Back Forward Flow rules
Visio editing basics

About Flow rules

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While editing a flow rule in Microsoft Visio, you can use Visio features as well as Process Commander features.

TipSome flow diagrams are large. To work with a complex flow diagram, click the collapse arrow (Collapse) in the portal to temporarily hide the navigation panel. When done, click the expand arrow (Expand) to redisplay the navigation panel.

  Toolbar

When operating in Visio, the toolbar contains buttons that apply only to flows.

Button

     Description

Draft Mode Turn on or turn off draft mode. While the flow rule is in draft mode it is known as a flow model, you can reference rules and flow actions that are not yet defined. You can save and run a flow rule in draft mode in systems where the production level is set to a value less than 5. See About System Settings Rules.proj-201
Visio tools

Display the normal Microsoft Visio toolbars, to access full Visio features for drawing, shape alignment, colors, and so on.

Click once to display the toolbars. Click again to hide the toolbars.

Flow Editor

Start a Visio editing session.

Zoom In

Zoom in to enlarge the Visio diagram.

Zoom In

Zoom out to shrink the Visio diagram

Zoom In

Undo the most recent Visio operation (equivalent to pressing CTRL + Z).

Return

Exit Visio editing and return to normal rule form editing.

  Visio shapes

The shapes on the Visio template are Microsoft SmartShapes®. Each shape has parameters and behaviors.

The shapes identify types of tasks. Drag a shape from this left panel into the right session panel to configure your flow. Each task has a descriptive text name that may contain only letters and digits, but no spaces. Each shape has a corresponding shapes panel.

When you drop the shape on the main session panel, the corresponding shape panel appears. Complete this panel to continue. As you complete a panel, you can reference parameters to this flow using the notation param.name, where name is the parameter name on the Params tab.

Shape

Description

Assignment symbol

Assignment — Creates an assignment at runtime associated with work object in a workbasket or worklist. See Assignment tasks. After you enter an assignment task, you can create an associated Router task.

Optionally, after the assignment task is defined, you can associate a service level rule with it. A clock appears on the diagram, as shown here. See Associating a Service Level with an Assignment.

Assignment Service

Assignment-Service — Waits for an external callback from an external system using Service BPEL rules. See Assignment-Service task.

Comment

FlowStart — Identifies the start task of this flow. See FlowStart tasks.

Comment

Comment — Adds explanatory text comments anywhere on the flow diagram. Comments do not affect execution of the flow. See Comment tasks.

connector

Connector — Associates a task in the flow with another that may follow the first task. Connectors leaving assignment tasks may be flow actions. Connectors leaving other tasks may be when conditions. See Connectors and Flow Actions.

Decision — Identifies an activity that can make an automated decision about the progress of the work object through this flow. See Decision tasks.

Flowend

FlowEnd — Marks the end of the flow. See FlowEnd tasks.

Fork

Fork — Supports automatic selection of one connector from two or more. See Fork tasks.

Integrator — Identifies an activity that can connect to an external system to send or receive data. See Integrator tasks.

notify shape

Notification — Notifies a work party by email or correspondence about the status or progress of this work object as the assignment is created. ZELEK 3/15/02 See Notification tasks.

Router

Router — Sends an assignment be sent to a user, workbasket, or agent other than the current user. Associate a Router task with an assignment task. This activity determines which worklist or workbasket is to contain the assignment. See Router tasks.

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Spin-off — Starts a new flow execution and does not wait for its completion. See Spin-off tasks.

Split Join shape

Split-Join — Sends the work object to two other flows, both of which must complete before the current flow resumes. See Split-Join tasks.

Split for Each

Split-ForEach02-02 Performs an operation or test on each element in a repeating group. See Split-ForEach tasks.

ticket shape

Pools and swim Lanes — Identifies and groups tasks performed by separate organizational units within one division. See Pool tasks.

ticket shape

Ticket — Marks a business exception that might arise at any point in the flow, such as a cancellation. See Ticket tasks.

utility symbol

Utility — Specifies an activity to run at that point in the flow to perform automated processing without any user assignment. See Utility tasks.

You can create new shapes for many types of rules by dragging instances from the Application Explorer and dropping them onto the Visio diagram. See Pega Developer Network article PRKB-26016 How to drag rules from the Application Explorer into shapes on a Visio flow diagram and Using the Application Explorer. v5.5 proj-179 grp 2259

  Using Visio features

Remember to click the Save toolbar button () to save the Flow form. When you save, Process Commander validates whether all shapes on the diagram can be reached through connectors that leave either the Start shape or ticket shapes. It marks any unreachable shapes with a gray background rather than a colored background. Incomplete shapes are marked in red to indicate an error. Click the shape to review the error message. An error indicator () also appears on the property panel next to the parameter in error.

When a flow is saved in Draft Mode, Process Commander validates whether rules exist for each shape in the flow. A warning () image marks an incomplete shape and appears on the property panel next to the parameter in error. Hover over the shape to display the error message. proj-201

After saving a flow rule, review carefully any shapes that turn gray. You can save and execute a flow rule that contains unreachable shapes, but the tasks corresponding to the unreachable shapes will never be performed. As a best practice, delete the gray shapes or add a comment as to why they are present.

  Tips for creating good flow rules

TipConsider these tips as you complete the flow rule:

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