Flow form
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A flow that presents a user with a sequence of forms to complete is known as a screen flow. This specialized type of flows provides an effective way to simplify input processing and present questions or input fields in a series of related forms. Users can change an answer to an earlier question by backing up in the flow; and, in some situations, can complete steps in any order.
To support this style of interaction, a screen flow's Visio flow diagram can contain only these shapes:
Assignment | Fork | ||
Flow | Split For Each | ||
Connector | Start | ||
Decision | Utility | ||
End |
Because many business processes require additional shapes, you may need to create a subprocess for the screen flow iterations, and call the subprocess from an unrestricted starter flow.
Follow these steps to create a screen flow:
The Flow: New dialog box appears.
ScreenFlowStandard
, ScreenFlowBPMN
, or ScreenFlowTabbed
as the Template value. Click Create to create the flow. Save the rule.Screen Flow
as the Flow type; in the Flow Rule field specify the screen flow you created. Save the calling flow.Completing the Start shape panel
Complete these fields in the Start Properties panel.
Field |
Description |
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Name |
Optional |
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Harness |
Select one of three standard harnesses that support screen flows, or a custom harness you have evolved on one of these three:
For an example of the tabbed approach in use, select > Process & Rules > Tools > Find Rules> Find by Custom Field. This wizard uses the standard rule PegaAccel-Task-Wizard.CustomFieldsWizard
Supporting more than two levels of tabsA second row of tabs appears when a user executes a subprocess screen flow (that has entry points) that is called by a first-level screen flow. The standard final HTML rule Work-.NestedTabbedNavigation defines this limit. To support three or more levels: 1. Copy this rule into your application with a work class as the Applies To key part, keeping the second key part. 2. Update one line in the HTML Source field to specify the number of sublevels desired. For example enter 2 to support three levels of tabs. tools.putParamValue("Levels", nnn); 3. Optionally, update one line in the HTML Source field to specify the name of styles for each sublevel, separated by commas: tools.putParamValue("ChildNodeStyle", "style1", 4. Save the HTML rule form. |
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Save Later? |
Check this checkbox to cause the work item and work item history to be committed only once, after users complete the entire screen flow. Clear the Save Later? checkbox to let users select a Save local flow action at each point in the flow. After a Save local action, users can continue processing this flow, perform other work, or log off. As a best practice, select the Save Later? box in most cases, to reduce the number of work item Commit operations and history instances. |
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Allow errors? |
This field appears if the Save Later? checkbox is checked. Select to allow users to select another entry point when executing a screen flow or a regular flow that includes breadcrumbs control, even when the form (or tab) for the current entry point reflects validation errors. (The user must eventually clear all such errors.) If this option is not selected, users can advance to the next step of a screen flow, or click the breadcrumbs control, only after data in the current tab is valid. To prevent users from completing information that's never used, don't select the Allow errors? checkbox if the values in any entry point (for example, an Assignment task) directly or indirectly affect the outcome of a later Fork shape or Decision shape. |
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Router |
At runtime, a single user processes all assignments in a screen flow. Identify the routing applied to all these assignments. Select Complete any input parameters for the router activity. |
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CheckAvailability |
Select to cause the system to check the operator's availability and substitution values before routing to a worklist. |
Completing the Assignment shape panel
Each Assignment shape has only one connector flow action. Complete these Assignment Properties panel for each screen:
Field |
Description |
Name |
Enter the name of the assignment as it appears on the Visio diagram and on the rectangle or tab at runtime. |
Instructions |
Select a field value rule for the worklist display that describes the task that users perform to complete the assignment. . Click the pencil icon ( ) to review the field value rule or define a new field value rule. The SmartPrompt lists field value rules with an Applies To key part equal to the work type of the flow (or a parent class) and a Field Name key part of When you plan to localize the application using this rule, so the application can support users in various languages or locales, choose the text carefully and limit text length to 64 characters. A field value rule with this text as the final key part is needed for each locale. When practical, choose a caption already included in a language pack, to simplify later localization. See About the Localization wizard. |
Flow Action |
Identify one connector flow action. |
Entry Point |
Select to create an entry point for the assignment and allow user processing at runtime to begin or resume at this point in the flow. When selected, if this screen flow presents steps as tabs, at runtime a tab appears with the Name value as a label. Leave cleared to indicate that users cannot return directly to this assignment; users may be able in some cases to reach it indirectly from an earlier assignment. |
Only going back? |
This checkbox appears only when you select the Entry Point? checkbox. Select to restrict users at runtime from jumping ahead to this step without having completed the preceding steps. After having completed this step, users may jump back to it from steps that follow it. For maximum user flexibility, leave this checkbox cleared if your flow accepts inputs in any order. However, this approach is typically not workable for flows that contain fork and decision shapes, or that have intermediate tasks that are not entry points. |
Post Action on Click Away? |
Select to cause PRPC to execute the Validate Rule rule and the After This Action... Run Activity activity (both on the Action tab of the Flow Action form) when a user at runtime clicks a screen flow tab or screen flow tree node to leave this assignment and start (or return to) a different assignment. The post-processing activity can compute additional property values and perform other processing. If the option is not selected, the validate rule does not execute and the post-processing activity does not execute when the user clicks to leave the assignment. As a best practice, check this option if the action has a non-blank Validate Rule or non-blank After This Action... Run Activity activity. |
A screen flow can call or branch to another flow, but only if the other flow is also a screen flow and uses the same harness.
Decision shapes and fork shapes
Page Group
properties are processed unordered and all pages are shown.Buttons for Back, Next, Submit, and Cancel
At runtime, each assignment task in a screen flow presents a button labeled Next>> . When users click this button, processing validates user input and advances to the next assignment. (For tabbed screen flows and tree screen flows, the label on the Next>> button changes automatically to Submit when this assignment is the last one in a flow.)
A <<Back button appears automatically when a user has completed any task that is an entry point.
Optionally, screens can also include a Cancel button. To include a Cancel button:
AddCancel
. Select Boolean
as the Data Type.AddCancel
parameter checkbox to cause a Cancel button to appear.AddCancel
parameter checkbox to remove the Cancel button.Withdraw
at an appropriate place in the calling flow. When a user clicks the Cancel button during execution of the screen flow, a ticket named Withdraw
is activated. Processing typically continues at that ticket task in the calling flow execution.The standard flow PegaSample-CustomerRequest.CustomerFeedback is a screen flow. This subprocess is called by the NewWork starter flow when all members of the cover are resolved.
The standard flow PegaAccel-Task-Harvest.GatherRuleInfo is a tabbed screen flow that supports user cancellation. This subprocess is called by the PegaAccel-Task-Harvest.HarvestRule flow, which supports the rule harvest facility.
Four standard rules support execution of screen flows: