Simple Approval Cycle

Transcription

1 PNMsoft Knowledge Base Sequence Best Practises Simple Approval Cycle Oct Product Version 7.0 and above

2 2013 PNMsoft All Rights Reserved This document, including any supporting materials, is owned by PNMsoft Ltd and/or its affiliates and is for the sole use of the PNMsoft customers, PNMsoft official business partners, or other authorized recipients. This document may contain information that is confidential, proprietary or otherwise legally protected, and it may not be further copied, distributed or publicly displayed without the express written permission of PNMsoft Ltd. or its affiliates. PNMsoft UK 38 Clarendon Road Watford Hertfordshire WD17 1JJ Tel: +44(0) Website:

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS General Document Information... 1 Purpose... 1 Prerequisites... 1 Introduction: The Approval Cycle Scenario... 2 Options for Handling Form Data... 3 Which Option Should I Choose?... 3 Implementation in Sequence... 4 Option A: Simple Approval with No Data Trace (recommended)... 4 Option B: Simple Approval with Simple Data Trace...15 Option C: Simple Approval with Grid and Data Trace...28 Files... 40

4 General Document Information Purpose The purpose of this document is to enable Sequence developers to create approval cycles in their workflows using best practises. Prerequisites Basic knowledge of developing processes with Sequence. Simple Approval Cycle Page 1

5 Introduction: The Approval Cycle Scenario Very often in business workflows, it is necessary to create something called 'an approval cycle'. An approval cycle is a section of flow that loops back to a form's initiator until a task is approved. The major steps of this flow are: 1. User A completes a Form and submits it for approval. 2. User B (e.g. a manager) receives a Task containing the Form's data. User B can approve or decline it. 3. If User B approves it, the flow continues to the next step in the process. If User B declines it, the flow returns to User A as a Rework Task. User A receives the Rework Task, he edits the From and resubmits it for approval (looping back to step 2. above)...this continues until User B approves it in step 2. and the loop is exited. Here is what such a flow looks like: Flow Diagram Simple Approval Cycle Page 2

6 Options for Handling Form Data The following options exist for how to handle the form data in such an Approval Cycle: Option A: Each time User A edits the form (in the Rework Task), the Form data is updated. In this scenario, ends users can only view data from the latest iteration of the loop. The data of the original Form (and all previous Reworks) is overwritten by the latest Rework. When the Manager looks back at the original Form and previous Reworks, he sees the same data as was saved in the latest Rework. Option B: Form data from each loop iteration is saved, so that end users can look back at the original form (and all subsequent iterations) and view the data that the user filled out. This is 'Trace' functionality, and it means that as a manager, you can go back and see what the user filled out, and what he changed, before making a decision whether to approve or decline the current form. The data of the original Form and all previous Reworks is not overwritten by the latest Rework. When the Manager looks back at the original Form and previous Reworks, he sees different data in each instance.> Option C: Option C also saves data from each iteration like in Option B, but it has a more orderly data structure (it stores information as rows in a grid) and requires that you implement some server side code. Which Option Should I Choose? Example of Option B in Flowtime Option A is the recommended and simplest best practise (and is the simplest to implement). However, if having access to data from previous iterations is important, you may choose Option B or C. You can choose between B or C depending on your solution requirements. Simple Approval Cycle Page 3

7 Implementation in Sequence Option A: Simple Approval with No Data Trace (recommended) 1. Create a Request Form and add one table in the data model. 2. Set the key to be workflow instance ID (fldiwfid). Set Key to fldwfid Simple Approval Cycle Page 4

8 3. In the Data Fields screen, add fields for the Form. 4. Create the Form. Data Fields Create the Form Simple Approval Cycle Page 5

9 5. Create a read only view of the Form: Select Views > New Select Read Only View Simple Approval Cycle Page 6

10 Read Only View Created 6. Add an Approval Task to the workflow and add the following fields to its Form: Approval: a combo box. Use Edit Choices to add the values: Approve, Decline. Comments: a text area. Approval Task Simple Approval Cycle Page 7

