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

Design considerations for user interface generation

In IBM Integration Designer, the tools and technologies used to generate user interfaces are continually changing and evolving. This topic presents some design points that you should consider when you are designing a user interface and choosing the client type that is best suited for your purposes.

The following list presents some design considerations for user interface generation:

• If you have a human task and a business object with an optional X field that references another business object containing the optional fields Y and Z, where the Y and Z fields are used to specify detailed information for the optional X field, then any web-based user interface that is generated for widgets in Process Portal spaces, using the business object and HTML-Dojo technology will contain Add and Remove buttons that enable you to add or remove the optional fields Y and Z.

  For example, assume that you have a Customer business object with an optional Address field that references an Address business object containing the optional fields Street and City.

  If the Customer business object is used in a human task and you later use HTML-Dojo technology to generate a web-based user interface for a widget, the user interface will contain Add and Remove buttons that enable you to add or remove the optional Street and City fields. By default, the optional Street and City fields will not be displayed in the user interface and the optional Address field will be populated with the value Address, which is the name of the optional Address business object. If you choose to add the optional Street and City fields, they will appear nested under the optional Address field.

• If you use a tCaseFolder business object and IBM Forms to generate a web-based collaboration folder form for a Process Portal space, you will find that there have been several improvements to the generated form.

  For example, the number of entry fields has been reduced in the form, while the clarity, layout, and usability of the remaining fields and buttons has been enhanced. The generated collaboration folder form now enables you to:

  • Click an Add link to add new attachments.

  • Click a Remove link to remove existing attachments.

  • Assign a name to an attachment in the Name field.

  • Specify a URL path to an attachment in the URL field.

  • Specify the name of the user who attached an attachment in the Attached by field.

  • Click a View link to view an attachment.

  • Access hover help for the fields and links on the form.

• Any human task can use the CaseTaskInterface as its interface. In particular when you want to enable enhanced dynamic behavior, you would typically use the CaseTaskInterface as the interface to your human task. In some instances when you are employing the CaseTaskInterface you will want to add your own business objects to the process. This could be achieved by editing the CaseTaskInterface, however, it is strongly recommended that you do not edit the CaseTaskInterface, since changes to this interface may render it inappropriate for use as an interface for human tasks in collaboration scopes.

  The preferred methodology for adding business objects is to create a new interface, include a parameter of type tCaseFolder in the interface and use this interface for your human tasks. Similarly you should not modify the tCaseFolder parameter type. This type is used by the CaseTaskInterface and any modification might have the same undesirable effect as modifying the interface.

Set up a user interface for your human task

Related concepts:
Before you begin: Client types and prerequisites

Related tasks:
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