IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Building human tasks > Human tasks
Inline and stand-alone human tasks
You can implement a human task as part of the logic of a BPEL process, or independently of other processes.
If the task is implemented within a BPEL process, it is called an inline task. Otherwise, it is referred to as a stand-alone task.
Inline task
An inline task is defined within an implementation of a BPEL process. It can either be implemented directly in the process using a human task activity, or as a property of an invoke, pick, receive, event handler, or on message activity.
When you are first planning your human task, you should model it as an inline task if any of the following conditions are present:
- You need information from the process logic to run human interaction. Although information from the process can also be modeled into the input for a human task, the main reason to use an inline human tasks is because they can have direct access to the process context without the need to explicitly model the required information into the input message. Configure this on the Details tab of the Properties view.
- You want to define authorization rights on specific activities
The standard method of creating an inline task is to drop a human task activity on to the canvas in the BPEL process editor.
Stand-alone task
A stand-alone task exists independently of a BPEL process, and implements human interaction as a service that can be wired to any other component of the IBM Integration Designer family of tools.
When you are first planning your human task, you should model it as a stand-alone task if any of the following conditions are present:
- The task provides just another service
- You intend to replace the stand-alone task later on and don't want to change the component to which it is wired.
Create a stand-alone task using the New human task wizard and then wiring the task to a BPEL process using the assembly editor.
Replacing a stand-alone task with an inline task in the BPEL process
If you would like to take an existing stand-alone task that is invoked by an invoke activity in a business process, and transform it into an inline task that is implemented by a human task activity, proceed as follows:
- In the assembly editor, delete the existing interface between the human task component and the BPEL process.
- Delete the component as well.
- In the BPEL process component, right-click the invoke activity that originally connected to the human task component, and select Change type > Human task.
- In the Details tab of the human task, select New.
- Select the interface that was used between the original business process component and the human task component.
- Define the settings for the human task.
- From the main menu, click Project > Clean.
By transformed, we mean that these actions change the component type of the invoke activity. However, the settings are not copied over from the original human task. As indicated in step 6, you must specify these settings again in the properties view.
Related concepts:
Types of human task
Human task clients
Human task user interfaces
Lifecycle of a human task
Related tasks:
Setting human task preferences
Improving performance when using human task list widgets
Related information:
Use human tasks in different scenarios in IBM WebSphere Integration Developer