Exposing Interactive Forms as Callable Objects (SAP Library

Exposing Interactive Forms as Callable Objects

Use

Using the Guided Procedures (GP) design time, you can integrate a form template into the GP framework by exposing it as a callable object. As a part of the procedure, you can choose the scenarios for which you want to enable the interactive form. For more information about the scenarios, see Using Interactive Forms in Guided Procedures.

GP supports interactive forms based on Adobe software.

Prerequisites

● You must have created the form template that GP uses for generating forms.

¡ If you want to enable the users to submit the form using the HTTP channel, see Enabling Form Submission Using HTTP.

¡ If you want to enable the users to submit the form using the SMTP channel, see Enabling Form Submission Using SMTP.

● If you want to prefill the interactive form fields with the output from other services, you must have exposed these services as callable objects.

● If you want to use a service to validate the output from the callable object, you must have exposed this service as a callable object as well.

Procedure

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1. Open the gallery, and choose Create Callable Object from the contextual panel.

2. From the Type list, select Form → Interactive Formand enter the required basic data as follows:

Parameter	Description
Name	Enter an arbitrary name for the callable object.
Description	Describe the callable object by entering a brief description of its functions, for example.
Original Language	Choose the language in which the translatable texts of the callable object definition are being created.
Folder	Select a folder in the gallery where the callable object definition is stored. You can either use an existing folder, or create a new one.

3. Choose Next to open the Define Object screen.

To select a template, choose Change…. Enter the required data as follows:

Parameter	Description
Template File	Use Browse… to select a form template from the file system.
Template Adapter	From the dropdown box, select an appropriate adapter to process the form template that you submit.
Language	Select the original language in which the interactive form is being created from the form template.
Encoding	Select the appropriate encoding from the dropdown box. Make sure the selected encoding is the same as the encoding of the interactive form template; otherwise, the form might not work properly.

Choose OK.

Note

You can add versions of the interactive form template in other languages than the original one. To do that, use Add Translation.

4. Choose Next to open the Define Input screen.

The form template that you have submitted in the previous step is parsed and the input parameters are automatically displayed in read-only mode.

You can define prefilling for the input parameters. To prefill the fields of the interactive form, you use another callable object from the gallery.

5. Choose Next to open the Define Output screen.

The output parameters are automatically displayed in read-only mode.

You can define validation for the output of the callable object. The validation is performed using another callable object from the gallery.

6. Choose Next to open the Set Configuration screen.

Define the scenario(s) in which the interactive form need to be used. The available options are described in the following table.

Scenario	Option	Description
Enable Use in Guided Procedures		You can enable the use of the interactive form within a GP process. The form is exposed as a callable object that is executed in background mode. The timeout of the form is handled automatically by the GP framework.
	Create an Offline Interactive Form and send it by e-mail	The form is generated from the form template, and is sent as an offline interactive form by e-mail.
	Create an Interactive Form and Complete Process Step	The interactive form is generated from the form template, and stored in the process context. Optionally, you can configure the form to be sent by e-mail to the processor. To do that, enable option Send to Processor by E-Mail. You can choose the template for the e-mail using Browse….
Enable Use as Standalone Interactive Form		You can enable the use of an interactive form independently of a GP process. Standalone forms can by processed offline, or accessed by a URL, and are either personalized or impersonalized.
	Send to Processor via E-Mail	If this option is enabled, the requestor of the form can send it back for processing by e-mail. You can choose the template for the e-mail using Browse….
	Start a Process on Completion	You can enable this option and select a process template that is initiated upon successful post-processing of the interactive form input.
	Define Standalone Form Timeout	You can define timeout for the standalone interactive form. If the form is not returned to the system for post-processing before the timeout expires, it gets invalidated.
	Provide an Impersonalized Interactive Form	Select this option to create an impersonalized form that is not associated with a particular user session, and may be submitted to the system multiple times.

7. Choose Next, and then Finish and Open.

The design time for the callable object opens. You can edit its definition, if required.

Optionally, you can grant permissions to other users to view or modify the object. To do that, open the Permissions tab page.

8. To activate the object, choose This graphic is explained in the accompanying text (Activate).

Result

Once you have exposed the interactive form as a callable object, you can use it in an action together with a display callable object. It allows you to monitor the interactive form step by generating a task for it. This task is visible in the GP worklist and UWL at runtime.