Tab Task Inbox contains three activities

Create Hyperlink

With the use of this activity, it is possible to create a hyperlink to a business object which can be used later, e.g., when sending information to the user. From the level of the task inbox, with the use of that reference, it is possible to open an object form.

Send Decision

The activity stops a process activity and sends to the operator/operator group a message informing about the necessity of making a decision. The working of the process will be continued after the user selects one of the options available in the task inbox.

Send Information

The activity allows for sending information to the task inbox of a specific operator, operators or operator groups. Unlike the Send Decision activity, the action does not stop a process and does not require any operator’s action.

After selecting […] button, a window for editing message content, recipients, subject, is opened. In the window it is also possible to add attachments to the message being sent.

After clicking on […] button placed next to the information description, a window for editing message content appears. The HTML editor provides the elementary edit options, such as: selection of the type, size or color of a font, setting of bold, underline, italic, creation of bulleted list and tables, insertion of hyperlinks and images. It allows also for opening the source code view (HTML) to edit manually (button with red frame in the image below) when the basic functions of the editor are not sufficient.

After switching to the mode of manual edition of the HTML code, it is possible to use tags compliant with the HTML, CSS standard handled by the Internet Explorer browser. Style sheets should be defined directly in the code or, optionally, they can be imported from external WWW sources.

On the right side, there are buttons used for adding variables and hyperlinks to business objects. After selecting a variable or a hyperlink, the content will be added automatically in braces.

In E-mail category, there are 3 activities.

Create Attachment List

The activity allows for initiating a list of attachments. Attachments can be added to the list and sent by means of an e-mail.

Create Attachment

Allows for creating new attachment which, after being added to the list of attachments, can be sent in an e-mail. To create an attachment, it is necessary to specify its name, data and previously created list to which the attachment will be added.

Send E-Mail

With the use of this activity, it is possible to send a message to a specific addresses. The content of a message can be edited in a HTML editor, the same as is used for information and decisions. Completing of textual field To is mandatory. In Advanced tab, it is possible to add attachments, set language and sender, as well as use SMTP Local Configuration

SQL Activities category contains categories executing operations directly on a database.

Create Row Adapter

The activity is used for creating SqlRecordAdapter object from IDataReader object, which allows for an easier analysis of an SQL query results.

Suppress Transaction Scope

After using this activity, all operations within it are executed beyond a transaction, which means that in case an execution error occurs, a current object status will be saved in a database and no changes will be undone.

Execute SQL

The activity allows for executing an SQL query on a company database from which a process is started. Input parameters can be transferred to such query and data can be retrieved to variables with the use of output parameters.

Execute in Transaction

Using of this activity opens an internal transaction in an already existing transaction of a BPM process. Changes introduced by means of the activity to a database will be canceled in case and error (exception) occurs during its execution.

Execute SQL Query

This activity allows for executing an SQL query analogic to the Execute SQL. Additionally, for each returned row, with the use of a query, it is possible to define specific transactions.

Besides the activities described for Execute SQL Query, it allows for creating a list of objects of a given type and adding to it objects on the basis of rows which are results of an SQL query.

Subprocesses group contains activities responsible for associating of a given process with other processes available in a database.

Copy Process

The activity adds an editable copy of a process from the assembly. When adding the activity, the user must indicate the process which is supposed to be added.

In the activity window, it is possible to set input and output parameters, preview and edit process definition.

Reference to Process

This activity is similar to the Copy Process activity. An indicated process becomes subprocess. When creating a reference, current input and output arguments, that is subprocess signature, are read. After changing the signature, it is necessary to refresh manually the references in all process which refer to the reference.

Start BPM Process

The activity allows for starting a BPM process from the assembly for selected subsidiary. As arguments, it is necessary to specify the ID of a distant center or insert Nothing (in such case the process will start in a local subsidiary. It is also necessary to complete the global ID (GUID) which can be found in a hidden by default column of the process assembly. The initiator is the user with whose permissions the process will be started.  It is also possible to transfer process arguments as a dictionary, where the key is the parameter name and the value is an object.

The activities in Process Management group are used for handling permissions.

Get Current Session

The activity retrieves an object containing information about the current session within which a process is being executed. Such session contains, e.g., information about the center with whose permissions the process is being executed.

