IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Create processes in IBM Process Designer > Modeling processes > Use external implementations

Use an external implementation to implement an activity

Select a custom application to implement a particular activity (step) in a BPD.

The following steps describe how to select a custom application as the implementation for an activity in a BPD:


Procedure

  1. Open a business process definition (BPD) in the Designer.

  2. In the BPD diagram, click the activity that you want to implement using a custom application.

  3. Click the Implementation tab in the properties.
  4. Under Implementation, select the User Task or System Task option from the displayed list.

  5. Click the Select button to choose an external implementation from the library.

    If the external implementation has not been created, click the New button and follow the steps in Create an external implementation to create a new external implementation.

  6. In the Task Header section, specify the following properties:

    Properties in the Task Header section
    Property Action
    Subject Type a descriptive subject for the task that is generated in IBM Process Portal when you run the BPD. You can also use the IBM BPM embedded JavaScript syntax (for example, <#=tw.local.mySubject#>) to express the subject.
    Narrative Type an optional description. You can also use the IBM BPM embedded JavaScript syntax to express the narrative.

    For the following properties (in the Priority Settings section) you can click the JS button for an option if you prefer to use a JavaScript expression with predefined variables to establish the priority settings.

  7. For the Priority field, click the drop-down list to select one of the default priority codes: Very Urgent, Urgent, Normal, Low, or Very Low.

  8. For the Due In field, you can enter a value in the text box and then choose Minutes, Hours, or Days from the drop-down list. (When you choose Days, you can use the text box after the drop-down list to include hours and minutes in your specification.)

    You also have the option of using the variable selector next to the text box to choose an existing variable from the library. at run time, the variable should reflect the value that you want for the time period. Be sure to select the option that you want from the drop-down list: Minutes, Hours, or Days.

  9. For the Time Period field, click the drop-down list to select one of the options.

    For example, select 24x7 if you want 24 hours a day, seven days a week to be the time period in which the resulting tasks from the current activity can be due.

    You can leave the Schedule, Timezone, and Holiday Schedule fields set to (use default). If you do, the work schedule specified for the BPD is used. See Setting the due date and work schedule for a BPD for more information.

  10. For the Time Zone field, click the drop-down list to select the time zone that you want to apply to the tasks that result from the current activity.

    For example, you can select US/Pacific for users who work in California.

  11. For the Holiday Schedule field, you can leave the setting at (use default) as described in the preceding note or you can click the JS button if you prefer to use a JavaScript expression. Each Holiday Schedule is made up of a list of Dates.

    If you choose JavaScript, you can enter either a String (or String-generated JavaScript) or JavaScript that returns a TWHolidaySchedule variable.

    If you use a String, then IBM BPM looks up the holiday schedule by name according to those rules. If you use a TWHolidaySchedule variable, then IBM BPM assumes that the holiday schedule is filled in appropriately. (Go to the System Data toolkit and open the TWHolidaySchedule variable to view its parameters.)

  12. Click the Data Mapping tab in the properties.

    Because you added the input and output parameters for the external implementation when you created it, the Data Mapping tab for the activity in the BPD should include those parameters.

    Under Input Mapping, click the auto-map icon in the upper-right corner, and then click the auto-map icon in the upper-right corner of the Output Mapping section. For more information about mapping variables, see Business objects and variables.

  13. Save the implementation.

Use external implementations


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