Flow form
|
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.
Don't confuse connectors with Integrator tasks, which support connector interfaces from a Process Commander system to another system, using Rule-Connect- rules.
Plan 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.
You can use the notation param.name in a field to refer to a flow parameter.
Adding a connector to the flow — Initial steps
1. Drag the connector shape () 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.
When 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 (). This change does not affect the execution of the flow; the change helps you easily recognize such loops within the business process. MARIK 3/28/05
Completing the Connector Properties panel
Field |
Description |
Application |
Optional. 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. 5.4 Proj-831 |
Work Type |
Optional. 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. 5.4 Proj-831 |
Use Case |
Optional. 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 Application Use Case rule. 5.4 Proj-831 |
Three property definitions are possible, depending on where you connect the tail end of the connector:
Complete the Connector Properties panel to identify the connector flow actions available to a user who performs this assignment.
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
|
(no label) |
Complete this field when you select
|
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. |
A utility shape can return a literal constant result using the TaskStatus-Set method. C-1375 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
|
(no label) |
The value you enter here depends on your selection in the previous field:
|
Likelihood |
Appears when |
About connector indicators v6.1 proj-179, grp-3558
Connectors leaving shapes that have condition or likelihood settings are marked with indicators as follows:
Else
setting.When
or a Status
setting. The Always
setting has no indicator.In this example, the True and False connectors leaving the Decision shape have Status
settings. The ManagerResolve connector has the highest likelihood value.
In this example, the connectors leaving the Update Status Completed utility have Else
and When
conditions. The connector leaving Create Shipping Docs has an Always
setting.
Using flow shapes with connectorsv6.1 proj-179
You can place the flow shapes listed below on a connector. The system automatically re-attaches the existing arrow to the new shape and creates a new arrow that leads to the next shape. Assume you want to place a Decision shape between two Assignment shapes:
When you place the Decision shape on the Submit Order flow action connector, the flow looks like this:
Open the Decision shape and define its properties. Then open the Connector shape leading from it, define it, and add connectors to other shapes as necessary. You can drop the following shapes on a connector:
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 | |
Name |
C-229 Optional. 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 |
C-229 Optional. Enter a literal value or property reference for the property identified in the Name field. Don'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 |
Optional. 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. B-18887 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.) Alternatively, enter a brief text phrase, between double quotes. Optionally, 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 PRKB-25196 How to control history instances written to the audit trail. |
Click Apply when finished.
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:
True
. The
flow continues along that connector. DOESN'T SEEM
CORRECT/WHAT ABOUT ELSERefining likelihood probabilities
As 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.
Making a local action appear first
At 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. HOPPK 7/22/05