Steps tab on the Activity form
Use the Steps tab to define a sequential set of instructions, or steps, for an activity to execute. Each step calls a method or supported rule type to perform the required processing.
You can control the flow of execution by repeating a group of steps, defining a set of pre-conditions for a step, or jumping to a later step.
As a best practice, limit each activity to thirty or fewer steps to promote modularity.
Populating a step
If your activity supports a Declare Trigger or Declare OnChange rule, select an appropriate activity type in the Usage field before populating any steps.
Each numbered row on the Steps tab represents a step. Use the following options to control how the activity processes a step at run time.
Element | Description |
---|---|
Label |
A unique identifier.
Enter a short (one-or two-character) string that other steps can reference in their jump criteria. Otherwise, leave this field blank. Enter two slash marks (//) to comment out a step, or exclude it from execution. A commented-out loop step excludes all child steps from execution. |
Loop (no outline) |
No iteration or loop criteria exists.
Click to specify loop criteria such as the number of iterations or the type of element to evaluate. |
Loop (with outline) |
Iteration or loop criteria exist.
Click to review or edit the loop criteria. |
When (no outline) |
No pre-condition or when criteria exist.
Click to specify a when rule that controls whether a step is executed or skipped. |
When (with outline) |
Pre-condition or when criteria exist.
Click to review or edit the when criteria. Clear the Enable conditions before this action check box to remove the when criteria. |
Expand |
Parameter details for the specified
Method.
Click to expand the Method Parameters section and provide parameters to the specified method or rule instance. Click a second time to collapse the section. |
Method |
The
method
or rule to execute.
Select a method name from the list or enter a keyword followed by a supported rule instance. This list excludes deprecated methods. Many methods and instructions require parameters. |
Magnifying glass |
You have specified a
keyword
and rule in the
Method
field.
Click to open the rule. |
Step Page |
The context, or page for this step. Enter a page name from the Pages & Classes tab or leave this field blank to use the primary page of this activity. Depending on the scenario, you can use additional syntax:
Most methods require a step page to exist. When using the Call or Branch keyword, you can only enter a page name with the same Applies To key part as this activity. |
Description |
Internal documentation.
Enter a brief description for other developers to understand what this step does. |
Jump (no outline) |
No transition criteria exist.
Click to define how this step transitions to the next step or jumps to a later step. |
Jump (with outline) |
Transition criteria exist.
Click to review or edit the transition criteria. Clear the Enable conditions after this action check box to remove the transition criteria. |
Trash bin | Removes a step in an activity. |
Add a step | Inserts a new step below the step currently in focus. |
Managing steps
Use these options to speed up development of your activity steps:
- Reorder steps using drag-and-drop. Click the number next to any step and drag it to a new position. You cannot use drag-and-drop to change the nesting order of a step. For example, you cannot drag a child step outside of a loop step.
- Reuse or remove steps with right-click actions: Cut, Copy, Paste, Insert above, Insert below, and Add child. You can use these actions on steps within the same activity or between different activities.
-
Add new rows by focusing in any field in a step and pressing the
Enter
key. - Click Collapse All Steps to only see top-level steps in the activity.
The
API Version
field is available when an activity does not use
the latest Java version. Use the default value of
03-02
and save the rule
form to remove this field.