WebSphere Lombardi Edition 7.2 > Run and installing processes


Run and debugging processes with the Inspector

The Inspector in Lombardi Authoring Environment is key to an iterative approach to process development. Using the Inspector, individual developers can run processes and services on the Process Center Server or remote runtime Process Servers. Plus, an entire development team can use the Inspector to demonstrate current process design and implementation in playback sessions. Playback sessions help capture important information from different stakeholders in a process, such as management, end users, and business analysts. Taking an iterative approach to process development ensures that your process applications meet the goals and needs of everyone involved.

The Inspector in Lombardi Authoring Environment includes several tools that enable you to complete tasks like the following in each of your configured environments:

Task Description
Manage instances of processes When you run a process, you can view all previously executed and currently running instances on the Lombardi servers in your environment. You can manage running instances by halting and then resuming them, for example. You can also manage previously executed instances by filtering or deleting specific records.
Step through and debug a process For a selected instance, see the currently executing step and then move forward through the process, evaluating process execution step by step. A tree display of the process combined with indicators called tokens in the process diagram make it easy to understand where you are in the process. You also have the advantage of seeing the variables used in each step and their corresponding values (where applicable).

  1. Manage process instances
  2. Stepping through a process
  3. Debugging a process
  4. Resolving errors
  5. Inspector reference


Manage process instances

The following procedure shows how to run a process and then manage running and completed instances of that process in the Inspector.

  1. Open a Business Process Definition (BPD) in the Designer in Lombardi Authoring Environment.

  2. Click the Run icon :

  3. When Lombardi prompts you to change to the Inspector interface, click Yes.

    Click the check box if you want Lombardi Authoring Environment to change interfaces without prompting for approval.

  4. In the Process Instances tab, you can see all currently active and completed process instances:

    The highlighted instance in the preceding example is the process that you just started using the Run icon. Initially the Inspector shows the running and completed instances on the Process Center Server for all snapshots (versions) of the current BPD. For example, if a developer runs a process that he's working on in the Designer, the Process Instances tab shows all running and completed instances of the current BPD on the Process Center Server.

  5. (Optional) To view instances running on a different server or to view instances for a different version of the BPD, use the toolbar menus shown in the following image:

    You can select a different server from the drop-down list, and you can also select from the drop-down list of snapshots.

    Remote Process Servers must be connected to your Process Center to be available. See the Lombardi Installation and Configuration Guide appropriate for your environment to learn how to connect to remote Process Servers. To run a process on a different server using the Inspector, first install the process application snapshot that contains the process that you want to run as

    When you switch servers or snapshots, you can start the process by clicking the Run icon in the Inspector (which you can see at the bottom of the following image):

    If you click the Run icon while All versions is selected from the list of snapshots, the Inspector runs the most recent snapshot of the BPD on the Process Center Server. For remote Process Servers, the snapshots available are limited to the snapshots that are installed on that server.

  6. To control instances, select an instance from the list and then click the toolbar option that you want. For example, if you want to stop an instance that you started earlier, click the instance and then click the icon to terminate the instance as shown in the following example:

    You can also filter the list of instances shown by providing a name in the Instance Name field and using the Status drop-down menu. For complete information about the available options, see Inspector reference.

  7. In the preceding image, you can see a new task in the right pane of the Process Instances tab. You can run new tasks to step through process execution as explained in the following procedure.


Stepping through a process

When you run a process, you can step through the execution to ensure that your BPD works as expected. You can use this functionality for team playbacks and to help debug your process.

  1. Open a Business Process Definition (BPD) in the Designer in Lombardi Authoring Environment.

  2. Click the Run icon:

  3. When Lombardi prompts you to change to the Inspector interface, click Yes.

    Click the check box if you want Lombardi Authoring Environment to change interfaces without prompting for approval.

  4. (Optional) To step through the current BPD on a different server or if you want to step through a different version of the current BPD, use the toolbar menus shown in the following image:

    You can select a different server from the drop-down list, and you can also select from the list of snapshots.

    Remote Process Servers must be connected to your Process Center to be available. See the Lombardi Installation and Configuration Guide appropriate for your environment to learn how to connect to remote Process Servers. To run a process on a different server using the Inspector, first install the process application snapshot that contains the process that you want to run as

    When you switch servers or snapshots, you need to start the process again by clicking the Run icon in the Inspector (which you can see at the bottom of the following image):

    If you click the Run icon while All versions is selected from the list of snapshots, the Inspector runs the most recent snapshot of the BPD on the Process Center Server. For remote Process Servers, the snapshots available are limited to the snapshots that are installed on that server.

  5. In the Process Instances tab, click the new or received task and then click the Run task icon .

    If a task is not displayed, click the process instance that you just started to see its current task.

    In some cases, you may need to select a user account or provide a password for a specific user account in order to run a task. This is controlled by lane assignments and routing for activities. See Assign participant groups to lanes and Route activities for more information.

