IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Building BPEL processes > Defining BPEL process logic
Adding an activity to a BPEL process
Activities are the individual business tasks within the process that compose the larger business goal.
After you have created a new process, create the activities that will run the task to be performed by that process. To add an activity, proceed as follows:
Procedure
- In the palette, click the icon for the activity.
- Drag the cursor out over the canvas. You will notice that the icon beside your cursor has a plus symbol when you are at a place where you are allowed to drop the activity. If the cursor becomes a crossed out circle, continue moving the cursor until it becomes a plus sign again.
- Click the area of the canvas where you want to drop the activity.
- Configure the activity as necessary in the Properties area of the BPEL process editor.
Results
The Use Data Type Variables option may not appear if the operation being invoked by this activity uses a WSDL message with a parameter extension. To work around this, proceed as follows:
- Disable the Use Data Type Variables check box in the activity.
- Create two "Interface"-typed variables for the input and output. These variables are actually WSDL-message-typed, but in the BPEL process editor you select an Interface and Operation and direction (input or output) and the editor will determine which WSDL message to use.
- Add Assign activities before or after the Invoke to copy the data into these variables.
- Modify the properties of an activity
Instructions on how to modify the details of any of your activities.- Modify the type of an activity
As you construct your BPEL process you may decide that a specific activity should be of a different type than you initially assigned.- Work with basic activities
A basic activity implements a singular aspect or task within a BPEL process. Unlike structured activities, basic activities do not embed other activities within them.- Replacement variables and context variables
While working with templates, you might want to refer to a variable that will not be resolved until the instance has been started in the runtime environment. This variable is known as a context variable, because its value is dependent upon the task context in which it is exists (or the process context for inline tasks). If you want to refer to such a context variable in a template, use a replacement variable.- Use Java methods in process snippets
You can use Java™ methods in process snippets to perform a variety of functions.
- Use custom properties for human tasks
Custom properties are used to categorize a task, and can be useful for querying, sorting, and filtering tasks.- Use event handlers
Event handlers are constructs that respond to external stimuli with an appropriate defined action.- Work with structured activities
A structured activity contains one or more other activities that are arranged on one or more separate paths. Here are some tips on how to work with these activities in the editor.- Modeling human workflows
Human workflow activities can be added to your business flows from the Human Workflow palette.
Related concepts:
The building blocks of the BPEL process editor
Dealing with faults in your BPEL process
Work with XPath in the BPEL process editor
Work with micropatterns
Locked activities
Related tasks:
Adding an interface or a reference to a business state machine
Adding a variable to a business state machine
Adding a process application as an activity
Defining transactional behavior
Defining timer-driven behavior in a BPEL process
Enabling SCA events to be emitted
Calling other BPEL processes
Calling business services