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Editing in Visio — Connectors and flow actions

 About Flow rules

 zzz Show all 

Use connectors (sometimes called arrows) to connect a shape element in the flow with the next shape element, to indicate a possible path for the flow execution.

zzzDon't confuse connectors with Integrator tasks, which support connector interfaces from a Process Commander system to another system, using Rule-Connect- rules.

zzzPlan your connectors and criteria so that at least one is True no matter what data values are present. As a good practice, select Else as the criterion for the connector with the lowest-likelihood.

zzzYou can use the notation param.name in a field to refer to a flow parameter.

 zzz Adding a connector to the flow — Initial steps

1. Drag the connector shape (zzz) onto the flow and drop it.

2. Connect the tail end of the arrow to a shape (other than a FlowEnd, Notify, Comment, or Router shape). Connector arrows show as either red or blue. A red end indicates that the "from" (tail) or "to" (head) end of the connector has successfully been connected to a task shape,

3. Connect the head end of the arrow to a shape (other than a Notify, Comment, Ticket or Router shape).

4. If this flow is a screen flow, special rules apply. Continue with Flow Rules — Editing in Visio — Creating and Editing a Screen Flow.

5. When the Connector Properties panel appears, complete the fields that appear.

zzzWhen you connect the head end of the connector to a shape that is earlier (above) the tail end, the connector line changes to a dot-dash pattern (zzz). This change does not affect the execution of the flow; the change helps you easily recognize such loops within the business process.

 zzz Completing the Connector Properties panel

Field

Description
Application

SmartPromptOptional. Select the name of the application that you want to link to the flow shape. The value of this field is referenced with the flow diagram in application documents.

Work Type

SmartPromptOptional. Select the name of the work type for the application that you want to link to the flow shape. The value of this field is referenced with the flow diagram in application documents.

Use Case

SmartPromptOptional. Select the name of the use case for the application and work type that details the implementation requirements for the flow shape. The value of this field is referenced with the flow diagram in application documents and on the Implementation tab of the corresponding Rule-Application-UseCase instance.

Three property definitions are possible, depending on where you connect the tail end of the connector:

Case 1: The connector leads from an Assignment shape

Complete the Connector Properties panel to identify the connector flow actions available to a user who performs this assignment.

Field

Description
Flow Action

SmartPromptSelect the Action Name — second key part — of a flow action.
Likelihood

Enter a percentage between 1 and 100 that indicates how likely it is that a user selects this flow action. If only one path is possible, enter 100. Otherwise, allocate percentages among the multiple flow actions as appropriate.

These can be approximate; you can change them later.

Case 2: The connector leads from a Decision or Fork shape

Typically, there are two or more outgoing connectors from a decision or fork shape, one of which is labeled Else.

Field

Description

(no label)

Select Status or Else. Select:

  • Status — If the connector is from a Fork or Decision shape and you want to perform a comparison. The flow proceeds on this connector only if the value returned at runtime matches the value in the third text box.
  • Else — To define a last resort, none-of-the-above connector that the flow is to use when no other connectors are valid.
(no label)

SmartPromptComplete this field when you select Status for the previous field. Enter a text value to match the text value returned at runtime by the decision task (a map value, decision table or decision tree) or the utility activity.
Likelihood

Enter a percentage between 1 and 100 that indicates how likely you expect that the work object at runtime follows this connector path. If only one path is possible, enter 100. Otherwise, allocate percentages among the multiple paths as appropriate.

These can be approximate; you can change them later. When the system lists connector flow actions to the user, they appear sorted by decreasing likelihood values.

Case 3: The connector leads from a Utility or Flow shape

A utility shape can return a literal constant result using the TaskStatus-Set method. Similarly, a subflow called from this flow can return a literal constant result to indicate which FlowEnd shape was reached. Complete these fields to have the system test the result returned in these situations to select a connector.

Field

Description

(no label)

Select Always, Status, Else, or When:

  • Always — When only one path is possible from the shape.
  • Status — The flow proceeds on this connector only if a value returned at runtime matches a value in the next text box.
  • When — If the work object is permitted to flow along this connector when only when a certain when condition rule evaluates to true. In the adjacent text box, enter the name of a when condition rule.
  • Else — To define a last resort connector that the flow is to follow when no other connectors are valid.
(no label)

The value you enter here depends on your selection in the previous field:

  • SmartPromptIf you chose Status, enter a text value to match the text value returned at runtime by the called flow (through a setting on the FlowEnd shape) or by the TaskStatus-Set method in the called activity. When the FlowEnd settings of the called flow are previously defined, SmartPrompt is available.
  • SmartPromptIf you chose When, enter the name — second key part — of a when condition rule.
  • If you chose Always or Else, no further input is required.
Likelihood

Appears when Status or When is selected. Enter a percentage between 1 and 100 that indicates approximately how likely it is that the work object at run follows this path. If only one path exists, enter 100. Otherwise, allocate percentages among the multiple paths as appropriate. If you chose Always or Else, no further input is required.

 zzz Connector Properties — Completing the final fields

Optional. You can choose to update some property values when the work object follows this connector path in the flow rule. You can also define text to be recorded in work object history.

Set Properties zzz
Name

SmartPromptOptional. Identify a target property reference. When during flow execution at runtime a work object advanced on this connector, the system sets the value of this property to the value specified in the Value (next) field. For example, select .pyStatusWork if all work objects using this connector are to have a new status value.
Value

Optional. Enter a literal value or property reference for the property identified in the Name field.

CautionDon't use this feature to set pyStatusWork to a resolved value. Always use the standard utility Work-.Resolve to resolve a work object.
Audit Note

SmartPromptOptional. Select or enter the name of a Rule-Message rule to control the text of an instances added to the work object history (the "audit trail") when a flow execution completes this connector. Process Commander includes a few dozen standard messages in the Work- class. (Through field value rules, the corresponding text on work object history displays can be localized.)

NoteOptionally, to reduce the volume of history detail instances, your application can prevent system-generated messages from being added to work object history. See Controlling the volume of generated work object history instances and the Pega Developer Network article PDNPRKB-25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail.

Click  Apply   when finished.

 zzz Results

By selecting a flow action and completing the resulting HTML form, a user determines which path is followed from an assignment shape. For all other shapes, system processing determines which path is followed:

 zzz Refining likelihood probabilities

TipAs a start during initial development, you can enter approximate likelihood values. Later, after this flow is used in a production setting, you can use the A  Flow Analysis   button (on the Design tab) to compare experience with likelihood values.
If the actual results vary significantly from the likelihood values, it can be valuable to understand why. You can update the flow rule with more accurate likelihood values at any time later; such changes don't affect the logic or operation of the workflow.

 zzz Making a local action appear first

TipAt runtime, the system presents available flow actions in a selection list, with connector flow actions (sorted by decreasing likelihood) appearing above local flow actions. In generally, you cannot control the order of the local flow actions. However, if for one assignment you want to make a local flow action appear first, add a connector to the flow that loops back to the assignment, and assign the largest likelihood value to that connector.

zzz About Flow rules