Before you begin: Client types and prerequisites

IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Building human tasks > Set up a user interface for your human task
Before you begin: Client types and prerequisites

When you create a human task, you need to define, configure, or generate a client type. Each of these client types has its own prerequisites.
The following table defines the types of clients that you can configure or generate for your human tasks.

Client type Description Prerequisite
Process Portal Process Portal spaces contain widgets that you can use to participate in business processes in the runtime environment.
You can configure the visualization of the form that is used in the Task Management widget by using an HTML-Dojo file or an IBM Forms form.
You can create an HTML file to be used as the form using IBM Integration Designer. It can be deployed to, and used in IBM Integration Designer, or IBM Process Server.
If you use IBM Forms, you also need all the prerequisites associated with IBM Forms, except Lotus Forms Server API.
IBM Forms IBM Forms allows you to easily integrate electronic forms with human tasks. You can generate a client based on forms that you specify in the User interface settings tab.
You can deploy an IBM Forms client directly, or you can present the form as a user interface in the Task Information widget in a Process Portal space.
When install IBM Integration Designer, you have the option to install IBM Forms API, IBM Forms Viewer, and IBM Forms Designer. You will need IBM Forms Server API to process a client on a server, Lotus Viewer to view a client and Lotus Designer to edit a form.

Important: Before you can deploy this user interface to a runtime environment, you will need to install IBM Forms Viewer and IBM Forms Server API on each machine where the client is deployed (this includes IBM Process Server and the corresponding test environments).
WebSphere Portal portlet Select the page on which the portlet is to be placed in the page hierarchy of IBM WebSphere Portal by setting properties in the User interface settings tab.
Alternatively, you can generate a portlet using the portlet generator.
To generate portlets, you need the Portal Toolkit. When install IBM Integration Designer, you have the option to install the Portal Toolkit.
JavaServer Faces (JSF) client The client generator for human tasks generates a JSF-based web client that is useful for quickly prototyping human task processes or as a starting point for creating a custom client. The JSF client is generated based on data described in the interface that the human task implements, and does not need any input defined in the User interface settings. The JSF client generator is included in IBM Integration Designer.
Business Process Choreographer Explorer With this client, the task is delivered to the staff member via an HTML-based web page. The style of this web page is determined by the JSP values that are specified in the User interface settings tab. You can modify these values as needed. No prerequisites. The client is included in IBM Integration Designer.

Human Task editor
Set up a user interface for your human task

Related concepts:
Versioning business state machines
Ad hoc collaboration

Related tasks:
Supporting other languages
Defining user interfaces for a human task
Generate HTML-Dojo pages or IBM Forms for Process Portal spaces
Integrating JavaScript in HTML-Dojo pages
Generate IBM Forms clients (deprecated)
Generate WebSphere Portal portlets
Generate JSF clients for your human tasks
Prepare to extend generated JSF code
Customize clients
Deploying a generated client to an external runtime environment

Related reference:
Details tab: business state machine editor
Design considerations for user interface generation

Client type	Description	Prerequisite
Process Portal	Process Portal spaces contain widgets that you can use to participate in business processes in the runtime environment. You can configure the visualization of the form that is used in the Task Management widget by using an HTML-Dojo file or an IBM Forms form.	You can create an HTML file to be used as the form using IBM Integration Designer. It can be deployed to, and used in IBM Integration Designer, or IBM Process Server. If you use IBM Forms, you also need all the prerequisites associated with IBM Forms, except Lotus Forms Server API.
IBM Forms	IBM Forms allows you to easily integrate electronic forms with human tasks. You can generate a client based on forms that you specify in the User interface settings tab. You can deploy an IBM Forms client directly, or you can present the form as a user interface in the Task Information widget in a Process Portal space.	When install IBM Integration Designer, you have the option to install IBM Forms API, IBM Forms Viewer, and IBM Forms Designer. You will need IBM Forms Server API to process a client on a server, Lotus Viewer to view a client and Lotus Designer to edit a form. Important: Before you can deploy this user interface to a runtime environment, you will need to install IBM Forms Viewer and IBM Forms Server API on each machine where the client is deployed (this includes IBM Process Server and the corresponding test environments).
WebSphere Portal portlet	Select the page on which the portlet is to be placed in the page hierarchy of IBM WebSphere Portal by setting properties in the User interface settings tab. Alternatively, you can generate a portlet using the portlet generator.	To generate portlets, you need the Portal Toolkit. When install IBM Integration Designer, you have the option to install the Portal Toolkit.
JavaServer Faces (JSF) client	The client generator for human tasks generates a JSF-based web client that is useful for quickly prototyping human task processes or as a starting point for creating a custom client. The JSF client is generated based on data described in the interface that the human task implements, and does not need any input defined in the User interface settings.	The JSF client generator is included in IBM Integration Designer.
Business Process Choreographer Explorer	With this client, the task is delivered to the staff member via an HTML-based web page. The style of this web page is determined by the JSP values that are specified in the User interface settings tab. You can modify these values as needed.	No prerequisites. The client is included in IBM Integration Designer.