Workflows

Last modified: September 25, 2024

Introduction

Workflow is a visual language in Mendix Studio Pro that allows you to build extendable processes. It is fully integrated with other visual languages, such as the microflow editor and page editor.

Workflow Elements

A workflow is composed of elements that you can use in the workflow editor: you can either see them in the working area (start and end events, a parameter), or drag them from Toolbox to the flow. For more information, see Workflow Elements.

Performing Basic Functions

You can perform the following basic functions when working on workflows:

  • Open a workflow
  • Create a workflow
  • Delete a workflow
  • Add elements to a workflow
  • View element properties

Opening a Workflow

To open a workflow in Studio Pro, do the following:

  1. In the App Explorer, open a module where this workflow is located.
  2. Navigate to the workflow’s location inside the module and double-click the workflow.

The selected workflow is opened.

Adding a Workflow

To add a workflow to your app, do the following:

  1. In the App Explorer, right-click the module or a folder you want to create a page in and select Add workflow.

  2. In the Add workflow dialog box, fill in Name and click OK:

    Adding Workflow

The workflow is created and the WorkflowInstance entity is added to the domain model. For more information on the WorkflowInstance entity, see Workflow Parameters.

Deleting a Workflow

To delete a workflow, do the following:

  1. In the App Explorer, select a workflow you would like to delete and right-click it.
  2. In the displayed list, select Delete and confirm your choice by clicking Delete in the pop-up dialog.

The selected workflow is deleted.

Adding Elements to a Workflow

To add an element to a workflow, do the following:

  1. Open the Toolbox.
  2. Select an element you would like to add and drag this element into the working area.

The selected element is added.

Cutting/Coping/Pasting Elements in a Workflow

To cut/copy/paste elements, use Ctrl + X / Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V or Command + X / Command + C / Command + V.

When using cut/copy/paste, note the following:

  • When cutting or copying an element, the clipboard contains the whole structure of the element. For example, when copying a User Task with Outcomes which contain activities, the User Task and the Outcomes and its activities are copied.

    Note that copying a User Task or a Microflow does not create a copy of the elements that are being referenced. Instead, the copied element will have the same references as the original. For example, when the original User Task has a task page configured, the copied User Task refers to the same task page.

  • When no element is selected in the workflow, the clipboard content is pasted at the end of the workflow.

  • When the start event is selected, the clipboard content is pasted at the start of the workflow.

  • When an activity is selected, the clipboard content is pasted under the selected activity.

  • When a flow is selected, the clipboard content is pasted at the beginning of the selected flow.

  • When the clipboard contents has an Annotation, it can only be pasted into the workflow or into individual activities that support annotations.

  • Pasting an activity after an End or Jump activity results in a consistency error as an End or Jump activity should be placed at the end of a flow.

  • Pasting activity can result in a consistency error when the next activity becomes unreachable by either placing an End or Jump activity in front of it or when all flows before a merge end with an End or Jump activity.

Elements that Cannot be Cut, Copied or Pasted

The following elements cannot be cut, copied or pasted in the workflow editor:

  • Workflow (this can be only be done in the App Explorer)
  • WorkflowContext
  • Start activity
  • End activity (the final End activity which is at the end of the workflow)
  • Outcomes (meaning outcomes of different outgoing flows from an activity that can have several flows, for example, a Decision)

Viewing Element Properties

To view properties of an element, do one of the following:

  1. Select an element and open Properties pane to view its properties.
  2. Right-click an element and select Properties from the list of options that opens.
  3. Double-click an element.

Triggering a Workflow

You can trigger a workflow from a page or via a microflow.

Triggering a Workflow from a Page

To start the workflow, you can add a widget with a specific on-click event on a page. For more information on on-click events, see On Click Event and Events Section.