Get Session By ID

This activity allows for retrieving of any session on the basis of its ID.

Suspend Process

With the use of the Suspend Process activity, it is possible to suspend execution of a process for a determined time. When a process is suspended, the BPM server queued is released, which allows for starting next process. An important property of the activity is the fact that after process suspension its status is saved in database. It is strictly related to the parameter Continuation of interrupted instances, which is described in article Advanced settings.

Execute with Permissions

By default, a process is executed with the permissions of the operator and center set for that BPM process (global processes) or of the Comarch ERP Standard application (local processes). To be able to execute a part of a process with permissions of another center and/or operator, it is necessary to use the Execute with Permissions activity.

Flow control

The activitires in Flow Control group are used for multiple repetition of operations, introduction of conditionals, limitation of processes in time or definition of operations for parallel execution.

DoWhile

The activity executes operations in a loop until a specific condition is fulfilled.

ForEach<T>

The activity allows for executing operation for each item in collection. To use the activity in a proper way, it is necessary to remember to set in the tab Properties the appropriate type of variables included in the collection.

Set Deadline

The activity allows for limiting the time of executed operations. The process will be executing instructions declared in Execute tab maximally for the period specified in Time tab. If the time gets exceeded, the process will execute operations from After Deadline tab.

Parallel

Allows for parallel execution of operations, activities or subprocesses.

ParallelForEach

The activity allows for defining parallel execution of operations for each element. It is a combination of ForEach and Parallel activities.

Sequence

In a sequence, operations are executed one-by-one. It is not possible to branch them. To change execution order, it is sufficient to drag an activity higher or lower.

Verify Condition

The activity verifies whether a given condition is real. If yes, it executes instructions placed on the left side, if not – on the right. Upon clicking with the right mouse button on the activity, it is possible to select Add Branch option. It allows for executing a subsequent conditional, if the first condition is not fulfilled (analogically to elseif instruction)

Activity analogical to the activity DoWhile. The difference consists of the fact that in this case a condition is verified always before a loop is executed.

Flowchart group contains activities allowing for adding additional activity trees to a process.

Flowchart activity category

FlowSwitch

The activity allows for executing specific operations depending on the value of the input parameter which can be also an expression. Default value is set at the moment when the input parameter is not equal to any other value defined in FlowSwitch. It is possible to select any parameter type from among types available in Comarch ERP Standard or added by the user in references.

FlowSwitch activity

Flowchart

This activity contains a process scheme analogical to the one created automatically by the editor when adding a process, if no sequence is selected. More information regarding creating a process can be found in article <<Adding new process>>.

Flowchart activity

Condition

This activity is similar to the FlowSwitch activity. The difference consists of the fact that a condition which can be true or not, is verified. Depending on the result, the process executes indicated operations.

Condition activity

Execution group contains two activities:

Display message

The activity allows for displaying messages for users in the interface. As arguments, it is necessary to enter subject and content of a message. Both values can be added along with their translations.

Terminate Process

The activity allows for permanent interruption of execution of a process instance. To add the activity in a proper way, it is necessary to complete field Reason, entering a text containing the reason for the interruption of the process. It will be visible for the user form whom the process will execute that activity.

This group contains activities which make it possible to assign values to variables or to execute methods.

Delay Process

The activity allows for stopping a process for a time specified in the property window. Such process remains with active status, which means that it is not possible to execute another process making part of a current thread. The process status is not saved in a database.

Assign

With the use of this activity, it is possible to assign value to a selected variable.

Assign Many

Consists of assigning values to variables in batch, thanks to which it is not necessary to use many Assign activities, one after the other.

Create Time Period

The activity allows for generating a variable of TimeSpan type which stores a time period and can be used as an argument, for example, in the Delay Process activity.

Invoke Method

The activity allows for executing any system method inside of a process.

Example

Calling DeleteElement method on a sales invoice document.

To the Flowchart, it is necessary to transfer the Invoke Method activity and complete the following fields:

• Object – B2.Common.Locator.GetService(Of Comarch.B2.Sales.Interfaces.Presentation.ISalesInvoiceService)
• Method Name – “DeleteElement”
• Parameters – new dictionary initiation: New Dictionary (Of String, Object) From {{“document”, FS},{“elementId”, FS.Elements(0).Id}}
• Result – a blank field can be left

The activity Invoke Method completed this way will delete the first item from the invoice which was previously uploaded to the process.

