Workflows
This section covers how workflows can be created and customized on the platform to cater for complex operations in an application
Last updated
This section covers how workflows can be created and customized on the platform to cater for complex operations in an application
Last updated
Workflows are used on the platform to define more complex and dynamic actions in your application.
For instance, your application could contain a workflow to send notifications to a user when an action is triggered.
The workflow designer provides an intuitive interface to easily manage your workflows and customize each of them with a graphical user-interactive approach.
Workflow designer works closely with the Scripts Designer which can define logic behind specific steps in the workflow.
At this stage, you will encounter the workflow management section of the designer.
Using the workflow management window, you can edit, clone or delete existing workflows or create new ones for your application. Additionally, you can use the import/export options to quickly replicate workflows across applications.
To create a new workflow, select the New Workflow option from the actions toolbar.
This will lead you to the Workflow Configuration window where you can define your workflow.
To edit an existing workflow, click on the workflow name in your list of workflows.
Your configurations will be loaded and ready for editing.
In case you wish to replicate an existing workflow (for instance to use as a base for a different scenario), you can easily clone a workflow.
Select the dropdown on the right of your existing workflow to reveal additional options and click on Clone.
A duplicate of your existing workflow will be created with the suffix - Copy added to the name.
You can customize your cloned workflow by click on it in your list of workflows.
A workflow can be deleted by selecting the dropdown on its right in the workflow list and clicking on the Delete option. A message prompt will be presented for you to confirm your action.
Deleting a workflow is permanent and cannot be reversed.
The workflow designer provides the capacity to import and export your workflows. This feature can be used as a manual backup mechanism, among other uses.
You can only import workflows back into the same application from which it was exported.
You can export a single workflow from your list by selecting the dropdown option on its right, and clicking on the Export option.
The export method results in the platform compiling your workflow as a JSON file, which is then bundled as a ZIP file and downloaded. The default file name is workflows.zip.
The generated ZIP file may be password-protected
You can import workflows from your various sources to your application by selecting the Import Workflows option in the actions toolbar. Choose the source of your workflow file and finally, select your file and click on Execute at the bottom of the window to complete your import.
The platform currently supports importing workflows from your device and Dropbox.
Exporting your workflow texts allows you to export the basic configurations (Key, Name and Description) of your workflows as a spreadsheet from your application.
To use this feature, select the Export Texts option from the actions toolbar. You have the option to either download it to your device or view it online.
By default, your exported workflows are compiled as Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) files.
Workflows exported as texts can be imported back into your application. This allows you to override your existing basic workflow configurations as a batch (Key, Name, Description).
Select the Import Texts option from the actions toolbar, followed by the source of your workflow file. Finally, click on Execute at the bottom of the window to complete your import.
Workflows can only be imported if they already exist in your application. Your existing configuration values will be overridden by the imported texts.
The workflow configuration window is divided in two sections: the workflow properties fields and an interactive canvas to design your workflow.
This section explores the configuration of your workflow properties accessible on the left in the workflow designer window in detail.
General workflow configurations define the basic properties of your workflow with some descriptive information such as name and description, as well as more technical information such as the related class and its runtime settings.
The key is an internal identifier for your workflow. It should be unique for each workflow in your application.
The Key property is compulsory when creating a workflow.
This is the workflow name that is displayed in your application. By clicking on the globe icon, you can define a name for different languages.
The Name property is compulsory when creating a workflow. Good practice: Use a name that describes the result of the workflow.
The description field can be used to provide a quick overview of the workflow - which can be particularly helpful when you have to manage a significant number of workflows. This property can be displayed as help text in other parts of your application.
The info field allows you to provide additional information to better describe the workflow. Contrary to the description field, this information is not displayed is other parts of your application.
The workflow class field specifies exactly one class that is associated with your workflow.
The Class property is compulsory when creating a workflow.
The workflow can be configured to run in one of two modes: Viewer or Editor.
Viewer Workflow be run by normal users of the application.
Editor Workflow can be run by users with edit privileges in the application.
The workflow can be configured to be runnable on a class, an instance of the class or even to be invisible entirely to users (for instance if the workflow is used internally only).
Class Workflow runs directly on its class and does not require the class to be initialized as an object to run. For instance, a workflow that validates data and creates an object does not require the object to already exist to be used.
Instance Workflow can run on an instance of its class. For instance, a workflow that deletes an item would require that the item exists already to be usable.
Invisible for users Workflow is not accessible by users directly. This is useful when defining internal workflows that should not be triggered by external users.
This section deals with the read and write permissions of the workflow for single users or user groups.
Workflow rights can only be set up if your workflow has been saved at least once.
You can edit the permissions to your workflow in a window directly in the designer by selecting the Workflow Rights option.
More information about rights and permissions can be found in the Rights Designer.
The parameter section controls the integration of values as variables read from your scripts into your workflow. Each parameter has a set of properties that needs to be set up.
