Back Forward Flow form
Interacting with the Diagram tab

About Flow rules

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C-1106 You can interact with the Diagram tab to

Tip To work more easily with a large flow diagram, click the collapse arrow (Collapse) in the portal to temporarily hide the navigation panel. When you finish working with a large diagram, click the expand arrow (Expand) to redisplay the navigation panel.

Or, to hide the navigation panel automatically whenever you display a Flow form:

  1. Select Preferences from the Designer Studio profile menu.
  2. In the Edit group of preferences, select the Collapse Nav Pane checkbox.
  3. Click  Save.

  Basics

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.

  Shape review panel tool name TBD5.5 GRP-202

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:

  • Assignment (flow action connectors are edited in this shape)
  • Assignment Service
  • Decision
  • Integrator
  • Notify
  • Router
  • Spinoff
  • Split-ForEach
  • Split/Join
  • Start
  • Call or branch to subprocess
  • Utility
To open the shape's properties panel, do the following:
  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.

    NoteTo 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).
As you work with the viewer, note the following:

  Views 5.4 proj-839

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: Proj-839 5.4

If you have implemented the Process Optimization tool in your application,the Optimization link displays. Click it to open the Optimization Criteria panel, which you use to perform probability analysis on assignments in your process. See About the process optimization tool.

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 a flow error gadget, selecting an item, and clicking  Delete Orphan Assignments  .

  Single-click to preview

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 ...

Assignment symbol
Assign

The harness form preview, identifying the available flow actions.


Decision

The decision rule referenced in the shape.

Comment
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
Router

The name and a verbalization of the router activity.

image/img00081.gif
Spin-Off

The flow form of the flow started by the spin-off shape.

Split for Each

Split-ForEach

The flow form for each flow rule.

utility symbol
Utility

The name and a verbalization of the activity referenced.

NoteIf 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.

CautionUsing 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. F-174 APAP SR-866 GROVS 10/11/05

  Double-click to open, update, or create a rule

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

Assignment symbol
Assign

The harness rule.

Decision
Decision

The decision rule.

Comment
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
Integrator

The connector rule.

image/img00081.gif
Spin-off

The flow rule to start.

Split for Each

Split-ForEach

The flow rule to iterate.

utility symbol
Utility

The utility activity.

  Right-click to identify or edit shape parameters

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.) GRP-202 5.5

If the flow form is editable, you may edit the shape properties, from the View tab. This feature supports nine types of tasks: LAU_W 9/24/08

Shape

For instructions, see

Assignment symbol
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.

Comment
Start

Flow rule — Editing the Start shape properties


Integrator

Flow rule — Editing Integrator shape properties.

notify shape
Notify

Flow rule — Editing the Notify shape properties

Router
Router

Flow rule — Editing the Router shape properties

image/img00081.gif
Spin-Off

Flow rule — Editing the Spin-off shape properties

Split for Each

Split-ForEach

Flow rule — Editing the Split-ForEach shape properties

Split Join shape

Split/Join

Flow rule — Editing the Split/Join shape properties

utility symbol
Utility

Flow rule — Editing Utility shape properties.

  Interacting with the Policy Overrides view

C-2117Select Policy Overrides from the View menu to identify on the diagram those flow actions that update property values that may start OnChange rules.

Each icon 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:

Notes

Up About Flow rules