Invoke Method (.Net)

This activity is similar to the Invoke Method activity. One of the fields TargetType or TargetObject must be specified to enable execution of a non-instance or instance method. In the property window, it is possible to specify method parameters or assign its result to a variable.

Print To Standard Output

Allows for writing a given text in the BPM server console. Optionally, in the activity properties, it is also possible to specify the author of the text.

Save To File

With the use of this activity, it is possible to save data to a file. The data must be given in the binary form (byte array). It is also necessary to ender the file path along with the file name and specify whether the file has to be overwritten, if it already exists in the given location.

This group contains activities executing operations on collections, e.g., on lists. Before adding any activity regarding a collection, the user has to specify its type. A type can be any Comarch ERP Standard object, numeric or textual variable etc.

Add to Collection

The activity adds an item to a collection. It is necessary to indicate a collection to which the item is to be added.

Exists in Collection

The activity verifies whether a given item exists in a collection. As a result, it returns the logical value True, if such item exists in the collection. Otherwise, the value False is returned.

Sort Collection

With the use of this activity, it is possible to sort a collection. It is necessary to specify a condition in textual form (“ASC” or “DESC”) which will determine whether a collection should be ordered in ascending/descending way. In case a collection contains more than one filed, it is possible to select the filed by which the sorting is supposed to be carried out, by entering its name under the (“Name DESC”) condition. After a comma, it is possible to add another condition, if a collection is to be sorted, e.g., first, by name and then by ID.

Remove From Collection

The activity allows for removing a selected item from a collection. As a result, a logical value specifying whether the process has executed the operation correctly, is returned.

Clear Collection

With the use of this activity, it is possible to remove all items from a given collection.

The group allows for handling exceptions returned by the application in case an unexpected error occurs during the execution of an operation or in process places planned by the author.

Rethrow

The activity can be used only in Catch field of TryCatch activity. It throws again an exception which was already handled.

Throw

The activity throws an exception indicated by the process author. The exception should be defined in Properties window. It is also possible to use exceptions available in Comarch ERP Standard API.

TryCatch

In case an exception occurs during the execution of operations contained in Try field, execution of the action will be interrupted and actions defined in Catch field will be started. Regardless of whether an exception occurs or not, at the end the operations indicated in Finally field will be executed.

In the group, there are activities allowing for executing of operations on directories defined as groups of key-value pairs. Before adding an activity from that group, it is necessary to specify key and value type.

Update Or Add To Directory

Allows for adding values for a specific key to a directory. If the key already exists in the directory, the value will be updated.

Key Exists in Directory

The activity verifies whether in a given directory, there is an entry containing a specific key. The result is a logical variable assuming True value, if the key exists in the directory and False value, if it does not exist.

Value Exists in Directory

The activity verifies whether in a given directory, there is an entry containing a specific value. The result is a logical variable assuming True value, if the value exists in the directory and False value, if it does not exist.

Get From Directory

The activity retrieves a value from a directory on the basis of a specific key. The result, besides the value, is a logical variable containing the information whether the entry was retrieved.

Delete From Directory

The activity deletes an entry from a directory on the basis of a specific key. The result, besides the value, is a logical variable containing the information whether the entry was deleted.

Clear Directory

The activity deletes all entries from a directory.

The activities of Office group allow for integrating spreadsheets of the Microsoft Office system with the application Comarch ERP Standaed BPM. Thanks to them, the user can download and save data to spreadsheets or create new ones. To be able to use the actvities of the Office group, first, it is necessary to <<add reference>> Comarch.Workflow.Office.Integration. It is a standard reference, already uploaded to the system. The user must only select a reference for a given process.

The group contains three activities:

Add Spreadsheet

The activity adds a spreadsheet structure A variable of SpreadsheetDocument type is created The property of an object of SpreadsheetDocument. type is Records which contains a list of rows of a given spreadsheet. Each row object contains Cells property which contains the list of columns in a given row.

Read Excel Sheet

The activity allows for reading data from a spreadsheet. As an arguments, it is necessary to enter the data from the file. The result is a spreadsheet  – variable of  SpreadsheetDocument. document type.

Create Excel Sheet

The activity generates binary data on the basis of an indicated sheet.