Unit 3: Starting the Workflow Builder 

Use

A workflow definition is created with the help of the Workflow Builder.

Prerequisites

You have now created a workflow template ( Unit 2: Creating a Workflow).

Procedure

Calling the Workflow Builder

  1. Choose Tools ® Business Workflow ® Development ® Definition Tools ® Workflow Builder.

    2. The Workflow Builder is then launched with the workflow definition that was processed last. If the Workflow Builder has not yet been called, then an initial workflow definition is displayed.

    The Workflow Builder screen is divided into the following areas.

    The workflow definition is displayed in the Workflow area on the screen. If the workflow is shown in display mode, the step type area is not displayed. For further information, refer to Workflow Builder in the SAP Business Workflow documentation.

  2. Choose and enter the abbreviation of your workflow template (< WSeight digit number >) .

You can use the F4 input help. Enter the start of the abbreviation for your workflow (for example: < ini*> ) and choose All of the workflows that match are displayed. Select your workflow and choose .

Result

The workflow definition is displayed and if necessary can be processed. If the Workflow Builder is called for the first processing of a newly created initial workflow definition, the following graphic is displayed:

 

If the graphic displayed differs from that above, check the graphic settings in the Workflow Builder. Choose Extras ® Options, and click the Graphic tab. Choose the Without event-driven process chains view.

This unit is now complete. In the following unit you create the first step in your workflow and define a task for this purpose at the same time.

Creating an Activity as a Step in the Workflow Definition

Add a first step of the type Activity to the workflow definition.

  1. Choose under step type. The cursor changes shape.
  2. Position the cursor on the Undefined step and click.

    3. By doing so, you add an activity to your workflow definition. The step definition is shown in the right-hand part of the screen. You are on the tab page Control.

    Entering basic data for control
  3. Enter the abbreviation ( TS<8-digit number> ) of the standard task Create Notification of Absence in the Task field and choose .

If you no longer know the full abbreviation, you can use different methods to search for it:

This brings you to the Search and Find: Tasks dialog box.

On the tab page Obj. type and method, enter the object type FORMABSENC and the method CREATE .

Then double-click your single-step task in the list. You should recognize your single-step task from your initials in the abbreviation. Choose .

A list of tasks is then displayed in which you can double-click the desired task.

Every activity, as a step in a workflow definition, refers to a task.

At this point, the unique reference to this task is entered. The identification is made up of an abbreviation (T, TS, WF, or WS) followed by an 8-digit number.

If you select a workflow task (WF) or workflow template (WS) as your task, your activity is a subworkflow. If you select a customer task (T) or standard task (TS), your activity is a single step.

The Define Container Elements and Binding dialog box is then displayed in which the system proposes a change to the workflow container and a binding definition.

The system proposes that you create a local container element in the workflow container, which can store the reference to the notification of absence created in this step. The element has the technical name AbsenceForm .

The system proposes that you define a binding from the task container to the workflow container. This binding transports the reference to the generated object (i.e. the created notification of absence) from the task (from the _WI_Object_ID element in the task container) to the workflow (to the AbsenceForm element in the workflow container).

Further information on automatic binding definition proposals is available under Binding Definitions from the Workflow Container and Binding Definitions from the Task Container in the documentation on SAP Business Workflow.
  1. Confirm the proposal with .

    2. The new AbsenceForm container element is displayed in the object area of the workflow container folder. Local container elements are marked . The remaining elements in the workflow container are workflow system variables. For further information, please refer to Workflow System Variables in the Workflow Container.

  2. Enter a text to describe the step.

    3. You can, of course, leave the description of the single-step task that is proposed by the system.

    (The current step in your workflow definition appears here.)

  3. Go to the Events tab.

    4. All of the outcomes for this step are displayed here.

  4. Enter a text for the description.

The description (proposal: < Application filled out> ) in the Task executed synchronously line.

Each step has at least one subsequent event (in this case: Task executed synchronously). The description is the text with which the outcome is labeled in the workflow definition.

The Form does not exist and Form could not be generated outcomes are the possible exceptions that could occur in the method execution. You "run the risk" of not intercepting these exceptions and not modeling any exception handling in your workflow definition. If one of the exceptions actually occurs at runtime, the workflow will assume the error status.

Checking the binding definition (optional)

  1. Go to the Control tab.
  2. Choose Binding (present).

The WF Builder: Binding for Step ‘<Create notification of absence>’ dialog box is then displayed.

This binding direction is not relevant for this step since no information is to be transported from the workflow to the task.

Here, the binding is _WI_ObjectId. &ABSENCEFORM& has been automatically defined here by the system. This binding ensures that the reference to the notification of absence created is not only known in the single-step task, but also in the workflow.

You can view the contents of both containers by choosing Workflow container or Task container.

(The element of the task container _WI_Object_ID is called Notif. of absence .)
  1. Choose .

You then return to the step definition.

Entering the agents responsible

Choose Workflow initiator (expression) under Agents.

The system enters the expression &_WF_INITIATOR& in the Expression field and in the input field beside the checkbox.

By doing so, you choose the agent responsible.

You start your executable workflow later manually. At this point in time, the system fills the workflow container element _WF_Initiator automatically with your user name.

The above assignment informs the workflow system that the first work item for creating the notification of absence should be addressed as the "starter" as the workflow.

You return to the screen Workflow definition: Create step: Activity

Concluding step definition

  1. Choose to check the step definition.
  2. Choose to exit the step definition.
  3. Choose to view the entire workflow definition in the workflow area on the screen.

    4. You will notice that your workflow definition now contains a new step (the activity just created). The undefined step is also still there.

  4. Choose .

    5. The workflow definition is checked, saved, and, provided it does not contain any errors, activated. The system displays a message if problems are encountered during the test.

  5. Exit the Workflow Builder.

Result

You have now completed this unit and can start the next unit.