Flow form
Process Modeler — Editing End shapes  

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An End shape, which defines an end of the flow. A flow may contain none, one, or multiple End shapes.

When processing reaches this shape, no further processing by this flow occurs. If this flow was called as a subprocess by another flow, processing continues in the calling flow.

Flow processing automatically saves the work item (using the Obj-Save method) when an End shape is reached, unless the work item is temporary. Reaching an End shape does not change the work item status.

Adding an End Shape

On the flow diagram you can add a shape 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 End shape to appear.
  2. Hover over Add on the submenu to display a list of shapes you can add to the flow.
  3. Click the End shape. After the shape has been added to the canvas, click and drag to reposition.

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. Click and drag the End shape to the canvas.
  3. Close the Flow Shape palette at any time.

Use the toolbar Flow Shape palette down-arrow:

  1. Click the down arrow at the right end of the toolbar Flow Shape palette to display a drop-down shapes menu.
  2. Click and drag the End shape from the drop-down menu to the desired position on the canvas.

Editing End shape properties

1. On the flow diagram, open the properties panel using one of the following:

2. When the End Properties panel appears, optionally enter a name, no longer than 128 characters, to the right of the shape title (End Shape: name). Choose a name meaningful to application users who see this on the work item history display, the breadcrumbs control (for entry points), and the Where-Am-I? diagram.

The shape name is only descriptive; it does not affect runtime execution of the flow. This name also appears below the End shape on the diagram and can be edited.

3. Complete the fields as described in the tables below.

4. Click OK to save edits and close the panel.

5. Connect at least one other shape to the End shape.

Deleting an End shape from the flow

An End shape may be deleted from the process flow. Right-click the shape, and select Delete from the drop-down menu.

You can also select the End shape and do one of the following:

NoteWhen a shape is deleted, the connectors to and from the shape are not deleted.

Cut, copy, and paste End shapes

Cut or copy shapes from a flow and paste them within the same flow or in other flows within your user session.

Completing the property panel sections

Complete the sections comprising the property panel as described below.

Status

Field

Description

Work status

Enter a work status in this field to set the status for the work item. This allows you to easily change the status at multiple points in the life cycle of a work item without adding a Utility shape to the flow for each status change. Similar to setting work item status using a Utility shape, setting the status invokes the UpdateStatus activity. Any defined tickets dependent on the status are raised, as appropriate. The selected status updates .pyStatusWork when the flow execution reaches this assignment shape.

A status indicator appears on connectors to shapes that change a work item status. For example, if the shape status is set to Pending-External, the connector to that shape displays a small red flag. All transitions connecting to the shape will display the status indicator. Following are the status indicators for the four status prefixes.

New

Open

Pending

Resolved

Tickets

Add a Ticket Name field to indicate the ticket(s) available at runtime. Use the Ticket to mark the starting point for exceptions that may arise at any point in the flow, such as a cancellation. The ticket is a label for a point in a flow, much like a programming "GOTO" destination.

An activity executing anywhere in your entire PRPC application can set or raise this ticket by executing the Obj-Set-Tickets method with this ticket name as a parameter. See Ticket help for other ways to raise a ticket.

The scope of a raised ticket includes all flows on the current work item that contain this ticket. If found, processing stops on that flow promptly, and resumes at the ticket point.

The system adds to the decision shape to indicate one or more tickets are associated with this decision. The assigned ticket name appears on the flow.

Field

Description

Ticket Name

add row Select one or more tickets that are to be available at runtime from this decision. Add a row for each ticket. Use SmartPrompt to display all tickets available to flows in this work type.

TipCreating ticket rules is recommended but not required. You can enter here a name that does not correspond to a ticket rule .

NoteIf a shape has more than one ticket associated with it, then processing continues with that task only after all tickets are set.

Example

Processing is connected to a ticket to respond to an exception, error flow or event. For example, if a mortgage application is withdrawn after some, but not all, of the application processing is completed, a mortgage processing flow can:

  • Include a ticket named Withdrawn on a utility shape that computes the fees due for work done so far, and any refund amount
  • Follow the utility shape with another that produces correspondence, to alert all parties working on the mortgage that it was withdrawn
  • Connect to external systems to back out (rollback) changes or void accounting entries as appropriate
Display NameThe Ticket Name appears by default. Enter a name to display other than the ticket name.

Notes

Note Although using the End shape is recommended for clarity, a flow may contain no End shapes. Technically, a flow execution ends when processing reaches a shape that has no outgoing connectors. This may be any shape except an assignment shape.

TipAs a best practice, include at least one End shape in every process flow, and connect each ending shape to it. Avoid creating flows that have execution end at other shapes, as this can be a source of (human reader) confusion.

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