  6. In this sample BPD, the coach for the task called Submit a Request opens in a browser as shown in the following example:

    Filling in the fields and clicking the Ok button causes the BPD to move to the next step.

  7. Click the Refresh icon in the toolbar as shown in the following image:

    The Inspector shows the progress by moving the token to the next step (the Review task) in both the BPD diagram and the tree view as shown in the following example:

  8. To see the variables passed from step to step, click the process node in the tree view. In the following example, you can see that the Inspector shows the request variable in the Variables tab:

  9. Right-click the request variable and select Show in Execution Evaluator.

    The Inspector opens the Execution Evaluator tab and shows the values for the parameters within the request variable:

    The Execution Evaluator enables you to inspect the variable values as they change through the flow of the BPD.

    You can also manipulate variables in the Execution Evaluator using JavaScript expressions to validate your process implementation. To do so, enter the JavaScript expression and click the Run icon at the top of the Evaluator. The results are displayed in the bottom pane of the tab.

  10. In the Process Instances tab, click the task for the Review step and then click the Run task icon :

    In this sample BPD, the coach for the Review task opens in a browser and clicking Ok for the submitted request causes the BPD to move to the next step.

  11. Click the Refresh icon in the toolbar.

  12. Now we can see that the BPD is complete because the final step, Place Order, has a status of Closed and there are no active tokens in the diagram or tree view:


Debugging a process

The debugging feature in the Inspector enables you to examine each underlying process or service in each step of your process execution, providing more detailed inspection than simply stepping through your process provides. The Inspector executes a debugging session in a browser window. As you step through an underlying process or service in the debug session in your browser, the Inspector interface shows the same progress in its diagram view and tree view.

  1. Open a Business Process Definition (BPD) in the Designer in Lombardi Authoring Environment.

  2. Click the Run icon :

  3. When Lombardi prompts you to change to the Inspector interface, click Yes.

    Click the check box if you want Lombardi Authoring Environment to change interfaces without prompting for approval.

  4. (Optional) To debug the current BPD on a different server or if you want to debug a different version of the current BPD, use the toolbar menus shown in the following image:

    You can select a different server from the drop-down list, and you can also select from the list of snapshots.

    Remote Process Servers must be connected to your Process Center to be available. See the Lombardi Installation and Configuration Guide appropriate for your environment to learn how to connect to remote Process Servers. To run a process on a different server using the Inspector, first install the process application snapshot that contains the process that you want to run

    When you switch servers or snapshots, you need to start the process again by clicking the Run icon in the Inspector (which you can see at the bottom of the following image):

    If you click the Run icon while All versions is selected from the list of snapshots, the Inspector runs the most recent snapshot of the BPD on the Process Center Server. For remote Process Servers, the snapshots available are limited to the snapshots that are installed on that server.

  5. In the Process Instances tab, click the new task and then click the Debug task icon :

    The Inspector opens a debugging session in a browser window as shown in the following example:

    At the same time, the Inspector opens the currently executing service in the Services in Debug tab and shows progress through the service, using tokens in the diagram and tree view. In the following example, you can see the token is on the same item (Create employee requisition) shown in the debugger session:

  6. Click the Step button in the debugger session in your browser to proceed. In this sample BPD, the coach for the current service opens in the browser window:

    Filling in the fields and clicking the Next button causes the debugger to move to the next step.

  7. Click the Step button in the debugger session to continue debugging the current service.

  8. To continue through the rest of your BPD, click the Process Instances tab in the Inspector and then repeat the actions from Step 5.

  9. In the debugger session in your browser, you can see data that you enter into any displayed coaches as well as the values that cause the underlying logic in the services and BPD to proceed along the available paths. This insight can be extremely helpful when issues are identified and you need to find the point at which a process instance is not functioning as expected.

    For BPDs or services that do not require user input, you can click the Run button in the debugger to execute all code and logic and then view the end values.


Resolving errors

When you run a process and an exception occurs in the instance, the Inspector clearly identifies the error in the diagram and tree view. The Inspector also:

The following example shows how the Inspector identifies an error in a running instance and how it helps you resolve the error:

  1. When you run a BPD that does not execute properly, the Inspector displays the error :

  2. Click the error shown in the tree view to open the Runtime Error Information dialog:

    In the preceding example, you can see the Runtime Error Information dialog tells you exactly where the error happened and it also provides a link to the service in which the error occurred so you can go directly to the source. It is within the Submit Requisition service that the variable assignment is missing for tw.local.currentPosition.

  3. Click the More button to show additional details about the error, such as stack trace details :

    You can also use the Copy to Clipboard button if you want to paste the contents of the dialog to a text file or support ticket. The Inspector copies all information to the clipboard, including stack traces.

Parent topic: Run and installing processes

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