The Workflow Scheme Editor module is a visual design environment where the user creates or edits workflows in the form of flowcharts that consist of user-defined and robotic tasks.

The Workflow Editor module is available to users with the Workflow Designer role.

You can review the work of the Workflow Editor module here:

Entering the Workflow Editor

To open the Workflow Scheme Editor, the user must either create a new scheme or open an existing project on the Drafts page.

The following functions are available to users in the Workflow Editor module:

  1. Adding blocks to the workflow scheme.
  2. View the current workflow scheme.
  3. Editing blocks in the scheme.
  4. Creating variables.
  5. Editing variables.
  6. Starting a workflow project.
  7. Publishing a workflow project.
  8. Modifying workflow parameters.
  9. Editing tools (Back, Forward, Copy, Paste, Cut, Delete).

Structure of the Editor workspace

The Editor workspace is divided into 5 areas:

NameDescription
Toolbar (1)Located at the top, always displayed

Panel with functional blocks (hereinafter - blocks) of the scheme (2)

Located on the left
Workspace for displaying the workflow scheme (3)Largest, centered, always displayed
Panel with properties of the scheme block  (4)It is located on the right side and is displayed only when a specific block is selected in the scheme, such as in the figure below for the Start block
Variables panel (5)Located on the left


Variables panel:

Ways to rescale the workflow scheme

In the upper right corner of the editor working area there are 3 icons for changing the scale of this area:

  1. when you click on the icon  the blocks in the workflow scheme become larger, which may result in a smaller number of scheme blocks being displayed in this area;
  2. when you click the icon  the blocks in the workflow scheme become smaller, so that the workspace can accommodate a larger number of blocks of the scheme;
  3. when you click on the icon  the scale of the area becomes as close to 100% as possible. 

You can rescale the workflow scheme:

  • with the “-” and “+” buttons on the screen
    • clicking the “-” button zooms out in 5% increments
    • clicking the “+” button zooms in in 5% increments
  • by turning the mouse wheel
    • turning the wheel up zooms in in 5% increments
    • turning the wheel down zooms out in 5% increments
  • by pressing and holding the Ctrl key and rotating the mouse wheel
    • turning the wheel up zooms in in 5% increments
      turning the wheel down zooms out in 5% increments.
      scaling is linked to the position of the mouse pointer - the mouse pointer always points to the same point in the workflow scheme when scaling
  • using the keyboard shortcuts “Ctrl+-” and “Ctrl++”
    • pressing the “Ctrl+-” hotkeys zooms out in 5% increments
      pressing the “Ctrl++” hotkeys zooms in in 5% increments
  • by pressing the key combination “Ctrl+0” the workflow scheme scaling is reset to 100%.



  1. When you click on the icon e panel with functional blocks of the scheme and variables is hidden.

Toolbar

The toolbar contains the following buttons (from left to right):

  1. Basic buttons group (always visible) - :

     Name

     Description

    Publish
    		To publish the project
    Project parameters
    		To edit the project metadata
    Close
    		To exit the workflow editor

  2. A group of buttons for performing operations on blocks of the scheme as a whole (always visible) - :

    NameDescription
    Back
    		To cancel the last operation in the editor (active if only one operation on blocks has been performed after entering the editor)
    Forward
    		To restore the previously canceled operation (active if only one operation on blocks has been performed after entering the editor)
    Copy
    		To copy the selected block on the scheme (active only if the block is selected)
    Cut
    		To delete the selected block in the scheme and save it in the clipboard (active only if the block is selected)
    Paste 
    		To insert the cut block into the scheme (active only if the block was cut before)
    Delete
    		To delete the selected block on the scheme (active only if the block is selected)

  3. A group of buttons for controlling blocks during debug (visible only when an active block is selected: task, SF, subprocess) - :

    NameDescription
    Disable block
    		To temporarily disable a selected block from the workflow scheme or to enable a temporarily disabled block
    Breakpoint
    		To create a breakpoint for the selected block during debugging or to delete an already created breakpoint for the selected block

  4. A group of buttons to control the debug mode -  and :

    NameDescription
    StartTo launch the workflow in debug mode (active and visible unless the workflow is already running)
    PauseTo stop the workflow temporarily (active and visible if the workflow is already running)
    StopTo interrupt the workflow without waiting for it to finish executing (active and visible if the workflow is already running)
    RestartTo restart the workflow without waiting for the end of its execution (active and visible if the workflow is already running)
    Step forwardTo move forward in the workflow scheme after the workflow has temporarily stopped at a breakpoint to the next breakpoint or to the end of the workflow (active and visible if the workflow is already running)
    ContinueTo continue the workflow after the workflow has temporarily stopped (active and visible if the workflow is paused). The image of the button is exactly the same as that of the Start button

Functional blocks and variables panel

Functional blocks and variables panel consists of:

  • Variables tab
  • functional blocks of the workflow scheme

Functional blocks of the workflow scheme

The Workflow Editor offers the following set of functional blocks that can be used to design workflows:

Name  Description
Start

Initial block of the Workflow scheme (it is not located on the panel with scheme blocks, but is always located on the scheme from the very beginning of its creation)

Finish

End block of the Workflow scheme

Robot

A robot to perform a robotic task of the Workflow

Screen form

Form for executing a custom Workflow task

AND

In BPMN notation, Parallel Gateway, and is a selection of all paths

OR

In BPMN notation, an Exclusive Gateway, or is a choice of only one pathway

Workflow

A workflow, ready and published, that can be used as a sub-workflow in the scheme of the Workflow to be developed

OR

In BPMN notation, an Exclusive Gateway, or is a choice of only one pathway

Workflow

A workflow, ready and published, that can be used as a sub-workflow in the scheme of the Workflow to be developed

Note

Used to create comments on the Workflow scheme, they do not affect the functionality of the scheme itself

API

Used to send an API request

More details on the operation of the functional blocks can be found here: Functional blocks of the workflow scheme

Workflow variables

The Variables tab (5) is used for creating, editing and deleting workflow variables.

