Task Launch Customization

Prerequisites

• You have access to Portal Universal Worklist iView.

• You have access to the Universal Worklist Administration iView.

• You have implemented an alternative work item visualization and execution (for example, through a custom iView).

Background

Each task item in the UWL has a specific task item type. The task item type has a default action. The default action is performed when the user clicks on the subject of the item.

The UWL connects to the registered system and generates item types from the Business Workflow task definitions. Each system defines a new WebFlow configuration namespace.

When you successfully register a work item type, the XML text that defines the execution of the task is made available. The item type links the task definition with the item execution by UWL.

More information: Registering Work Item Types

Sample generated ItemType

The following is an example of generated XML text for an item type. This XML defines the execution of the ItemType by launching an SAP ITS template.

<ItemType name="uwl.task.webflow.T50012283" connector="WebFlowConnector" 
        defaultView="DefaultView" defaultAction="launchMiniApp" >
      <ItemTypeCriteria  externalType="T50012283" 
           connector="WebFlowConnector"/>
      <Actions>
        <Action name="launchMiniApp" handler="SAPMiniAppLauncher">
          <Properties>
            <Property name="Template" value="BWWF_WI_DECI"/>
          </Properties>
          <Descriptions default="">
            <ShortDescriptions/>
          </Descriptions>
        </Action>
      </Actions>
</ItemType>

            

The following table describes the function of the key tags highlighted in the example XML code. These are the tags that you need to customize.

Business Workflow Task Launch Customization Alternatives

There are two basic alternatives to customize task launch for Business Workflow:

• SAP Transaction SWFVISU and

• UWL item type customization

SAP Transaction SWFVISU

Customization is done in the Business Workflow system where the items originate. This transaction is available in SAP systems from Release 6.20 Support Package 23. This transaction is documented from Release 6.40.

Possible customizations are:

• BSP BluePrint

• BSP Standard

• Java WebDynpro

• ABAP WebDynpro

• iView

• Portal page

• Object-based navigation

This transaction provides participation in SAP transportation infrastructure.

Steps on how to Configure SWFVISU to Configure Visualization Types:

1. Start transaction SWFVISU. The tables might be empty or contain existing information. There are two levels to choose from

   • Task Visualization - how you want your visualization to be when you execute a task

   • Object Visualization - how you would want your object displayed

2. Choose New Entries. Fill out the task id (for Task Visualization) or object type (for Object Visualization) and select the corresponding visualization type. Hit the 'enter' key to get to another entry.

3. Highlight the row and choose Visualization Parameter . Add new parameters here.

4. Choose Save .

UWL Item Type Customization

With this alternative more customization options are provided. Fine tuning is possible.

This type of customization provides for additional advanced customization (custom attributes, specific views).

Future transportation support is provided for customization data in Business Packages.

UWL Item Type Customization Steps

The general steps for customization are:

1. Identify the task IDs to customize in the Business Workflow systems. Identify also if these customizations should be applied for all Business Workflow systems or for a few specific systems.

2. Existing ItemType XML can be viewed as follows:

   1. Open the Universal Worklist Content Configuration (  Universal Worklist Administration  Universal Worklist Content Configuration ).

   2. Select the option Display or Remove Current configurations and their Customization (usually the first option), click Start .

   3. Select the generated Business Workflow system configuration. For example, for Business Workflow system with system alias " U9CCLNT800 ", configuration name is uwl.webflow.U9CCLNT800 .

   4. Select Display content as XML .

   5. Look for the item type which has the task ID defined as externalType within ItemTypeCriteria .

      Note

      You may not find a corresponding item type. All Webflow items, which do not have a specific execution assigned through their task id, are implicit of type uwl.webflow.default (see the namespace uwl.webflow ). This type uses SAPTransactionLauncher as default action handler, and launches items using the Business Workflow transaction SWK1 in the SAP GUI for HTML. You can create a new specific type for the task id, which follows the same procedure as customize an existing one.

3. Copy the XML for the ItemTypes of interest. Create a UWL configuration XML file, which contains this item type (and all other item types in the same configuration, which are to be customized).

4. Define how the action handler and its parameters should launch items of that item type. See the next section for a description of the action handlers available.

5. If you create a new ItemType, an ItemType name has to be specified accordingly.

6. If it is intended that this customization should affect all Business Workflow configurations, remove any system specific information from the XML. So the XML looks like the following with no system information in the ItemType name and no systemId attribute in the ItemTypeCriteria .

   <ItemType name="uwl.task.webflow.T50012283" connector="WebFlowConnector" 
           defaultView="DefaultView" defaultAction="LaunchSAPAction" >
         <ItemTypeCriteria externalType="T50012283" 
              connector="WebFlowConnector"/>
         <Actions>
           <!!--- all the customized actions go here -- >.
         </Actions>
   </ItemType>
   
                     

7. Verify that XML file created is a valid XML as follows:

   1. Download DTD (Data Type Definition) file. Navigate to  Universal Worklist Content Configuration  Display or Remove Current configurations and their Customization   Click Start   Download DTD .

   2. Refer to the DTD file in the XML file that is created and place DTD file in the same folder as the XML file created.

   3. Open the XML file using Internet Explorer. If XML is valid then it is displayed correctly in the browser.

8. Upload the customized item type XML using the Universal Worklist Administration iView.