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  Flow form — Editing in Process Modeler
Swimlane shapes

About Flows
C-1630Use Swimlanes to organize and graphically identify a related group of shapes that are performed within a specific work context (typically a work group) or business purpose. A router activity identified in the lane shape, or specified on the Routing section of the Assignment, is associated with Assignment shapes inside the lane. During processing work items are routed to the appropriate user worklist or workbasket defined by the router. See router activity.

For example, an insurance claim application has one assignment instructing operators to collect customer information, another to verify the information and calculate payments, and a third to issue payments and update financial records. You want each to have its own work group and workbasket. You create three swimlanes named CSR, Back Office, and Fulfillment, in a pool named Insurance Claim Process. Each lane has a router activity associated with the assignments within it. During flow processing, the router assigns the work item to the appropriate workbasket inside the lane.

Swimlanes are not available for screen flows.

Adding a Swimlane

On the flow diagram, you can add a Swimlane to a flow in one of three ways. Validation of the added shapes occurs when you save the flow.

Use the canvas context menu:

  1. Right-click a blank area of the canvas where you would like the Swimlane to appear.
  2. Hover over Add on the submenu to display a list of shapes you can add to the flow.
  3. Click the Swimlane shape to add it to the canvas.
  4. If your orientation is portrait, the Swimlane is positioned on the right side of the Router Pool. If orientation is landscape, the Swimlane is positioned on the bottom of the Router Pool. Default flow orientation is defined as a user setting, but you can change the Swimlane orientation using icons on the toolbar.
  5. You can click and drag (by the pool name) to reposition the Router Pool. Click the individual Swimlanes (by their name) to select and reposition the Swimlanes within the Router Pool.

Use the toolbar Flow Shape palette:

  1. Click the Flow Shape palette on the toolbar to display a drop-down shapes menu that will remain open until you close it, facilitating the process of rapidly adding multiple shapes. Click the window title bar and drag the submenu to another area of the screen, as needed.
  2. Close the Flow Shape palette at any time.
  3. If your orientation is portrait, the Swimlane is positioned on the right side of the Router Pool. If orientation is landscape, the Swimlane is positioned on the bottom of the Router Pool. Default flow orientation is defined as a user setting, but you can change the Swimlane orientation using icons on the toolbar. You cannot change orientation after a swimlane is created.
  4. You can click and drag (by the pool name) to reposition the Router Pool. Click the individual Swimlanes (by their name) to reposition the Swimlanes within the Router Pool.

Use the Flow Shape palette drop-down menu:

  1. Click the down arrow on the toolbar Flow Shape palette to display a drop-down shapes menu.
  2. Click and drag the Swimlane shape from the drop-down menu.
  3. If your orientation is portrait, the Swimlane is positioned on the right side of the Router Pool. If orientation is landscape, the Swimlane is positioned on the bottom of the Router Pool. Default flow orientation is defined as a user setting, but you can change the Swimlane orientation using icons on the toolbar.
  4. You can click and drag (by the pool name) to reposition the Router Pool. Click the individual Swimlanes (by their name) to reposition the Swimlanes within the Router Pool.

Editing Swimlane properties

  1. On the flow Diagram tab, open the properties panel using one of the following:
  2. When the Swimlane properties panel appears, enter a name for this shape to the Swimlane:[Swimlane] heading. The shape name is only descriptive; it does not affect runtime execution. This name also appears inside the Swimlane shape on the diagram. If a name is not specified, the Swimlane will take the name of the optionally-assigned router activity.
  3. Complete the fields in the Swimlane section described below.
  4. Click OK to close the panel when you have completed your edits.

Editing the Router Pool

Double-click the pool to display the Pool Properties panel. Enter a title for the shape in the Name field.

Completing the Swimlane section

Complete the following fields.

Field

Description

Router

Optional. You can select a router activity here. The default Router is ToCurrentOperator. By default, the swimlane Router applies to all assignments inside the lane. Routers defined in Assignments dragged into the lane are overwritten.

Parameters

The router activity you select may accept input parameters that will appear in the box below. Supply a value for each parameter. Parameter values are validated when you Save.

Working with swimlanes and router pools

Cut, copy, and paste Swimlanes

Cut or copy shapes from a flow and paste them within the same flow or in other flows within your user session. When you select a swimlane to copy, do not include the router pool, as there is a limit of one router pool per flow. The shapes in the swimlane must be selected and copied in a subsequent step.

Swimlane Orientation and Positioning

Definitionsdivision, organization, organization unit

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