The tab is located on the left panel of the control next to the Blocks tab in the Process Designer on the workspace.

The workflow owner can view the variable values in the Activities section of the Instances page of a running or completed workflow:

  • If the workflow is still running, you can see the results of the last step of the workflow that was executed
  • If the workflow has already been completed, only the end results of the workflow can be seen

Workflow variables are used to monitor and store the intermediate and final results of workflows, i.e. they store the results of the workflow steps and the final result of the workflow.

Variable cards and card fields that are editable are not editable when the debugging process is running.

A variable card is displayed only if at least one variable has been created.


When you copy a workflow scheme in Workflow Constructor from the Published subsection to Drafts, the scheme is duplicated in the user's draft, including all data within the blocks in the scheme, all links to other blocks in the scheme, and all variables and their values.

Description of the interface elements of the Variable tab

Element name

Description

untitled

Search bar (2)

Search is performed by variable name only

Case is not taken into account

Search by part of the name is available: the entered text can be in any part of the variable name

The search works taking into account the selected value in the filter

untitled

Button

Filter (3)

Clicking the button displays the filter menu with checkboxes for setting the filter by variable type

  • Available values in the filter list:
    • Displayed in the default menu
    • Clicking the button selects all checkboxes in the list
    • If all values in the list are selected, clicking again deselects all checkboxes, no value is selected.
    • If more than one value in the list is selected, clicking the button selects all checkboxes in the list.
    • All:
    • <Variable type> – values of those types of variables whose cards are created are visible. If variable cards of the same type are deleted/added, the values in the filter menu are also deleted/added.
  • When selecting a type from the filter, the filtering is performed, and the Variables tab is left with the cards of variables with the corresponding type
  • If no value has been selected in the filter, the default setting is All
  • The menu closes when you click on or outside the filter button
  • If no cards with a variable are created on the Variables tab, the filter button is blocked
  • Multiple values can be selected

Button

Create variable (4)

A modal window Variable opens as soon as you click on it

 

 Variable card: only displayed if at least one variable has been created

Field

<Variable type> (5)

Indicates the selected variable type

Field

<Variable name> (10)

  • Defined variable name
  • Characters that do not fit in the field size are hidden behind an ellipsis

Field

Value (7)

  • Variable value
  • Characters that do not fit into the field size are hidden behind an ellipsis
  • Editable field for variable types: Number, String, Boolean

Button

Clear (11)

Variable card: only displayed if at least one variable has been created

If the Value field is filled and variable types are selected:

  • Number
  • String

When you click, the Value field is cleared

Button

Edit (6)

When clicked, the modal window Variable:<Variable type> opens

Button

Delete (9)

When you click on it, a modal window with a warning is displayed

Variable creation

To create a variable, the User should click on the Create variable button:

After the user clicks the button, the Variable modal window opens with a form to be filled in, which consists of 3 blocks:

  1. Name (required).
  2. Type (required).
  3. Description in the variable card.|

Selecting the Type block opens a dropdown list.

When the user selects an item from the dropdown list, a new block is added. For example: Variable: String

In the Value field it is necessary to enter the value, Fill in the description.

After filling in the blocks, the user should click on the Create button.

The created variables will be added to the Variables block.

Interface description of the modal window Variable <Variable type> - editing

The modal window opens when you click the Edit button (1) on the variable card

Interface description of the modal window Variable <Variable type>

Element name

Description

Default value/Available values

Variable name (2)

The field value is unique within a workflow

The given name is displayed and selected as an input parameter in the settings of each workflow block

The maximum length is not limited by the field size (~58 characters)

Characters that do not fit in the field size are hidden behind an ellipsis.

When a value is entered in the field, a button to clear the entire field appears

Mandatory for filling


Field with dropdown list

Variable type (3)

A single value can be selected

Variable types are arranged in alphabetical order

When selecting a value from the list, the Value field is added with the corresponding functionality

When you change the variable type, the Value field is changed to the corresponding functionality.

If the variable is used in the settings of a workflow block, the field is inactive.

Mandatory

Editable if the variable is not used in the workflow

Available values in the list:

  1. String
  2. Number
  3. Boolean
  4. Date-time
  5. Table
  6. Collection
  7. Password
  8. Dictionary

Field

Value (4)

  • Variable value
  • Characters that do not fit into the field size are hidden behind an ellipsis
  • Editable field for variable types: Number, String, Boolean

Depending on the selected variable type

Field

Description in the variable card (5)

The maximum length is 500 characters.

The counter displays the current number of characters in the field

If the value is exceeded, no characters are entered

When a value is entered in the field, the button to clear the whole field appears


Button

Edit (6)

When you click it, the changes made to the variable in the Variables tab are saved


Button

Cancel (7)

When clicked, the Variable modal window closes, the changes are not saved, the user remains in the workspace of the Workflow Constructor

Descriptions of the variable types of the Value field

A modal window with the Value field view opens:

  • In the Variables block when the New variable button is clicked
  • When clicking the Edit button on the variable card
  • When clicking the Fill in value button in the parameter fields of blocks that have a kebab menu

After filling in all fields it is necessary to click the Edit button. If for some reason the User wants to cancel the edit, it is necessary to click the Cancel button.

The contents of the Workflow Constructor user interface can be found on the following pages:









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