User Interface

Workflow Builder provides a graphical user interface for arranging and connecting tasks on a canvas to create a workflow. The main view displays a list of all workflows in the system.

Figure: Workflow Builder GUI: Main View

Label	UI Element	Function
1	New workflow	Create new workflow
2	Select workflow	Select workflow(s) for deletion
3	Filter workflows	Enter text to filter list of workflows in table
4	Edit workflow	Open workflow in canvas for editing
5	Run workflow	Start job manually from a workflow
6	Delete workflow	Delete selected workflow(s)

The edit canvas view displays a workflow's tasks and transitions.

Figure: Workflow Builder GUI: Canvas View

Label	UI Element	Function
7	Save/Update	Save new Workflow (or Save changes to Workflow)
8	Start	Start manual run of Workflow
9	Clone	Make duplicate copy of Workflow
10	Close	Close Workflow and return to main page
11	Source application	Select application providing desired task
12	Task list	Pick application task
13	Add task	Add shown task to workflow canvas
14	Transition binding	Associate a new transition to either the leading task's exit status or a forEach loop
15	Transition action	Specify a standard or revert transition
16	Zoom In/Out	Make tasks and text larger or smaller on canvas
17	Copy task	Duplicated selected task
18	Add transition	Add new transition for selected transition binding and transition action
19	Fit workflow	Adjust workflow to fit canvas
20	Delete selected	Delete any selected task or transition
21	Workflow canvas	The workflow design canvas
22	Transition	Connects one task to another
23	Task	A functional block within a Workflow

Create a Workflow

To create a new workflow:

1. On the main page of Workflow Builder, click the NEW WORKFLOW button in the title bar.

   Figure: Title Bar

   

2. Enter a unique name in the Workflow Name field.

3. Click the SAVE button.

   Figure: Create Workflow Dialog

   

4. Workflow Builder shows a blank canvas with only start and end terminators.

   Figure: New Workflow

   

Edit a Workflow

To edit a workflow:

1. On the main page of Workflow Builder, click a workflow's Edit button to open the Workflow Builder canvas.
2. When finished editing the workflow, click the Update button in the title bar. A confirmation box will appear to confirm that changes were saved.

Rename a Workflow

To rename a workflow:

1. On the main page of Workflow Builder, click the workflow Edit button to open the Workflow canvas.

2. Click the Settings button in the title bar. Workflow Builder will open the Workflow Settings dialog.

3. Type the new workflow name into the Workflow Name field.

4. Click UPDATE.

   Figure: Rename Workflow

   

Workflow Groups

As an option, workflow groups restrict who is authorized to start jobs from a workflow. When workflow groups are assigned, only group members can start jobs from the workflow.

Workflow groups are a similar concept to task groups that restrict who is authorized to work a manual task.

To set optional workflow groups:

1. On the main page of Workflow Builder, click the workflow Edit button to open the workflow canvas.
2. Click the Settings button in the title bar. Workflow Builder will open the Workflow Settings dialog.
3. Begin typing the name of a group in the Workflow Groups field. Matching group names will appear in a list after you begin typing.
4. Click the correct group name to add that group to workflow groups. The group will not be added unless it is selected from the list. Add as many groups to the workflow groups as desired.
5. Click UPDATE.

Resize Workflow to Fit Window

To resize a workflow:

1. Click the Fit Window button in the upper right corner of the Workflow Builder canvas. The workflow will be reduced to fit within the visible area of the canvas.
2. Click SAVE or UPDATE in the title bar to save the resized workflow.

Clone a Workflow

To clone a workflow:

1. On the main page of Workflow Builder, click the workflow Edit button to open Workflow canvas.

2. Click the Clone button in the title bar. Workflow Builder will open the Clone Workflow dialog.

3. Type a name for the cloned workflow.

4. Click SAVE.

   Figure: Clone Workflow Dialog

   

Start a Workflow

To start a workflow:

1. On the main page of Workflow Builder, locate the workflow in the table.

2. Click the Start button at the far right to open the Job Description dialog (see figure below). Alternately, on the Workflow Builder canvas page, click the Start button on the title bar.

3. Enter a description for the job (optional).

4. Click START.

   Figure: Job Description

   

   Workflow Builder will analyze the workflow and find all job variables. If a workflow requires job variables, Workflow Builder will display the Set Variables dialog box where you can see the required job variables set to null values (see figure below).

5. Enter the desired values with the required data types, e.g., "device": "er1.wdc".

6. Click START.

   Figure: Set Variables Dialog

   

Close a Workflow

To close a workflow:

1. On the Workflow Builder canvas page, click the UPDATE button in the title bar if you want to save changes before closing. A confirmation box will appear to confirm that changes were saved.
2. Click the Close button to close the Workflow and return to the main page.

Delete a Workflow

To delete a workflow:

1. On the main page of Workflow Builder, check the box to the left of the workflow(s) you want to delete. Multiple workflows may be deleted, or only one.
2. Click the DELETE button at the top of the page. A confirmation window will appear at the top of the view.
3. Click OK to confirm.

WARNING: A Workflow cannot be deleted or changed while it has jobs actively running.

Troubleshooting Workflows

Q: What happens if my workflow is incomplete or has an error?

A: When a workflow is incomplete or has an error, it is saved as a draft. The "DRAFT" indicator appears on the bottom-right corner of the canvas, with the number of errors in the workflow. An error modal also displays with a description of the errors. You can close the modal by clicking CLOSE. To see the errors again, click DRAFT.