11 7. Connect these fields to data sources. Data Fields of the Task 8. In the Data Model, leave the key as activity instance ID (fldiactid). Table Properties Simple Approval Cycle Page 8

12 9. Add a Sub View control to the Approval Form: Add Sub View 10. Set the Sub View to display the read only view from the Request activity. Set Sub View Simple Approval Cycle Page 9

13 Sub View Added 11. Create the Rework Task as a blank Form without any Data Model (select the First Define Data, and do not select the Fast Track option). Rework Task Simple Approval Cycle Page 10

14 Rework Task Rework Form Creation 12. Add a Sub View to display the Request Form s default view. Simple Approval Cycle Page 11

15 Add Sub View 13. Add an IfElse activity that checks the Approval checkbox value in the Approval Task. If Approved, the workflow ends. If Declined, the flow routes to the Rework activity. The workflow should appear as follows: Workflow Completed 14. Set the recipients for the Tasks (Approval should go to a manager, Rework should go back the imitator of the Request Form) and set workflow permissions. Simple Approval Cycle Page 12

16 15. In Flowtime, run the workflow through several loops (each time, decline the approval). Notice that in each instance, the Form data is updated and only the latest entered data is saved. First Form is Completed After Reject, Rework is Completed Simple Approval Cycle Page 13

17 Click Back on Original Form Notice that Data was Updated by Rework Simple Approval Cycle Page 14

18 Option B: Simple Approval with Simple Data Trace 1. Create a Request Form and add one table in the Data Model. 2. Leave the key as activity instance ID (fldiactid). 3. Add the form s fields. Table Properties Data Fields Simple Approval Cycle Page 15

19 4. Add another table based on the same table (select it from current workflow) and give it a different name. Add Table 5. Set the key of the second table to be workflow instance ID (fldiwfid). Set Key to fldwfid Simple Approval Cycle Page 16

20 6. Use the same fields as in the first table. 7. Create the Form. Data Fields Create Form 8. Add a read only View based on the second query (RequestRO). Simple Approval Cycle Page 17

21 Add View 9. Add a where parameter on the data source. Add Where Parameter Simple Approval Cycle Page 18

22 <WhereParameters> <asp:parameter DefaultValue='<%$ sq: {iif(act.sourceactivity("request")!=null,act.sourceactivity("request" ).ActivityInstanceId.toString(),act.SourceActivity("ReWork").ActivityInstanceId.toString())}%>' Name="fldIActId" Type="Int32"></asp:Parameter> </WhereParameters> Note: You can also do this using the Where Parameters wizard. Where Parameters Wizard 16. Add an Approval Task to the workflow and add the following fields to its Form: Approval: a combo box. Use Edit Choices to add the values: Approve, Decline. Comments: a text area. Approval Task Simple Approval Cycle Page 19

23 17. Connect these fields to data sources. Data Fields of the Task 18. In the Data Model, leave the key as activity instance ID (fldiactid). Table Properties Simple Approval Cycle Page 20

24 19. Add a Sub View control to the Approval Form: Add Sub View 20. Set the Sub View to display the read only view from the Request activity. Set Sub View Simple Approval Cycle Page 21

25 Sub View Added 21. Create the Rework Task as a blank Form without any Data Model (select the First Define Data, and do not select the Fast Track option). Rework Task Simple Approval Cycle Page 22

26 Rework Task Rework Form Creation 22. Add a Sub View to display the Request Form s default view. Simple Approval Cycle Page 23

27 Add Sub View 10. Return to the Data Model of the Request activity. Data Model of Request Activity Simple Approval Cycle Page 24

28 11. Edit the first table and click Next to go to the Data Fields screen. Data Fields 12. Click the Item field and set its default value as follows: iif({request}.query( MyRequestRO ).count()>0,{request}.query( MyRequestRO ).last()[ Item ],null) Set Default Value of Item Field Simple Approval Cycle Page 25

