Flow form
Editing in Visio — Interacting with the Diagram tab

When first opening the flow for a Visio-based flow, the Diagram tab displays one of the following:

• The image of the Visio flow diagram. Usually this is the initial image displayed when the flow is a Visio-based flow. A Visio-based flow is one that was initially created and saved using a Visio-based template and not subsequently edited using the Process Modeler.
• The Discovery Map view of the flow. The Discovery Map view displays the high level processing steps of a flow.
• The image of the Process Modeler flow diagram, if the flow was created using Process Modeler or has been converted to use Process Modeler.
• A message indicating that a flow diagram does not yet exist.

Click one of the following icons to see and work with that representation:

• — Present the flow using Microsoft Visio.
• — Work with the process in the Discovery Map view. See Editing processes with the Discovery Map view.
• — Present and edit the flow using Process Modeler.

  If you edit a Visio-based flow in the Process Modeler and then click to save the rule, a message displays to alert you that upon save, the flow will be converted to use Process Modeler and no longer be a Visio-based flow. If you continue with the save, the option to work with the flow using Visio is no longer available.

You can change the flow structure itself — the layout of its shapes — only by starting the Visio Flow Editor.

However, you can edit many of the attributes of the flow and its shapes by right-clicking a shape and updating the property panel for that shape. In the property panel, you can create, review, or update the rules and properties for most shapes in a flow.

To open the rule form that is most directly associated with a shape:

Double-click the shape. The rule that is most directly associated with the shape opens; for example, double-clicking on an assignment shape opens its associated harness, and not the sections used in the harness.

To review or update properties for shapes in the flow:

Right-click the shape. In the pop-up panel that opens, select the View tab to review the rules that are associated with the shape. Select the Edit tab to review or update the shape's properties. If you enter the name of a rule that does not exist for one of the shape's properties, you can use the rule opener () next to that field to create the rule.

If you have implemented the Process Optimization tool in your application, you can select the Optimization tab on Assignment shapes to define properties that are used with the Optimization option in the View drop-down menu.

To preview the runtime presentation for a human-based step:

A flow step that requires human interaction has a user interface defined for that shape in the flow. These flow shapes are either start shapes or assignment shapes. To see an approximate version of the user interface as it would appear at runtime at that point in the flow, click a start or assignment shape.

If you click a shape that does not require human interaction (and so does not have a user interface associated with it), a description of the rule associated with that shape is displayed. For example, if you click a decision shape or a utility shape, the description of that shape's rule is displayed.

When you right-click specific shapes in the flow diagram representation, 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 For Each 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 for your updates to take effect.
   
   To open a connector flow action — 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 another shape, the original viewer closes and a new one opens. The original updates are automatically applied.
5. Save the flow 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:

• 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 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 flows 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 menu to:

• Display the flow diagram view of the flow (Standard). This is the default.
• Display metrics associated with the flow such as:
  • The volume of assignments at any given step (Task Volumes)
  • The flow path analysis (Flow Analysis)
  • The average task duration for any given assignment (Task Duration)
  • Examine a list of any orphaned assignments or flow actions
  • Identify flow actions subject to policy overrides (Policy Overrides). See Understanding policy overrides and suspended work items.
  The metrics are displayed as overlays on the flow diagram view.

If you have implemented the Process Optimization tool in your application, the View drop-down menu contains an Optimization choice. 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.

About the metrics overlays

• Task Volumes — Select to display the current volume of work item 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. 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 items 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.
• Task Duration — Select to display the average time that an operator takes to process each of the assignments in a flow. The duration appears in the HH:MM:SS format. Click a link to open a summary view of the items comprising each assignment. 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 Policy Overrides view.

Orphan assignments and flow actions

Task Volumes, Flow Analysis and Task Duration also display, under the drop-down menu, 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.

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 user 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 flows that have Creates a new work item? selected on the Process tab, the harness used to enter a new work item.
Integrator	The connector rule referenced in the shape.
Router	The name and a verbalization of the router activity.
Spinoff	The flow form of the flow started by the Spinoff shape.
Split For Each	The flow form for each flow.
Utility	The name and a verbalization of the activity referenced.

If you place a work item 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 item.

Using the preview function for a harness, section, or flow action 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.
Decision	The decision rule.
Start	For flows that have Creates a new work item? selected on the Process tab, the harness used to enter a new work item.
Integrator	The connector rule.
Spinoff	The flow to start.
Split For Each	The flow 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	Flows — Editing assignment shape properties
Assign Service	Flows — Editing assignment service shape properties
Call or branch	Flows — Editing the Call or Branch to Subprocess shape properties
Decision	Flows — Editing Decision shape properties.
Start	Flows — Editing the Start shape properties
Integrator	Flows — Editing Integrator shape properties.
Notify	Flows — Editing the Notify shape properties
Router	Flows — Editing the Router shape properties
Spinoff	Flows — Editing the Spinoff shape properties
Split For Each	Flows — Editing the Split For Each shape properties
Split Join	Flows — Editing the Split Join shape properties
Utility	Flows — 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 item) or start an additional flow. See:

• Understanding policy overrides and suspended work items 
• 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.