Modeling and Configuring Workflows Using the GP API 

Purpose

Guided Procedures (GP) design time is a set of tools that allows you to model arbitrary business processes using a repository of software modules accessed in a uniform manner. These modules come pre-programmed with the GP framework and ready to use. They perform atomic tasks and can be combined into a working process.

In addition to designing GP processes programmatically through the GP design time user interface, you can use the GP design time API to create development components to meet your own particular needs.

The process flow below guides you through all the main activities required to create a GP process. You may choose to follow all steps or to select only the ones applicable to your scenario.

Prerequisites

You have set up your project in SAP NetWeaver Developer Studio. For more information, see Setting Up Your Project.

Process Flow

Instantiating the Design Time Manager

To be able to work with the design time API you need an instance of the IGPDesigntimeUpdateManager.

For more information, see Instantiating the Design Time Manager.

Creating GP Development Objects

The main elements of the GP framework are the GP development objects. You can create your own objects and integrate them into a composite.

For more information, see Creating GP Development Objects.

Editing GP Development Objects

Once you have created your own development objects, you may need to modify or upgrade them in a later phase. You can also search for other persistent objects saved in the database and list them whenever you need them. The objects that you edit are locked until you save and release them.

For more information, see Editing GP Development Objects.

Deleting GP Development Objects

You can delete persisted development objects when you no longer need them.

For implementation restrictions and rules, refer to Deleting GP Development Objects.

Exposing Business Object Data in the GP Context

You can use business object models defined in SAP systems by wrapping them in a template recognizable by GP. You do this by retrieving a set of business object’s attributes and exposing them as a structure parameter of type Reference to BO in a GP callable object.

For more information, see Exposing Business Object Data in the GP Context.

Including Additional Functionality

When you create your own GP activities, you sometimes need to implement additional functionality to enhance process flow. This may include ad-hoc activities, info callable objects, attachments, permissions, view permissions, process initiation, runtime views.

For more information, see Including Additional Functionality.