29 Explanation: this expression will check if there are any records in the request table. If so it gets the last row and selects the Item field. Since the MyRequestRO will always get all the records for this workflow instance (the key is workflow instance ID), we need to get the last row. 13. Set the default values of Qty and Comment fields the same as you did for the Item. 14. Add an IfElse activity that checks the Approval checkbox value in the Approval Task. If Approved the workflow ends. If Declined the flow routes to the Rework. The workflow should appear now as follows: Workflow Completed 15. Set the recipients for the Tasks (Approval should go to a manager, Rework should go back the imitator of the Request Form) and set permissions. 16. Run the workflow through several loops (each time Decline the approval). Notice that the data from each instance is saved (in the process tree you can click back to the Forms of previous instances to view this data): First Form is Completed Simple Approval Cycle Page 26

30 After Rejection, the Initiator Completes the Rework Form Click Back to Original Form Notice that Original Data is Saved (Not Overwritten) Simple Approval Cycle Page 27

31 Option C: Simple Approval with Grid and Data Trace 1. Create a Request Form and add one table in the Data Model. 2. Leave the key as activity instance ID (fldiactid). Table Properties Simple Approval Cycle Page 28

32 3. Add the Form fields. Data Fields 4. Add another table to the Data Model for the grid lines, with activity instance ID as the key (fldiactid). Table Properties Simple Approval Cycle Page 29

33 5. Add fields for the Form. Add Fields Simple Approval Cycle Page 30

34 6. Add two more tables based on the same table (select it from the current workflow). Give them a different name, and set the key to be the workflow instance ID. Use the same fields for the request table and for the items table. Request Table Items Table Simple Approval Cycle Page 31

35 7. Create the Form. Add a grid control for Item and Quantity records, and connect it to the Data Source (see the Grid section in UX Studio Defining Controls for more details). Create the Form 8. Add a control reference in the markup of the form to point to the code behind. Control Reference <%@ Control Inherits="SequenceEx.Forms.Extensions.PrepopulateForm, SequenceEx.Forms, Version= , Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=afe23ba58f65dc7e"%> 9. Add another view and create a read only form based on the two other queries (RequestRO and ItemsRO). Simple Approval Cycle Page 32

36 Add Read Only View 10. Add a where parameter on the data source. <WhereParameters > Add Where Parameter <asp:parameter DefaultValue='<%$ sq: {iif(act.sourceactivity("request")!=null,act.sourceactivity("request" ).ActivityInstanceId.toString() Simple Approval Cycle Page 33

37 ,act.sourceactivity("rework").activityinstanceid.tostring())}%>' Name="fldIActId" Type="Int32"></asp:Parameter> </WhereParameters> Note: You can also do this using the Where Parameters wizard. Where Parameters Wizard 23. Add an Approval Task to the workflow and add the following fields to its Form: Approval: a combo box. Use Edit Choices to add the values: Approve, Decline. Comments: a text area. Approval Task Simple Approval Cycle Page 34

38 24. Connect these fields to data sources. Data Fields of the Task 25. In the Data Model, leave the key as activity instance ID (fldiactid). Table Properties Simple Approval Cycle Page 35

39 26. Add a Sub View control to the Approval Form: Add Sub View 27. Set the Sub View to display the read only view from the Request activity. Set Sub View 28. Create the Rework Task as a blank Form without any Data Model (select the First Define Data, and do not select the Fast Track option). Simple Approval Cycle Page 36

40 Rework Task Rework Task Simple Approval Cycle Page 37

41 Rework Form Creation 29. Add a Sub View to display the Request Form s default view. Add Sub View Simple Approval Cycle Page 38

42 30. Add an IfElse activity that checks the Approval checkbox value in the Approval Task. If Approved the workflow ends. If Declined the flow routes to the Rework. The workflow should appear now as follows: Workflow Completed 31. Set the recipients for the Tasks (Approval should go to a manager, Rework should go back the imitator of the Request Form) and set permissions. 32. Run the workflow through several loops (each time Decline the approval). Notice that the data from each instance is saved (in the process tree you can click back to the Forms of previous instances to view this data): Data of Each Iteration Saved Simple Approval Cycle Page 39

43 Files # Description File 1 The assembly used. SequenceEx.Forms.dll Simple Approval Cycle Page 40