When running your workflow, you will be prompted to enter the values for each of your parameters. This is compulsory in order for the workflow to be executed.
The parameter key is the name of your variable as defined in your scripts.
The Key property is compulsory when creating a parameter for your workflow.
The name is the one displayed in your application workflow for your parameter. By clicking on the globe icon, you can define a name for different languages.
The Name property is compulsory when creating a parameter for your workflow.
The parameter description allows you to specify more information and better describe the parameter in your workflow. It can be used as a help text or overview to quickly understand the purpose of your parameter.
The control type specifies the type of editor with which a user can insert values for the parameter.
For detailed description of the types see page Control Types.
Control TypesThe default value property allows you to set a predefined value that is used unless edited by the user.
The length property allows you to set a limit on the number of characters allowed for this parameter.
The parameter can be marked as a prerequisite to use your workflow by activating this checkbox.
The parameter can be hidden to prevent the editing if the default value should always be used as its actual value in the workflow.
The workflow designer lists all triggers that reference the opened workflow. Next to the trigger name is the type of the trigger shown. When the user clicks on a trigger, then the trigger is opened.
A workflow is a sequence of activities or steps that are executed based user-defined rules to lead to different possible outcomes. Workflows are defined by transition and step components on the platform.
Component
Purpose
Start
All workflows are preconfigured with an initial Start step that acts as the starting point of execution for your workflow.
Transition
Steps are connected by transitions through which scripts can be executed to modify parameters and values in your workflow before reaching the next step.
Step
Steps will define particular points of importance in your workflow. Each step can be connected to scripts to allow the workflow data to evolve accordingly.
The starting point is always from the Start node for any workflows. Click and drag from the green indicator in the top right corner of the start node and drop it anywhere on the canvas to create a transition and step connection.
Similarly, more complex workflows can be created by selecting and dragging the highlighted indicator in the top right corner of any node and dropping it on the canvas.
When a node does not have any highlighted indicator in its top right corner, this implies that the node cannot be used to create new steps in your workflow.
This can happen if for instance, a transition is already connected to a source and target node - and therefore cannot support any further connections.
The workflow designer allows you to rearrange your elements in a single column tree structure by selecting the Arrange Elements option from the actions toolbar on the canvas.
Each step in a workflow has a preceding transition. A workflow transition allows you to determine dynamically (during the workflow execution) whether the next step is executed or not.
A custom script can be linked to your transition to process this condition based on what the script returns as follows:
True: The next step is executed.
False: The next step is not executed.
Transitions can be used to define which steps in your workflow should be executed based on the current state of the workflow.
Selecting a workflow transition opens a properties panel to the right of the designer that allows you to customize your transition properties.
The name property defines the name of your transition as displayed in the designer By clicking on the globe icon, you can define a name for different languages.
The Name property is compulsory when creating a transition.
The description property allows you to specify more information and better describe the purpose of a transition in your workflow.
Clicking on the Delete Transition option in the properties, instantly deletes the selected transition.
The system does not prompt for confirmation during deletion. Deleting a transition between two steps essentially breaks the link between them. All connections between the different steps must consist of a transition.
In case your transition has not been linked to any logic yet, you can do so by selecting the Create And Open Script option in the properties. This causes the Script Designer to load in a separate window.
Your workflow is validated and saved before the Script Designer is opened.
Alternately, if you already have a script connected to the transition, you can choose between two options.
Open Script: Opens the script in a separate window for editing.
Delete Script: Unlink the script from your transition and delete the script file.
The system does not prompt for confirmation during deletion.
Steps in your workflow represent important activities or stages that make up the entire workflow. They are interconnected by transitions. You can link an execution script to a workflow step to determine how your workflow data should evolve at each stage.
Selecting a workflow step opens a properties panel to the right of the designer that allows you to customize your step properties.
The name property defines the name of your step as displayed in the designer By clicking on the globe icon, you can define a name for different languages.
The Name property is compulsory when creating a workflow step.
The description property allows you to specify more information and better describe the purpose of a step in your workflow.
Clicking on the Delete Step option in the properties, instantly deletes the selected step.
The system does not prompt for confirmation during deletion. Deleting a step connected by two transitions essentially breaks the link between them.
In case your step has not been linked to any logic yet, you can do so by selecting the Create And Open Script option in the properties. This causes the Script Designer to load in a separate window.
Your workflow is validated and saved before the Script Designer is opened.
Alternately, if you already have a script connected to the step, you can open the script in a separate window for editing by selecting the Open Script option.
You can also check the validity of your workflow by selecting the Validate option or save your current classes by selecting Save from the bottom menu.
Validation errors are displayed as toast notifications at the top of the platform interface.
In case your workflow is invalid, the system will not allow it to be saved.
Navigate to your Workspace > Apps and click on the gear icon to activate the configuration mode of your applications. Next, click on the gear icon of the application you wish to configure. In the Execution section you click on Workflows to access the Workflow Designer.
