Workflow Editor

The Workflow editor is the canvas that you see when you open the Workflow page after creating a Workflow object. The editor provides graphic tools to insert tasks, connect, and move them, and specify their properties.

Workflows have a START and an END node and, between these nodes, any number of executable objects. These objects are linked to each other through connector lines. You can arrange the tasks to be executed simultaneously or sequentially. However, their order in the Workflow is not the only parameter that determines the execution order. You can define properties in each task that influence the execution.

Exception: IF Workflows do not have START and END nodes.

This topic includes the following:

• Workflow Editor Toolbar
• Objects Pane
• Adding Tasks
• Task Boxes
• Task Tooltips
• Connecting and Disconnecting Tasks
• Connecting Distant Tasks in Large Workflows
• Rearranging Tasks
• Copying, Pasting and Replacing Tasks
• Inserting Rows and Columns
• Removing Rows and Columns
• Panning
• Creating a New Workflow and Embedding It
• Mini Map

Workflow Editor Toolbar

The toolbar gives you access to the following functions:

• Level of detail

  Allows you to adjust the magnification and the level of detail of the view. Zoom in and out of the Workflow map by clicking and dragging the slider.

  You can also zoom in and out with the mouse wheel.

• Search field, see Searching for Tasks in the Workflow Editor.

• Objects button

  Select it to display or hide the Objects Pane. From this pane, you select objects to drag-and-drop them onto the Workflow editor.

• Properties button

  Select a task and click this button to display or hide the Properties pane on the lower half of the editor. The pane contains various tabs where you modify the settings of the Workflow tasks. For more information, see Task Properties in Workflows.

Objects Pane

The Objects pane lists all the executable objects available in the Client you are logged into and that you have access to. The pane also displays object links (see Object Links).

You have the following options to search for an object:

• Using the folder menu bar to scroll through the folder structure and select the objects.

  1. Click the arrow next to the home icon to open a drop-down list that replicates your folder structure in the Process Assembly perspective.
  2. Select a folder; if it has sub folders, a new drop-down list displays them.
  3. The objects in the sub folder are displayed in the hit list that is displayed.

• Using the Search field

  This field uses implicit wildcards at the beginning and at the end of the string you enter here.

  Example:

  Entering DB_BACKUP triggers the search for *DB_BACKUP*. The following results are also suggested in the drop-down list:

  • MSSQL_DB_BACKUP
  • DB_BACKUP_MSSQL
  • MSSQL_DB_BACKUP_JAN
• Combining the menu bar and the Search field. Restrict the search to a folder and enter a search string to find objects within that folder.

Note: If you are working with packs and actions, this pane also contains a tab that is called Actions. From this tab, you select the predefined tasks that you want to include in the Workflow. For more information, see Working with Actions.

Adding Tasks

You add objects to a Workflow using either the Objects pane or by right-clicking on the editor. Inserted objects are depicted as boxes that you can link to each other.

Using the Objects Pane

Click the Objects button on the toolbar. The Objects pane lists all the executable objects available in the Client you are logged into and that you have access to.

1. Open the Objects pane and search for the object.

2. Select the object and drag-and-drop it anywhere on the editor.

   Once on the editor, the objects turn into tasks boxes that you can link to each other.

Either way, you can also select multiple objects and drag-and-drop them in bulk onto the editor

By Right-clicking on the Editor

1. Right-click on any empty space on the editor.

2. Select Add Existing Object from the context menu.

   On the Add Existing Object, navigate through the folder structure to search for the object or enter its name in the Search field.

3. Select one or more objects from the list.

4. (Optional) If you want the task to be included as an external task, activate the Insert as External Dependency checkbox.

   For details on the implications of external dependencies in Workflows, see External Dependencies in Workflows.

5. Click OK.

Arrange and connect the tasks after inserting them.

Tip: In Workflows with many tasks, you may want to add rows or columns between existing tasks to be able to add new tasks. For this purpose, see Inserting Rows and Columns.

Removing Tasks

You have two possibilities to remove a task from the Workflow:

• Select a task and hit the DEL button on your keyboard.
• Right-click the task and select Delete from the context menu.

When the tasks that should be deleted are linked to other tasks, the connecting lines are removed.

Notes:

• The objects are only removed from the Workflow but not from the client.
• The START and END object are always available and cannot be deleted.

Task Boxes

Once on the editor, the tasks turn into boxes that you can link to each other. Selected tasks are encircled by a thick line and display start and end arrows. These arrows are the connector points from/to which you can link. Task boxes display the most important attributes of the object.

Example of a task box:

1. Object icon, see Objects.

2. Object name, title or alias, see Name, Title and Alias.

   The name is truncated if it is too long and the title of the task is also displayed. If the task has no title, or if it not displayed, the long name extends over the second line.

3. Name of the Agent on which the task is executed.
4. Short name of the object type. For example, JOBS for Jobs or JOBP for Workflows.
5. Order of the task in the Workflow sequence, where the START node is always the first task.

Task Tooltips

Hover the mouse over a task to display a tooltip that contains additional information about the defined task properties:

1. Whether conditions have been defined
2. Whether rollback has been enabled

The START and END nodes also have tooltips. They provide information about the status of the Workflow.

Connecting and Disconnecting Tasks

You define the task sequence by connecting them. Connecting tasks means establishing a dependency among them.

To Connect Tasks

1. Hover the mouse over the start or the end point of a task. Arrow symbols are displayed. You draw the lines from and to these arrows.
2. Select and hold the arrow symbol and drag it to the task you want to link.
3. Release the mouse button. The two tasks are now connected to each other.

