correct the error. You can also delete an orphan assignment by opening the problem flow report, selecting an item, and clicking  Delete Orphan Assignments  .

Click once on a shape to display, in the bottom half of the workspace, a preview of the rule referenced by that shape. Previews may convey the runtime appearance of a work object form or other object.

Click the small open button () at the top right of the preview area to open the rule.

Shape	When clicked, displays ...
Assign	The harness form preview, identifying the available flow actions.
Decision	The decision rule referenced in the shape.
Start	For flow rules that have Creates a new work object? selected on the Process tab, the harness rule used to enter a new work object.
Integrator	The connector rule referenced in the shape.
Router	The name and a verbalization of the router activity.
Spin-Off	The flow form of the flow started by the spin-off shape.
Split-ForEach	The flow form of the for-each flow rule.
Utility	The name and a verbalization of the activity referenced.

If you place a work object of an appropriate work type on the clipboard before you preview, the resulting harness form previews are more complete, as they contain data from that work object.

Using the preview function for a harness, section, or flow action rule may create a clipboard page and initialize properties. In turn, this may execute declarative processing. Use caution before implementing any on-change declarative processing that updates a database.

Double-click a shape to access the rule most directly associated with that shape. If the shape references a rule that does not exist, the New dialog box appears and you can create the missing rule.

Shape	Double-click to open or create
Assign	The harness rule.
Decision	The decision rule.
Start	For flow rules that have Creates a new work object? selected on the Process tab, the harness rule used to enter a new work object.
Integrator	The connector rule.
Spin-off	The flow rule to start.
Split-ForEach	The flow rule to iterate.
Utility	The utility activity.

Right-click a shape to open a pop-up window that lists rules referenced in the shape properties. (To use the right-click feature, first set the diagram to Standard View.)

If the flow form is editable, you may edit the shape properties, from the View tab. This feature supports nine types of tasks:

Shape	For instructions, see
Assign	Flow rule — Editing assignment shape properties
Assign Service	Flow rule — Editing assignment service shape properties
Call or branch	Flow rule — Editing the Call or Branch to Subflow shape properties
Decision	Flow rule — Editing Decision shape properties.
Start	Flow rule — Editing the Start shape properties
Integrator	Flow rule — Editing Integrator shape properties.
Notify	Flow rule — Editing the Notify shape properties
Router	Flow rule — Editing the Router shape properties
Spin-Off	Flow rule — Editing the Spin-off shape properties
Split-ForEach	Flow rule — Editing the Split-ForEach shape properties
Split/Join	Flow rule — Editing the Split/Join shape properties
Utility	Flow rule — Editing Utility shape properties.

Select Policy Overrides from the View menu to identify on the diagram those flow actions that update property values that may start OnChange rules.

Each shape marks a point in the flow where a local flow action or connector flow action causes property values to change that may in turn cause an OnChange rule to suspend execution of this flow (for the current work object) or start an additional flow. See:

• Understanding policy overrides and suspended work objects
• How to implement business exception processing with policy overrides

Notes

• The Policy Overrides item appears in the View menu only for users who hold the @baseclass.ViewProDex privilege.
• The shapes do not appear on flow actions for which the Auto- generated HTML box (on the HTML tab) is not selected.
• The Policy Overrides item does not appear in flow rules most recently saved in V4.2SP5 or earlier versions.