Do the following:

  1. Open a page from where you would like to trigger a workflow.
  2. Make sure you have a data container with the workflow context on your page.
  3. Drag a widget that has on-click event in its properties (for example, a button) into the data container with the workflow context.
  4. Open button’s properties > Events section.
  5. Set On-click property to Call workflow.
  6. Set Workflow to the workflow you would like to trigger.

You have configured the button to trigger the workflow.

Triggering a Workflow via a Microflow

To trigger a workflow via a microflow, you can add a Call workflow activity to the microflow. For more information on this activity, see Workflow Call.

Do the following:

  1. Open a microflow that will trigger a workflow.

  2. Make sure the microflow has a necessary parameter with the workflow context.

  3. In the Toolbox, find Call workflow activity and drag it into the microflow.

  4. Double-click the activity to open its properties.

  5. Set Workflow to the workflow you would like to trigger.

  6. Set Context object to the workflow context:

    Call Workflow Example

  7. Click OK.

Now when you run this microflow, it will trigger the selected workflow.

Workflow Entities in the System Module

There are several workflow-related entities in the System module of your app, some of which can be used in an XPath and expressions, and some are there as basic entities that are internally only (for example, by the Runtime).

You can find the following workflow-related entities in the System module:

  • WorkflowDefinition – Represents your workflow in the database. It contains following four attributes:

    • Name and Title are Name and Title properties of the workflow
    • IsObsolete is a Boolean that is marked as true when you delete your workflow
    • IsLocked is a Boolean that is marked as true when you lock your workflow and marked as false when you unlock your workflow In the case that you delete the workflow, the workflow still stays in the database (and you will still be able to create reports with it), but Mendix marks that it does not exist anymore. For more information on properties, see Workflow Properties.

  • WorkflowUserTaskDefinition – Represents your user tasks and system activities in the database. It contains two attributes, where Name is a Name property of the user task or a system activity, and IsObsolete is a Boolean that is marked as true when you delete a user task/system activity from your workflow. They still stay in the database (and you will still be able to create reports with them), but Mendix marks that they do not exist anymore.

  • Workflow – A representation of a running workflow, so every time when the new workflow is started, the Runtime creates a new instance.

  • WorkflowUserTask – This entity is created when the Runtime executes the user task and an end-user chooses an action (for example, clicks an Approve button to approve a request). This entity can be used for workflow overview pages and in an application logic.

  • WorkflowJumpToDetails – This non-persistable entity is generated by the Generate Jump-to Option microflow action and contains information on the workflow instance and activities where the workflow can jump to.

  • WorkflowCurrentActivity – This non-persistable entity represents data generated by the Generate Jump-to Option microflow action and contains information on the current activity of the workflow instance.

  • WorkflowActivityDetails – This non-persistable entity represents data generated by the Generate Jump-to Option microflow action and contains information on activities of the workflow instance.

Workflow Variables

Workflows have dedicated variables that can be used in an XPath and Expressions inside the Workflow editor.

The list of variables is described below:

  • $WorkflowContext – an instance of the business-related entity that travels through the workflow
  • $WorkflowInstance – an instance of a currently running workflow (System.Workflow)

For more information on workflow-related entities in the System module, see the Workflow Entities in the System Module section above.

For example, you can use these variables as parameters in the Task name and Task description properties of a user task. For more information, see User Task.

Workflow-Specific Activities in Microflows

You can add workflow-related activities to your microflows. For more information on these activities, see Workflow Activities.

Workflow-Specific On-Click Events on Pages

You can trigger workflows or user tasks from pages via specific on-click events configured on widgets. For more details, see On Click Event and Events Section.

Workflow Commons Module

The Workflow Commons module is a workflow specific module that has preconfigured page templates, pages, dashboards, etc. It can save you a lot of time during development. You can either download it from the Marketplace or use one of the app templates when creating a new app in Apps. These templates already contain the Workflows Commons module.

For more information on how to configure the Workflow Commons in an existing app, see Adding a Workflow to an Existing App with Workflow Commons.

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