Notes:

• After you have connected two tasks, the dependency between them is also visible on the Time & Dependencies tab in the second task in the sequence. The first task is automatically inserted in the table in the Dependencies section. By default, any OK status of the first task leads to the execution of the second. You can change these settings, if necessary.
• You cannot connect a task to itself.
• FOREACH Workflows and IF Workflows are different. Their tasks are already connected when you create them.

You can fine-tune the dependencies between tasks after you have connected them. For example, you can set a condition for a downstream task depending on the status of the upstream one. See Precondition and Postcondition Tabs and Time & Dependencies.

To Disconnect Tasks

You have two possibilities to delete connector lines (and thus unlink tasks):

• Select the line and press the delete button on your keyboard.
• Right-click the line to select Delete from the context menu.

Connecting Distant Tasks in Large Workflows

The size of the task boxes is automatically reduced to display as much as possible of the Workflow structure. In large Workflow with many tasks, boxes display less data. You may not have enough information at a glance to be able to decide which tasks to connect. Also, the target task may be outside the visible part of the Workflow.

When a Workflow expands beyond its visible part, the context menu that is displayed when right-clicking a task contains the Connect Task option. This option helps you find and connect distant tasks.

To Connect Distant Tasks

1. Right-click a task in the Workflow and select Connect Task from the context menu.

2. The connect toolbar is displayed at the top of the editor.

3. From Start Task do one of the following:

   • Select the task from the drop-down list.
   • Start typing its name, alias, or sequence number within the Workflow.

   The focus of the editor or monitor changes to the selected task. This function lets you verify that it is actually the task you want to link from.

   Tip: Hover your mouse over the task box to display the tooltip. If you need more information, right-click it and select Properties.

4. Do the same to select a task from the End Task drop-down list.
5. The Save button is now enabled. Click it to confirm the connection.

6. Click Cancel to hide the toolbar.

   Important! If you click Cancel before saving, the tasks are not connected and the toolbar is hidden.

Restrictions:

• External dependencies are not available for selection in either of the dropdown lists.

• To prevent linking a task to itself, the task you select in the Start Task drop-down list is not available in the End Task one.

• The Start node is not available for selection in the End Task list. The End node is not available for selection in the Start Task list.
• The Connect button is disabled if one of the dropdown lists in empty or if your selection is an invalid combination of tasks.
• In sub Workflows (Workflows that are embedded in a parent Workflow), only the tasks that belong to the sub Workflow are available for selection.

Rearranging Tasks

You can move linked and unlinked tasks to another empty position in the Workflow using the drag-and-drop function. Rearranging tasks has no effect on their synchronization. It is simply for design purposes to help you visualize the Workflow logic.

To Rearrange Tasks

1. Click on an empty spot in the tasks area.
2. Hold down the mouse button.
3. Drag-and-drop it to another spot on the editor.

Copying, Pasting and Replacing Tasks

You can reuse already configured tasks in the same Workflow or in a different one without having to define it again. You can copy and paste it or you can replace an existing task with the copied one. All the properties of the copied task are cloned in the pasted or replaced task except their PromptSets and Variables. The connections and dependencies remain.

The system performs validation checks in the background. If you try to copy an invalid object, it warns you. To be able to continue designing the Workflow, you must first correct the errors.

Important! It is not possible to copy, paste, or replace tasks in the following cases:

• For IF and ForEach Workflows
• For the START and END nodes of STANDARD Workflows

To Copy or Paste Tasks

1. Right-click the task and select Copy.

2. If you want to paste it in the same Workflow, right-click and select Paste.

   If you want to paste it in a different Workflow, open it, right-click and select Paste.

3. Save your changes

To Replace Tasks

1. Right-click the task and select Replace.
2. On the Replace dialog, search for the task.
3. Click OK.

Special Case: External Dependencies

When you replace an object that has been inserted as external dependency, the new task inherits this definition. The new task is automatically inserted as external dependency too.

For more information, see External Dependencies in Workflows.

Inserting Rows and Columns

In large Workflows with many tasks, you may need to add columns or rows between already existing tasks to be able to add new ones.

To Insert a Row or Column

1. Right-click either a task or any empty space on the editor and select Rows/Columns from the context-menu.
2. Select Insert Row Above/Insert Column Left.
3. Existing columns/rows and their contents shift

Removing Rows and Columns

You can only remove columns or rows if they do not contain any tasks.

Right-click the row that you want to remove. The Remove Row option is displayed. The same applies if you want to remove columns.

Panning

You can move the editor in two dimensions, which is useful if you have large, complex Workflows. You have two possibilities to pan:

• Click anywhere on the editor and drag the view.
• Press space and the arrows on your keyboard to move up, down, right and left to move the view.

Creating a New Workflow and Embedding It

From the editor, you can create a Workflow from scratch and embed it in the Workflow simultaneously.

1. Right-click on any empty space on the editor and select Create New Object.

2. The Add Object dialog is displayed

1. Select the Workflow Type.
2. Enter a Title that helps you identify the Workflow later on.

3. (Optional) Click the Name button and enter the name of the new Workflow.

4. (Optional) Click the Folder button and specify a different path. By default, the path of the parent Workflow is displayed.

3. Click OK.

4. Save your changes.

Mini Map

Large Workflows expand over the visible part of the Workflow editor. A mini map at the bottom right corner of the editor helps you orientate within them. For more information, see Workflow Mini Map.

See also:

• Designing Workflows (JOBP)
• Name, Title and Alias
• Monitoring Workflows